Environmental assessment of the Tung cultivation through life cycle analysis

  • Authors

    • Marcelo Bernál Santa Cruz do Sul University
    • Rosana Schneider Santa Cruz do Sul University
    • Ênio Machado Santa Cruz do Sul University
    2014-02-17
    https://doi.org/10.14419/ijet.v3i1.1597
  • Abstract

    Over the past few decades, conventional agriculture has been facing serious crises caused by numerous factors, including poor soil management and the excessive application of pesticides. Thus, alternative production systems have been developed, including agroforestry systems, especially those that produce both energy and food. The objective of this study was to environmentally evaluate the culture of Aleurites fordii Hemls. (Tung) using the Life Cycle Assessment method with the SimaPro 7.3.2 software. The results revealed that in family farms that use less mechanization to harvest crops, the primary category of environmental impact was land use, which included the removal of animal and vegetable species and ecosystem changes. The full impact of this category was 1741.21 m2yr PDF (potentially disappeared fraction). Subsequently, prognostics were established for the reduction of such impacts, and we conclude that Tung has a high potential for agricultural installation with high responsibility to the environment.

    Keywords: Environmental factors, Aleurites fordii Hemls, Life Cycle Management, Tung.

  • References

    1. F.S. Görgen, Os novos desafios da agricultura camponesa. 3 ed., Porto Alegre, 2004.
    2. B. Mattsson, C. Cederberg, and L. Blix, "Agricultural land use in life cycle assessment (LCA): case studies of three vegetable oil crops", Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 8, No. 4, (2000), pp. 283-292, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0959-6526(00)00027-5 .
    3. A. Iriarte, J. Rieradevall, and X. Gabarrell, "Life cycle assessment of sunflower and rapeseed as energy crops under Chilean conditions", Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 18, No. 4, (2010), pp. 336-345, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2009.11.004 .
    4. P. Spugnoli, R. Dainelli, L. D'Avino, M. Mazzoncini, and L. Lazzeri, "Sustainability of sunflower cultivation for biodiesel production in Tuscany within the EU Renewable Energy Directive", Biosystems Engineering, Vol. 112, No. 1, (2012), pp. 49-55, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2012.02.004 .
    5. T. Tsoutsos, V. Kouloumpis, T. Zafiris, and S. Foteinis, "Life Cycle Assessment for biodiesel production under Greek climate conditions", Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 18, No. 4, (2010), pp. 328-335, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2009.11.002 .
    6. D. Spinelli, S. Jez, and R. Basosi, "Integrated Environmental Assessment of sunflower oil production", Process Biochemistry, Vol. 47, No. 11, (2012), pp. 1595-1602, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2011.08.007 .
    7. J.A. Kaercher, R.d.C.d.S. Schneider, R.A. Klamt, W.L.T. da Silva, W.L. Schmatz, M. da Silva Szarblewski, and E.L. Machado, "Optimization of biodiesel production for self-consumption: considering its environmental impacts", Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 46, No. 0, (2013), pp. 74-82, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.09.016 .
    8. C.G. Júnior, "Contribuição para o estudo da cultura do tungue", Anais da Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Vol. 3, No., (1946), pp. 8, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0071-12761946000100029 .
    9. P. Goglio, E. Bonari, and M. Mazzoncini, "LCA of cropping systems with different external input levels for energetic purposes", Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 42, No. 0, (2012), pp. 33-42, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2012.03.021 .
    10. G. Larsson and P.A. Hansson, "Environmental impact of catalytic converters and particle filters for agricultural tractors determined by life cycle assessment", Biosystems Engineering, Vol. 109, No. 1, (2011), pp. 15-21, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2011.01.010 .
    11. G. Fregapane, A. Gómez-Rico, and M.D. Salvador, Chapter 6 - Influence of Irrigation Management and Ripening on Virgin Olive Oil Quality and Composition, in Olives and Olive Oil in Health and Disease Prevention. 2010, Academic Press: San Diego, 2010.
    12. S. Barrios, B. Ouattara, and E. Strobl, "The impact of climatic change on agricultural production: Is it different for Africa?” Food Policy, Vol. 33, No. 4, (2008), pp. 287-298, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2008.01.003 .
    13. P. Barnwal and K. Kotani, "Climatic impacts across agricultural crop yield distributions: An application of quantile regression on rice crops in Andhra Pradesh, India", Ecological Economics, Vol. 87, No. 0, (2013), pp. 95-109, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.11.024 .
    14. E. Lorencová, J. Frélichová, E. Nelson, and D. Vačkář, "Past and future impacts of land use and climate change on agricultural ecosystem services in the Czech Republic", Land Use Policy, Vol. 33, No. 0, (2013), pp. 183-194, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2012.12.012 .
    15. S.N. Ngigi, H.H.G. Savenije, and F.N. Gichuki, "Land use changes and hydrological impacts related to up-scaling of rainwater harvesting and management in upper Ewaso Ng’iro river basin, Kenya", Land Use Policy, Vol. 24, No. 1, (2007), pp. 129-140, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2005.10.002 .
    16. M.C. Manique, C.S. Faccini, B. Onorevoli, E.V. Benvenutti, and E.B. Caramão, "Rice husk ash as an adsorbent for purifying biodiesel from waste frying oil", Fuel, Vol. 92, No. 1, (2012), pp. 56-61, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2011.07.024 .
    17. N. Sarkar, S.K. Ghosh, S. Bannerjee, and K. Aikat, "Bioethanol production from agricultural wastes: An overview", Renewable Energy, Vol. 37, No. 1, (2012), pp. 19-27, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2011.06.045 .
    18. I. Perfecto and A. Castiñeiras, Deployment of the predaceous ants and their conservation in agroecosystems, in Conservation Biological Control. 1998, Academic Press: San Diego, 1998.
  • Downloads

    Additional Files

  • How to Cite

    Bernál, M., Schneider, R., & Machado, Ênio. (2014). Environmental assessment of the Tung cultivation through life cycle analysis. International Journal of Engineering & Technology, 3(1), 70-74. https://doi.org/10.14419/ijet.v3i1.1597

    Received date: 2013-12-04

    Accepted date: 2014-01-02

    Published date: 2014-02-17