Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Effects of Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) Production in Alborz Province
Subject Areas : Journal of Crop EcophysiologyShahram Khosravi Bami 1 , Mohammad Reza Ardakani 2 , Abdolmajid Mahdavi Damghani 3 , Amir Hossein Shirani Rad 4 , Parisa Nejatkhah Manavi 5
1 - Department of Agronomy, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
3 - Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
4 - Seed and Plant Improvement Institute (SPII), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), 31359-33151, Karaj, Iran
5 - Department of Agronomy, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Photochemical oxidation, Global Warming, Environmental Index, Human toxicity, Terrestrial and aquatic ecotoxicity,
Abstract :
In recent years, growing awareness of environmental problems, particularly global warming, has raised concerns about the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the global atmosphere. More life cycle assessments are used to assess and compare the environmental impacts of energy production and the economic aspects of producing a product worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate and analyze the environmental effects of canola production in terms of life cycle assessment (LCA) using SimaPro software with the aim of focusing on environmental impacts. In order to perform the experiments, one ton of rapeseed was used as the operational unit. Required data were collected from 30 farms in Alborz province. The results indicated that the potential of human toxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, and arine aquatic ecotoxicity per ton of rapeseed production were 881.63, 7.08, 288.67, and 618515.14 kg 1,4-dichlorobenzene equal (1,4-DB eq.), respectively, and photochemical oxidation potential was 0.43 kg C2H4 eq. The amount of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium used to produce each ton of rapeseed was about 84, 63 and 63 kg, respectively, and the amount of diesel fuel and electrical energy were estimated at 133.5 liters and 586 kW, respectively. Also, the CO2, CO, N2O and NOX emissions were about 361, 4.1, 11.5 and 4.8 kg per ton of rapeseed, respectively. It was also found that chemical fertilizers had the largest contribution among the evaluated inputs in the canola life cycle. As a whole, this study showed that the management of nutrients and pesticides can be considered as a strong point for optimizing the environmental impact of rapeseed production.
Abeliotis, K., V. Detsis, and C. Pappia. 2013. Life cycle assessment of bean production in the Prespa National Park, Greece. Journal of Cleaner Production. 41: 89-96.
2003. NRMRL, National risk management research laboratory, tools for the reduction and assessment of chemical and other environmental impacts (TRACI): user’s guide and system documentation. EPA/600/R-02/052. Ohio, United States, Environmental Protection Agency.
2006. IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Cropland. In: Eggleston, H.S., L. Buendia, K. Miwa, T. Ngara, and K. Tanabe. IPCC guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories, Vol. 4. Hayama, Japan: National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme, IGES, Chapter 5.
2006. ISO 14040. Environmental management–life cycle assessment–principles and framework. British Standards Institution. London, UK.
Babaei, M., M.R. Ardakani, F. Rejali, A.H. Shirani Rad, F. Golzardi, and S. Mafakheri. 2012. Response of agronomical traits of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) to co-inoculation with Glomus intraradices and Pseudomonas fluorescens under different phosphorus levels. Annals of Biological Research. 3(8): 4195-4199.
Baghdadi, A., M. Balazadeh, A. Kashani, F. Golzardi, M. Gholamhoseini, and M. Mehrnia. 2017. Effect of pre-sowing and nitrogen application on forage quality of silage corn. Agronomy Research. 15(1): 11-23.
Bare, J.C., G.A. Norris, D.W. Pennington, and T. McKone. 2003. TRACI: The tool for the reduction and assessment of chemical and other environmental impacts. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 6: 49-78
Bouwman, A. 1990. Exchange of greenhouse gases between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. Soils and the Greenhouse Effect. John Wiley and Sons: New York, USA, pp: 61–128.
Brentrup F., J. Küsters, H. Kuhlmann, and J. Lammel. 2004a. Environmental impact assessment of agricultural production systems using the life cycle assessment methodology: I. Theoretical concept of a LCA method tailored to crop production. European Journal of Agronomy. 20: 247-264.
Brentrup, F., J. Küsters, H. Kuhlmann, and J. Lammel. 2001. Application of the life cycle assessment methodology to agricultural production: an example of sugar beet production with different forms of nitrogen fertilizers. European Journal of Agronomy. 14: 221-332.
Brentrup, F., J. Küsters, J. Lammel, and H. Kuhlmann. 2000. Methods to estimate on-field nitrogen emissions from crop production as an input to LCA studies in the agricultural sector. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 5: 349-357.
Brentrup, F., J. Küsters, J. Lammel, P. Barraclough, and H. Kuhlmann. 2004b. Environmental impact assessment of agricultural production systems using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology II. The application to N fertilizer use in winter wheat production systems. European Journal of Agronomy. 20: 265-279.
Charles, R., O. Jolliet, and D. Gaillard Gand Pellet. 2006. Environmental analysis of intensity level in wheat crop production using life cycle assessment. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 113: 216-225
Choobin, S., B. Hosseinzadeh Samani, and Z. Esmaeili. 2016. Life-cycle assessment of environmental effects on rapeseed production. Journal of Renewable Energy and Environment. 3(4): 10-19.
Eggleston, H., S. Buendia, L. Miwa, K. Ngara, and T. Tanabe. 2006. IPCC guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories. National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programmed. Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES). Hayama, Japan. pp: 3-74.
Fathi, R., K. Kheiralipour, and A. Azizpanah. 2019. Assessment of the pattern of energy consumption in dryland rape production and its environmental effects in Ilam province. Energy Economics Review. 15: 155-179. (In Persian).
Ghadirianfar, M. 2013. Evaluation of life cycle of ethanol produced from sugarcane molasses, energy cycle and environmental effects in Iran. Ph.D. Thesis in Agricultural Mechanization Engineering. University of Tehran. (In Persian).
Goedkoop, M., A. De Schryver, M. Oele, S. Durksz, and D. De Roest. 2008. Introduction to LCA with SimaPro 7, PRé Consultants. California, USA. pp: 1-80
Hammond, A.L., E. Rodenburg, and W. Moomaw. 1990. Accountability in the greenhouse. Nature. 347: 705-706.
Iriarte, A., J. Rieradevall, and X. Gabarrell. 2010. Life cycle assessment of sunflower and rapeseed as energy crops under Chilean conditions. Journal of Cleaner Production. 18(4): 336-345.
Isermann, K. 1990. Share of agriculture in nitrogen and phosphorus emissions into the surface waters of Western Europe against the background of their eutrophication. Fertilizer Research. 26: 253-269.
Kaab, A., M. Sharifi, and H. Mobli. 2021. Life cycle assessment and estimation of environmental pollutant emissions in sugarcane production (Saccharum officinarum) using artificial neural network. Agroecology. 12(1): 87-106. (In Persian).
Khair Alipour, K., Jafari Samarbon, and M. Soleimani. 2017. Determining the environmental effects of rapeseed production by life cycle assessment method, case study: Ardabil province. Iranian Journal of Biosystems Engineering. 48(4): 517-526. (In Persian).
Khoshnevisan, B., E. Bolandnazar, S. Shamshirband, H. Motamed, N. Badrul, L. Mat, M.L.M. Kiah. 2015. Decreasing environmental impacts of cropping systems using life cycle assessment (LCA) and multi-objective genetic algorithm. Journal of Cleaner Production. 86: 67–77.
Khoshnevisan, B., M.A. Rajaeifar, S. Clark, S. Shamahirband, N.B. Anuar, N.L.M. Shuib, and A. Gani. 2014. Evaluation of traditional and consolidated rice farms in Guilan Province, Iran, using life cycle assessment and fuzzy modeling. Science of the Total Environment. 481: 242-251.
Kongshaug, G. 1998. Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in fertilizer production. IFA Technical Conference, Marrakech, Morocco, 28 September-1 October, 1998, 18 pp.
Kroeze, C., A. Mosier, and L. Bouwman. 1999. Closing the global N2O budget: A retrospective analysis 1500-1994. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 13(1): 1-8.
Liang, S., M. Xu, and T. Zhang. 2013. Life cycle assessment of biodiesel production in China. Bioresource Technology. 129: 72-77.
Liebig, M., J. Morgan, J. Reeder, B. Ellert, H. Gollany, and G. Schuman. 2005. Greenhouse gas contributions and mitigation potential of agricultural practices in northwestern USA and western Canada. Soil and Tillage Research. 83: 25-52.
Nasiri, M., and A.R. Kouchaki. 2015. Life cycle assessment in the ecosystem of wheat production systems (Triticum aestivum) comparison of input consumption levels. Journal of Agroecology. 9(4):45-56. (In Persian).
Nazari, Sh., M.A. Aboutalebian, and F. Golzardi. 2017. Seed priming improves seedling emergence time, root characteristics and yield of canola in the conditions of late sowing. Agronomy Research. 15(2): 501-514.
Nemecek, T., A. Heil, O. Huguenin, S. Meier, S. Erzinger, S. Blaser, D. Dux, and A. Zimmermann. 2007. Life cycle inventories of agricultural production systems. Final Report Ecoinvent. Ecoinvent center. pp: 1-295. Zürich and Dübendorf, Swiss.
Nikkhah, A., M. Khojastehpour, B. Emadi, A. Taheri-Rad., and S. Khorramdel. 2015. Environmental impacts of peanut production system using life cycle assessment methodology. Journal of Cleaner Production. 92(1): 84-90.
Rafiee, S., S.H.M. Avval, and A. Mohammadi. 2010. Modeling and sensitivity analysis of energy inputs for apple production in Iran. Energy. 35(8): 3301–3306.
Rajaeifar, M.A., B. Ghobadian, M.D. Heidari, and E. Fayyazi. 2013. Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of biodiesel production from rapeseed in Iran. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy. 5(6):
Sahle, A., and J. Potting. 2013. Environmental life cycle assessment of Ethiopian rose cultivation. Science of the Total Environment. 443: 163-172.
Salyani, M., and R.P. Cromwell. 1992. Spray drift from ground and aerial applications. Transactions of the ASAE. 35: 1113-1120.
Shiri, M., R. Ataei, and F. Golzardi. 2018. Life cycle assessment (LCA) for a maize production system under Moghan climatic conditions. Environmental Sciences. 16(1): 191-206. (In Persian).
Siavoshi, M., and S. Dastan. 2019. Life cycle assessment of irrigated wheat production under the effects of nitrogen amounts and splitting its use in Boushehr region. Journal of Crop Ecophysiology. 13(3): 461-484. (In Persian).
van den Berg, F., R. Kubiak, W.G. Benjey, M.S. Majewski, S.R. Yates, G.L. Reeves, J.H. Smelt, and A.M.A. Van der Linden. 1999. Emission of pesticides into the air. Water, Air and Soil Pollution. 115: 195-218.
_||_Abeliotis, K., V. Detsis, and C. Pappia. 2013. Life cycle assessment of bean production in the Prespa National Park, Greece. Journal of Cleaner Production. 41: 89-96.
2003. NRMRL, National risk management research laboratory, tools for the reduction and assessment of chemical and other environmental impacts (TRACI): user’s guide and system documentation. EPA/600/R-02/052. Ohio, United States, Environmental Protection Agency.
2006. IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Cropland. In: Eggleston, H.S., L. Buendia, K. Miwa, T. Ngara, and K. Tanabe. IPCC guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories, Vol. 4. Hayama, Japan: National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme, IGES, Chapter 5.
2006. ISO 14040. Environmental management–life cycle assessment–principles and framework. British Standards Institution. London, UK.
Babaei, M., M.R. Ardakani, F. Rejali, A.H. Shirani Rad, F. Golzardi, and S. Mafakheri. 2012. Response of agronomical traits of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) to co-inoculation with Glomus intraradices and Pseudomonas fluorescens under different phosphorus levels. Annals of Biological Research. 3(8): 4195-4199.
Baghdadi, A., M. Balazadeh, A. Kashani, F. Golzardi, M. Gholamhoseini, and M. Mehrnia. 2017. Effect of pre-sowing and nitrogen application on forage quality of silage corn. Agronomy Research. 15(1): 11-23.
Bare, J.C., G.A. Norris, D.W. Pennington, and T. McKone. 2003. TRACI: The tool for the reduction and assessment of chemical and other environmental impacts. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 6: 49-78
Bouwman, A. 1990. Exchange of greenhouse gases between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. Soils and the Greenhouse Effect. John Wiley and Sons: New York, USA, pp: 61–128.
Brentrup F., J. Küsters, H. Kuhlmann, and J. Lammel. 2004a. Environmental impact assessment of agricultural production systems using the life cycle assessment methodology: I. Theoretical concept of a LCA method tailored to crop production. European Journal of Agronomy. 20: 247-264.
Brentrup, F., J. Küsters, H. Kuhlmann, and J. Lammel. 2001. Application of the life cycle assessment methodology to agricultural production: an example of sugar beet production with different forms of nitrogen fertilizers. European Journal of Agronomy. 14: 221-332.
Brentrup, F., J. Küsters, J. Lammel, and H. Kuhlmann. 2000. Methods to estimate on-field nitrogen emissions from crop production as an input to LCA studies in the agricultural sector. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 5: 349-357.
Brentrup, F., J. Küsters, J. Lammel, P. Barraclough, and H. Kuhlmann. 2004b. Environmental impact assessment of agricultural production systems using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology II. The application to N fertilizer use in winter wheat production systems. European Journal of Agronomy. 20: 265-279.
Charles, R., O. Jolliet, and D. Gaillard Gand Pellet. 2006. Environmental analysis of intensity level in wheat crop production using life cycle assessment. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 113: 216-225
Choobin, S., B. Hosseinzadeh Samani, and Z. Esmaeili. 2016. Life-cycle assessment of environmental effects on rapeseed production. Journal of Renewable Energy and Environment. 3(4): 10-19.
Eggleston, H., S. Buendia, L. Miwa, K. Ngara, and T. Tanabe. 2006. IPCC guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories. National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programmed. Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES). Hayama, Japan. pp: 3-74.
Fathi, R., K. Kheiralipour, and A. Azizpanah. 2019. Assessment of the pattern of energy consumption in dryland rape production and its environmental effects in Ilam province. Energy Economics Review. 15: 155-179. (In Persian).
Ghadirianfar, M. 2013. Evaluation of life cycle of ethanol produced from sugarcane molasses, energy cycle and environmental effects in Iran. Ph.D. Thesis in Agricultural Mechanization Engineering. University of Tehran. (In Persian).
Goedkoop, M., A. De Schryver, M. Oele, S. Durksz, and D. De Roest. 2008. Introduction to LCA with SimaPro 7, PRé Consultants. California, USA. pp: 1-80
Hammond, A.L., E. Rodenburg, and W. Moomaw. 1990. Accountability in the greenhouse. Nature. 347: 705-706.
Iriarte, A., J. Rieradevall, and X. Gabarrell. 2010. Life cycle assessment of sunflower and rapeseed as energy crops under Chilean conditions. Journal of Cleaner Production. 18(4): 336-345.
Isermann, K. 1990. Share of agriculture in nitrogen and phosphorus emissions into the surface waters of Western Europe against the background of their eutrophication. Fertilizer Research. 26: 253-269.
Kaab, A., M. Sharifi, and H. Mobli. 2021. Life cycle assessment and estimation of environmental pollutant emissions in sugarcane production (Saccharum officinarum) using artificial neural network. Agroecology. 12(1): 87-106. (In Persian).
Khair Alipour, K., Jafari Samarbon, and M. Soleimani. 2017. Determining the environmental effects of rapeseed production by life cycle assessment method, case study: Ardabil province. Iranian Journal of Biosystems Engineering. 48(4): 517-526. (In Persian).
Khoshnevisan, B., E. Bolandnazar, S. Shamshirband, H. Motamed, N. Badrul, L. Mat, M.L.M. Kiah. 2015. Decreasing environmental impacts of cropping systems using life cycle assessment (LCA) and multi-objective genetic algorithm. Journal of Cleaner Production. 86: 67–77.
Khoshnevisan, B., M.A. Rajaeifar, S. Clark, S. Shamahirband, N.B. Anuar, N.L.M. Shuib, and A. Gani. 2014. Evaluation of traditional and consolidated rice farms in Guilan Province, Iran, using life cycle assessment and fuzzy modeling. Science of the Total Environment. 481: 242-251.
Kongshaug, G. 1998. Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in fertilizer production. IFA Technical Conference, Marrakech, Morocco, 28 September-1 October, 1998, 18 pp.
Kroeze, C., A. Mosier, and L. Bouwman. 1999. Closing the global N2O budget: A retrospective analysis 1500-1994. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 13(1): 1-8.
Liang, S., M. Xu, and T. Zhang. 2013. Life cycle assessment of biodiesel production in China. Bioresource Technology. 129: 72-77.
Liebig, M., J. Morgan, J. Reeder, B. Ellert, H. Gollany, and G. Schuman. 2005. Greenhouse gas contributions and mitigation potential of agricultural practices in northwestern USA and western Canada. Soil and Tillage Research. 83: 25-52.
Nasiri, M., and A.R. Kouchaki. 2015. Life cycle assessment in the ecosystem of wheat production systems (Triticum aestivum) comparison of input consumption levels. Journal of Agroecology. 9(4):45-56. (In Persian).
Nazari, Sh., M.A. Aboutalebian, and F. Golzardi. 2017. Seed priming improves seedling emergence time, root characteristics and yield of canola in the conditions of late sowing. Agronomy Research. 15(2): 501-514.
Nemecek, T., A. Heil, O. Huguenin, S. Meier, S. Erzinger, S. Blaser, D. Dux, and A. Zimmermann. 2007. Life cycle inventories of agricultural production systems. Final Report Ecoinvent. Ecoinvent center. pp: 1-295. Zürich and Dübendorf, Swiss.
Nikkhah, A., M. Khojastehpour, B. Emadi, A. Taheri-Rad., and S. Khorramdel. 2015. Environmental impacts of peanut production system using life cycle assessment methodology. Journal of Cleaner Production. 92(1): 84-90.
Rafiee, S., S.H.M. Avval, and A. Mohammadi. 2010. Modeling and sensitivity analysis of energy inputs for apple production in Iran. Energy. 35(8): 3301–3306.
Rajaeifar, M.A., B. Ghobadian, M.D. Heidari, and E. Fayyazi. 2013. Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of biodiesel production from rapeseed in Iran. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy. 5(6):
Sahle, A., and J. Potting. 2013. Environmental life cycle assessment of Ethiopian rose cultivation. Science of the Total Environment. 443: 163-172.
Salyani, M., and R.P. Cromwell. 1992. Spray drift from ground and aerial applications. Transactions of the ASAE. 35: 1113-1120.
Shiri, M., R. Ataei, and F. Golzardi. 2018. Life cycle assessment (LCA) for a maize production system under Moghan climatic conditions. Environmental Sciences. 16(1): 191-206. (In Persian).
Siavoshi, M., and S. Dastan. 2019. Life cycle assessment of irrigated wheat production under the effects of nitrogen amounts and splitting its use in Boushehr region. Journal of Crop Ecophysiology. 13(3): 461-484. (In Persian).
van den Berg, F., R. Kubiak, W.G. Benjey, M.S. Majewski, S.R. Yates, G.L. Reeves, J.H. Smelt, and A.M.A. Van der Linden. 1999. Emission of pesticides into the air. Water, Air and Soil Pollution. 115: 195-218.