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Life cycle assessment for a
sustainable agriculture
Dr. Mª Dolores Gómez-López
Dr. Silvia Martínez
PhD. María Gabarrón
Dr. Ángel Faz
1.Introduction
2. What is Life cycle assessment?
3. Phases of the LCA
4. LCA methods
Study case 1. Life cycle assessment of the
wetland for slurry depuration
Study case 2. Life cycle assessment of the
use of pig slurry as fertilizer
INTRODUCTION
Agriculture, like all human activity, involves an exploitation of
the natural environment.
The process of agrarian intensification of the last century has
brought with it a series of environmental, and even social,
impacts.
Intensive agriculture, with the search for greater productivity,
mainly in economic terms, has sometimes led to the limit of
ecosystems.
1.INTRODUCTION
One of the most important environmental challenges arising from the
intensification of agriculture is the preservation of soil fertility, the main
patrimony of the farmer.
Agricultural sector contributes with almost 10% climate change of
greenhouse gas emissions.
Agriculture and the environment are not incompatible. Agriculture
has been singled out by the EU as a key sector in halting the loss of
biodiversity in 2020 (EC COM 2011).
In the last decades, companies has made great efforts to improve
its environmental behavior, including in the total cost of the product
or service the costs associated, directly or indirectly, with the
environmental impacts originated in the whole life cycle, the so-called
eco-costs.
What is life cycle assessment?
• Life Cycle Thinking is a way of thinking that includes the
economic, environmental and social consequences of a
product or process over its entire life cycle.
• Life Cycle Thinking helps enterprises to understand and
improve their environmental performance and social
performance, while maintaining or improving profits.
2.WHAT IS LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT?
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a comprehensive life cycle
approach that quantifies ecological and human health impacts
of a product or system over its complete life cycle.
• LCA uses credible scientific methods to model steady-state,
global environmental and human health impacts.
• LCA helps decision makers understand the scale of many
environmental and human health impacts of competing
products, services, policies or actions.
2.WHAT IS LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT?
LCA is an environmental management tool to:
• Apply a system-wide examination
• Use a multi-media approach (air, water, solid waste)
• Identify trade-offs among alternatives
• Identify opportunities to improve systems
• Support environmental decision making
• Achieve sustainable development
2.WHAT IS LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT?
There is a standardized tool for conducting a multi-media,
cradle-to-grave assessment
• ISO 14040 “Life Cycle Assessment – Principles and
Framework” 1997
• ISO 14044 “Life Cycle Assessment – Requirements
and Guidelines” 2006
* ISO – International Standards Organization
2.WHAT IS LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT?
Pyramid that a company will follow for the implementation of an
EMS
Eco-efficiency
LCA
Environmental
Management Systems
Legal requeriment
PHASES OF THE LCA
3. PHASES OF THE LCA
Goal and scope definition is the LCA phase in which the
aim of the study is established. The breadth and depth of
the study are also established in relation to that.
– goal definition
– scope definition
3. PHASES OF THE LCA
Goal definition
– intended application
• product development and improvement
• strategic planning
• public decision making
• marketing
• other
– reasons for carrying out the study
– intended audience
3. PHASES OF THE LCA
Scope definition:
– function, functional unit and reference
flow
– initial choices
• system boundaries
• data quality
– critical review and other procedural
aspects
3. PHASES OF THE LCA
Functional unit
– comparison on the basis of an equivalent function
– example: 1000 liters of milk packed in glass
bottles or packed in carton, instead of 1 glass bottle
versus 1 carton
3. PHASES OF THE LCA
Inventory data availability
•
ISO: Inventory Analysis is the LCA phase involving the
compilation and quantification of inputs and outputs, for a given
product system throughout its life cycle.
•
Steps:
– preparing for data collection
– data collection (both described in ISO 14041)
– calculation procedures
– allocation and recycling
(both described in ISO 14042)
3. PHASES OF THE LCA
•
Data come from many different sources, such as:
− Proprietary company data
− Consultants, labs, universities
− Public, e.g., Toxics Release Inventory (EPA)
•
Databases use different units or different reference flows; report on
different time periods
•
Often more than one source is needed to calculate
the necessary inventory data
•
Data for new products must be estimated
3. PHASES OF THE LCA
3. PHASES OF THE LCA
Impact Assessment
• Is the LCA phase that evaluates the importance of the
potential environmental effects with the aid of the results of the
inventory analysis.
• Steps:
– selection and definition of impact categories, indicators and
models
– classification
– characterisation
– normalisation
– aggregation and/or weighing
3. PHASES OF THE LCA
Impact Assessment Common Impact Categories
Impact Category











Resources
Water
Global Warming
Ozone Depletion
Acidification
Eutrophication
Smog Formation
Human Toxicity
Eco Toxicity
Waste
Land Use
Indicator Measurement
kg Scarce Resources
m3 Water
kg CO2 equivalents
CFC-11 equivalents
kg SO2 equivalents
kg PO43- equivalents
kg Ethene equivalents
HTx equivalents
ETx equivalents
kg Waste
equivalent hectares
3. PHASES OF THE LCA
The characterization
aims to implement the
Characterization is to multiply every
modelling of the impact
substance that contributes to every
categories taking into
category of impact for its characterization
account environmental
factor. This factor indicates the relative
indicators such as ISO
contribution of the substance to the
14044: 2006,
category of impact.
Element
Global warning
CO2
1
CH4
35
N2O
260
Acidification
NOX
0.70
SO2
1
NO2
0.70
NH3
1.88
HCL
0.88
Characterization
for Global Warming and Acidification
HF
1.60
3. PHASES OF THE LCA
Interpretation
ISO: Interpretation is the LCA phase in which the findings of either
the inventory analysis or the impact assessment, or both, are
combined consistent with the defined goal and scope in order to reach
conclusions and recommendations.
– Interpretation should be based on an evaluation
of data quality and sensitivity analysis.
– Review by independent experts is important.
LCA Methods
There are several methods and sowfware for conducting LCA
that vary among countries, trends, categories of impact and
characterization values within categories.
4. LCA METHODS
LCA Software/Consultants
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
AIST-LCA
APME
Athena
ATHENA
BEES
Boustead
CMLCA
Dubo-Calc
EcoInvent
EcoQuantum
EDIP
eiolca.net
EMIS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
EPS
GaBi
GEMIS
GREET
IdeMAT
KCL-Eco 3.0
LCAiT
LCAPix
MIET
REGIS
SimaPro 5.0
SPINE
TEAM
Umberto
We recommended the CML-IA method
4. LCA METHODS
The categories more used in agriculture are:
Abiotic depletion. This impact category is concerned with the
protection of human welfare, human health and ecosystem health.
This impact category indicator is related to extraction of minerals and
fossil fuels due to inputs in the system. The Abiotic Depletion Factor
(ADF) is determined for each extraction of minerals and fossil fuels (kg
antimony equivalents/kg extraction) based on concentration reserves
and rate of de-accumulation. The geographic scope of this indicator is
at global scale.
4. LCA METHODS
Global warming. Climate change can result in adverse affections
upon ecosystem health, human health and material welfare.
Climate change is related to emissions of greenhouse gases to air.
The characterization model as developed by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is selected for development of
characterization factors. Factors are expressed as Global Warming
Potential for time horizon 100 years (GWP100), in kg carbon
dioxide/kg emission. The geographic scope of this indicator is at
global scale.
4. LCA METHODS
Acidification. Acidifying substances cause a wide range of impacts
on soil, groundwater, surface water, organisms, ecosystems and
materials (buildings). Acidification Potential (AP) for emissions to air is
calculated with the adapted RAINS 10 model, describing the fate and
deposition of acidifying substances. AP is expressed as kg SO2
equivalents/ kg emission. The time span is eternity and the
geographical scale varies between local scale and continental scale.
4. LCA METHODS
Eutrophication (also known as nitrification). It includes all
impacts due to excessive levels of macro-nutrients in the
environment caused by emissions of nutrients to air, water
and soil. Nitrification potential (NP) is based on the
stoichiometric procedure of Heijungs (1992), and expressed
as kg PO4 equivalents per kg emission. Fate and exposure
is not included, time span is eternity, and the geographical
scale varies between local and continental scale
5. STUDY CASE 1
STUDY CASE 1
100%
Percentage of impacts
associated with abiotic
depletion (AD),
acidification (AC),
eutrophication (EU),
global warming (GW),
ozone layer depletion
(OLD), toxicity (T), and
photochemical
oxidation (PhO), for the
wetland process and its
building.
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
-20%
-40%
Wetland process
Building process
-60%
kg Sb
kg SO2
kg PO4
kg CO2
AD
AC
EU
GW
kg CFC-11 kg 1,4-DB
OLD
T
kg C2H4
PhO
0.15
ACIDIFICATION
0.1
0.05
0
-0.05
0.3
0.3 0.25
0.3
0.25 0.2
0.25
0.2 0.15
0.2
Wetland process
Wetland process
0.008
0.008
0.004
0
2
Global warming (kg CO eq)
(kg CO2 eq)
GLOBALWARMING
WARMING
GLOBAL
2 2
(kgCO2
CO2eq)
eq)
(kg
22
1.5
100
1.5
80 60
1.5
1.5
60 40
20
1
1
11
0.5
0
00 -20
-20
-20
-20
0.004
0.004
0.004
WARMING
GLOBAL
00-0.05
0
(kg CO2 eq)
Wetland
process
Building process
-0.05
0
-0.05
GLOBAL 0WARMING
0.5
0.5
0
5. STUDY CASE 1
Building process
Building process
0.012
0.012
0.008
40 20
20
Building process
0
100
100 80
40
0.016
0.012
0.1
0.1 0.05
80
60
ACIDIFICATION
(kg SO0.016
2 eq)
(kg SO2 eq)
0.016
0.15 0.1
0.15
0.05
0.05
100
Wetland process
Acidification
(kg SO
(kgeq)
SO2 eq) 0.008
2
ACIDIFICATION
Sand waste
Surface water
Wetland
Sand
waste
SandFertiliser
waste (P)
Wetland
Surface
Surface water
water
Fertiliser (P)
Fertiliser
(P)
waste
Wetland
Wetland
Sand
Surface water
Fertiliser (P)
Wetland
0
biowaste, plant DM 0 0
Fertiliser (K)
process
Fertiliser
(N)
biowaste,
plant
DM
biowaste,
plant
DM
Fertiliser
(K)
Fertiliser (K)
Fertiliser
(N)
Fertiliser
(N)
plant DM
biowaste,
Fertiliser (K)
Fertiliser (N)
0.5
Excavation
EPDM rubber
PVC pipe E
Gravel ETH U
0
Sand
Concrete
Building process
Excavation
EPDM
rubber
Excavation
EPDM
rubber
Disposal,
concrete Gravel
PVC
pipe
E
ETH
U U
PVC pipe E
Gravel
ETH
Sand
Concrete
Sand
Concrete
Excavation
Disposal,
concrete
Disposal,
concrete
PVC pipe E
Sand
Disposal, concrete
EPDM rubber
Gravel ETH U
Concrete
5. STUDY CASE 1
•
The impacts associated to wetland process proved to be
higher than those due to the construction, except for toxicity
and abiotic depletion.
•
The quantitatively biggest impacts were due to emission of
gases
in
the
process,
reflected
acidification and global warming.
in
the
categories
of
5. STUDY CASE 1
•
The
high
environmental
benefit
obtained
with
the
reincorporation of the purified slurry to the ground and the
consequent saving of mineral fertilizer caused that degradation
of the waterproof plastic and building materials to be offset in
the overall balance, particularly reflected in the toxicity and
abiotic depletion impact categories.
•
For the wetland construction, the biggest impact was for the
toxicity impact category, and it was associated with the waste
generated (EPDM rubber, gravel and sand) as well as transport
for its manufacture and recycling.
STUDY CASE 2
LCA for the organic fertilizer system
5. STUDY CASE 2
The use of pig slurry has been proposed as a field amendment due
to its high mineral content, taking always into account the limits
imposed by current legislation.
The link established between breeder and farmer has been studied:
breeder keeps the slurry pig into a reservoir, being later transferred
to fields for its direct spreading.
As it is well recognized, only a proportion of applied elements by
fertilization are taken up by the crop, the remainder being dissipated
in the atmosphere or leached into water.
According to different authors, field absorption figures would be 60%
for N, 100% for P and K, 90% for Ca and 25% for Mg.
5. STUDY CASE 2
Proportion of total (T) and available (A) fertilizer elements in different pig slurries
TYPE OF
FARM
Fattening
Closed cycle
Maternity
DOSAGE
TN
AN
AP
-1
-1
-1
(L·ha ) (kg·ha ) (kg·ha ) (kg·ha-1)
34,000
168.30
94.85
5.75
64,000
169.60
107.74
5.90
77,000
169.40
111.92
9.79
TC
AC
TMg
-1
-1
(kg·ha ) (kg·ha ) (kg·ha-1)
Fattening 34,000
19.76
18.02
16.42
Closed cycle 64,000
7.67
6.99
5.74
Maternity 77,000
14.95
13.63
5.46
AK
(kg·ha-1)
185.45
216.76
372.64
AMg
(kg·ha-1)
3.98
1.39
1.32
Nutrient extraction from different crops
CROP
Letucce
Broccoli
Artichoke
DURATION
(day)
120
87
222
N
(kg·ha-1)
100
244
400
P
(kg·ha-1)
25
29
59
K
(kg·ha-1)
204
240
625
Ca
(kg·ha-1)
45
221
132
Mg
(kg·ha-1)
15
23
48
Fossil fuels
Minerals
Fertiliser (K)
Fertiliser (P)
Fertiliser (N)
Tillage, rotary cultivator
Slurry spreading, by vacuum tanker
Transport, lorry >16t, fleet average
Full process
0.012
Pt
0.008
0.004
Pt
0.000
-0.004
Land use
Acidification/
Eutrophication
Ecotoxicity
Ozone layer
Radiation
Climate change
Resp. inorganics
Carcinogens
Resp. organics
5. STUDY CASE 2
0.016
0.012
0.008
0.004
0.000
-0.004
Human Health
Ecosystem Quality
Resources
5. STUDY CASE 2
•
Due to the limits imposed by legislation, our recommendations
would be:
o for letucce  pig slurry from closed cycle at 60,000 L·ha-1.
o for broccoli  pig slurry from closed cycle at 64,000 L·ha-1.
o for artichoke  pig slurry from maternity at 77,000 L·ha-1.
5. STUDY CASE 2
•
Life cycle assessment for the organic fertilizer system 
environmental impacts:
o ecotoxicity  heavy metals.
o global warming potential  gas emissions.
o acidification  ammonia emission.
o eutrophication  leaching of nitrate and phosphate.
5. STUDY CASE 2
• Life cycle assessment for the organic fertilizer system  positive
effects:
• decrease of inorganic fertilizer  both environmental
and economic save.
• New approaches for pig slurry treatment in order to minimize
leaching and emissions
• use of wetlands and new field disposal systems for the minimization
of atmospheric emissions .
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