Environmental impacts and resource use from Australian pork production determined using life cycle assessment. 2. Energy, water and land occupation

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen G. Wiedemann ◽  
Eugene J. McGahan ◽  
Caoilinn M. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
National Average ◽  
Land Occupation ◽  
Pork Production ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Fossil Fuel Energy

Utilisation of water, energy and land resources is under pressure globally because of increased demand for food, fibre and fuel production. Australian pork production utilises these resources both directly to grow and process pigs, and indirectly via the consumption of feed and other inputs. With increasing demand and higher costs associated with these resources, supply chain efficiency is a growing priority for the industry. This study aimed to quantify fresh water consumption, stress-weighted water use, fossil fuel energy use and land occupation from six case study supply chains and the national herd using a life cycle assessment approach. Two functional units were used: 1 kg of pork liveweight (LW) at the farm-gate, and 1 kg of wholesale pork (chilled, bone-in). At the farm-gate, fresh water consumption from the case study supply chains ranged from 22.2 to 156.7 L/kg LW, with a national average value of 107.5 L/kg LW. Stress-weighted water use ranged from 6.6 to 167.5 L H2O-e /kg LW, with a national average value of 103.2 L H2O-e /kg LW. Fossil fuel energy demand ranged from 12.9 to 17.4 MJ/kg LW, with a national average value of 14.5 MJ/kg LW, and land occupation ranged from 10.9 to 16.1 m2/kg LW, with a national average value of 16.1 m2/kg LW and with arable land representing 97% to 99% of total land occupation. National average impacts associated with production of wholesale pork, including impacts from meat processing, were 184 ± 43 L fresh water consumption, 172 ± 53 L H2O-e stress-weighted water, 27 ± 2.6 MJ fossil fuel energy demand and 25.9 ± 5.5 m2 land/kg wholesale pork. Across all categories through to the wholesale product, resource use was highest from the production of feed inputs, indicating that improving feed conversion ratio is the most important production metric for reducing the resource use. Housing type and energy generation from manure management also influence resource use requirements and may offer improvement opportunities.

Resource use and environmental impacts from Australian export lamb production: a life cycle assessment

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. G. Wiedemann ◽  
M.-J. Yan ◽  
C. M. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Land Occupation ◽  
Fossil Fuel Energy

This study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) investigating energy, land occupation, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, fresh water consumption and stress-weighted water use from production of export lamb in the major production regions of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The study used data from regional datasets and case study farms, and applied new methods for assessing water use using detailed farm water balances and water stress weighting. Land occupation was assessed with reference to the proportion of arable and non-arable land and allocation of liveweight (LW) and greasy wool was handled using a protein mass method. Fossil fuel energy demand ranged from 2.5 to 7.0 MJ/kg LW, fresh water consumption from 58.1 to 238.9 L/kg LW, stress-weighted water use from 2.9 to 137.8 L H2O-e/kg LW and crop land occupation from 0.2 to 2.0 m2/kg LW. Fossil fuel energy demand was dominated by on-farm energy demand, and differed between regions and datasets in response to production intensity and the use of purchased inputs such as fertiliser. Regional fresh water consumption was dominated by irrigation water use and losses from farm water supply, with smaller contributions from livestock drinking water. GHG emissions ranged from 6.1 to 7.3 kg CO2-e/kg LW and additional removals or emissions from land use (due to cultivation and fertilisation) and direct land-use change (due to deforestation over previous 20 years) were found to be modest, contributing between –1.6 and 0.3 kg CO2-e/kg LW for different scenarios assessing soil carbon flux. Excluding land use and direct land-use change, enteric CH4 contributed 83–89% of emissions, suggesting that emissions intensity can be reduced by focussing on flock production efficiency. Resource use and emissions were similar for export lamb production in the major production states of Australia, and GHG emissions were similar to other major global lamb producers. The results show impacts from lamb production on competitive resources to be low, as lamb production systems predominantly utilised non-arable land unsuited to alternative food production systems that rely on crop production, and water from regions with low water stress.

Resource use and greenhouse gas emissions from grain-finishing beef cattle in seven Australian feedlots: a life cycle assessment

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 1149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Wiedemann ◽  
Rod Davis ◽  
Eugene McGahan ◽  
Caoilinn Murphy ◽  
Matthew Redding
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Land Occupation

Grain finishing of cattle has become increasingly common in Australia over the past 30 years. However, interest in the associated environmental impacts and resource use is increasing and requires detailed analysis. In this study we conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) to investigate impacts of the grain-finishing stage for cattle in seven feedlots in eastern Australia, with a particular focus on the feedlot stage, including the impacts from producing the ration, feedlot operations, transport, and livestock emissions while cattle are in the feedlot (gate-to-gate). The functional unit was 1 kg of liveweight gain (LWG) for the feedlot stage and results are included for the full supply chain (cradle-to-gate), reported per kilogram of liveweight (LW) at the point of slaughter. Three classes of cattle produced for different markets were studied: short-fed domestic market (55–80 days on feed), mid-fed export (108–164 days on feed) and long-fed export (>300 days on feed). In the feedlot stage, mean fresh water consumption was found to vary from 171.9 to 672.6 L/kg LWG and mean stress-weighted water use ranged from 100.9 to 193.2 water stress index eq. L/kg LWG. Irrigation contributed 57–91% of total fresh water consumption with differences mainly related to the availability of irrigation water near the feedlot and the use of irrigated feed inputs in rations. Mean fossil energy demand ranged from 16.5 to 34.2 MJ lower heating values/kg LWG and arable land occupation from 18.7 to 40.5 m2/kg LWG in the feedlot stage. Mean greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the feedlot stage ranged from 4.6 to 9.5 kg CO2-e/kg LWG (excluding land use and direct land-use change emissions). Emissions were dominated by enteric methane and contributions from the production, transport and milling of feed inputs. Linear regression analysis showed that the feed conversion ratio was able to explain >86% of the variation in GHG intensity and energy demand. The feedlot stage contributed between 26% and 44% of total slaughter weight for the classes of cattle fed, whereas the contribution of this phase to resource use varied from 4% to 96% showing impacts from the finishing phase varied considerably, compared with the breeding and backgrounding. GHG emissions and total land occupation per kilogram of LWG during the grain finishing phase were lower than emissions from breeding and backgrounding, resulting in lower life-time emissions for grain-finished cattle compared with grass finishing.

Analysis of Material Solutions of Exterior Walls with Contact Thermal Insulation System

2014 ◽  
Vol 635 ◽  
pp. 165-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Vilčeková ◽  
Anna Sedláková ◽  
Eva Kridlova-Burdova ◽  
Ladislav Ťažký
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Exterior Wall ◽  
Insulation System ◽  
Wall Structures ◽  
Heating Energy Demand ◽  
Fossil Fuel Energy

Nowadays, heating energy demand has become a significant estimator used during the design stage of any new building. The residential building sector consumes a significant amount of fossil fuel energy and thereby produces a large percentage of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming and climate change. The aim of the paper is analysis of thermo-physical and environmental parameters of proposed versions of exterior wall structures.

Resource use and environmental impacts from beef production in eastern Australia investigated using life cycle assessment

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Wiedemann ◽  
Eugene McGahan ◽  
Caoilinn Murphy ◽  
Mingjia Yan
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Land Occupation ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Eastern Australia

Resource use and environmental impacts are important factors relating to the sustainability of beef production in Australia. This study used life cycle assessment to investigate impacts from grass-finished beef production in eastern Australia to the farm gate, reporting impacts per kilogram of liveweight (LW) produced. Mean fossil fuel energy demand was found to vary from 5.6 to 8.4 MJ/kg LW, mean estimated fresh water consumption from 117.9 to 332.4 L/kg LW and crop land occupation from 0.3 to 6.4 m2/kg LW. Mean greenhouse gas emissions ranged from 10.6 to 12.4 kg CO2-e/kg LW (excluding land use and direct land-use change emissions) and were not significantly different (P > 0.05) for export or domestic market classes. Enteric methane was the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and multiple linear regression analysis revealed that weaning rate and average daily gain explained 80% of the variability in supply chain greenhouse gas emissions. Fresh water consumption was found to vary significantly among individual farms depending on climate, farm water supply efficiency and the use of irrigation. The impact of water use was measured using the stress-weighted water use indicator, and ranged from 8.4 to 104.2 L H2O-e/kg LW. The stress-weighted water use was influenced more by regional water stress than the volume of fresh water consumption. Land occupation was assessed with disaggregation of crop land, arable pasture land and non-arable land, which revealed that the majority of beef production utilised non-arable land that is unsuitable for most alternative food production systems.

Economic Optimization of a Cogeneration System for Apartments in Korea

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
HyonUk Seo ◽  
Jinil Sung ◽  
Si-Doek Oh ◽  
Hoo-Suk Oh ◽  
Ho-Young Kwak
Keyword(s):  
Distributed Generation ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Economic Optimization ◽  
Economic Gain ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Optimum Configuration ◽  
Cogeneration System ◽  
Fossil Fuel Energy

A cogeneration system which can be used as a distributed generation source produces electricity and heat energy simultaneously from a single source of fuel. For industrial and domestic applications, where both kinds of energy are required, the cogeneration system can return fossil fuel energy savings up to 30%, and can reduce CO2 emissions correspondingly as compared with a conventional system. In this study, eight apartments with residential areas in the range of 7200 m2 to 18200 m2 were chosen to study how much energy savings can be achieved by adoption of the cogeneration system in those apartments. Based on the energy demand data for heat and electricity, an optimum configuration of the cogeneration system for each apartment was determined by a developed computer program. The economic gain achieved by introducing the cogeneration system in those apartments was estimated and the monitored values compared with the estimated ones. By adoption of the cogeneration system, the fossil fuel saved was more than 30% and an average economic gain of $3.6/m2 per year was obtained.

USE AND PROTECTION OF WATER RESOURCES OF AZERBAIJAN

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramiz Tagirov ◽  
◽  
Maya Zeynalova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Active Temperature

The article examines the problem of fresh water, since in terms of water supply from its own resources per capita and per 1 km2, the republic is 8 times behind Georgia, 2 times behind Armenia. Significant water consumption in Azerbaijan is caused by its arid territory with a predominance of active temperature and a lack of precipitation, which leads to intensive irrigation of crops. At the same time, artificial irrigation is used on 70% of the cultivated land.

Solar Thermal Energy

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. L. Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Carnot Cycle ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Heat Engines ◽  
Direct Use ◽  
Fossil Fuel Energy

The Sun’s spectrum on Earth is modified by the atmosphere, and is harvested either by generating heat for direct use or for running heat engines, or by quantum absorption in solar cells, to be discussed later. Focusing of sunlight requires tracking of the Sun and is defeated on cloudy days. Heat engines have efficiency limits similar to the Carnot cycle limit. The steam turbine follows the Rankine cycle and is well developed in technology, optimally using a re-heat cycle of higher efficiency. Having learned quite a bit about how the Sun’s energy is created, and how that process might be reproduced on Earth, we turn now to methods for harvesting the energy from the Sun as a sustainable replacement for fossil fuel energy.

scholarly journals Tensile Strength of NaCl Ice

1962 ◽  
Vol 4 (31) ◽  
pp. 25-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. F. Weeks
Keyword(s):  
Tensile Strength ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Eutectic Point ◽  
Water Ice ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Freshwater Ice ◽  
The One ◽  
Image Position ◽  
Bodies Of Water

AbstractTo resolve some of the factors causing strength variation in natural sea ice, fresh water and five different NaCl–H2O solutions were frozen in a tank designed to simulate the one-dimensional cooling of natural bodies of water. The resulting ice was structurally similar to lake and sea ice. The salinity of the salt ice varied from 1‰ to 22‰. Tables of brine volumes and densities were computed for these salinities in the temperature range 0° to −35° C. The ring-tensile strength σ of fresh-water ice was found to be essentially temperature independent from −10° to −30°C., with an average value of 29.6±8.5 kg./cm.2at −10° C. The strength of salt ice at temperatures above the eutectic point (–21.2° C.) significantly decreases with brine volumev;. The σ–axis intercept of this line is comparable to the a values determined for fresh ice indicating that there is little, if any, difference in stress concentration between sea and lake ice as a result of the presence of brine pockets. The strength of ice containing NaCl.2H2O is slightly less than the strength of freshwater ice and is independent of the volume of solid salt and the ice temperature. No evidence was found for the existence of either phase or geometric hysteresis in NaCl ice. The strength of ice at sub-eutectic temperatures, however, is decreased appreciably if the ice has been subjected to temperatures above the eutectic point; this is the result of the redistribution of brine during the warm-temperature period. Short-term cooling produces an appreciable (20 per cent) decrease in strength, in fresh-water and NaCl.2H2O ice. The present results are compared with tests on natural sea ice and it is suggested that the strength of freshwater ice is a limit which is approached but not exceeded by cold sea ice and that the reinforcement of brine pockets by Na2SO4.10H2O is either lacking or much less than previously assumed.

scholarly journals Multiobjective formulation is an effective method to reduce environmental impacts of livestock feeds

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (11) ◽  
pp. 1298-1309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florence Garcia-Launay ◽  
Léonie Dusart ◽  
Sandrine Espagnol ◽  
Sarah Laisse-Redoux ◽  
Didier Gaudré ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Land Occupation ◽  
Feed Formulation ◽  
Livestock Feeds ◽  
Feed Cost ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Commercial Farms ◽  
The Cost

AbstractEnvironmental and economic performances of livestock production are related largely to the production of complete feeds provided on commercial farms. Formulating feeds based on environmental and economic criteria appears a suitable approach to address the current challenges of animal production. We developed a multiobjective (MO) method of formulating feed which considers both the cost and environmental impacts (estimated via life cycle assessment) of the feed mix. In the first step, least-cost formulation provides a baseline for feed cost and potential impacts per kg of feed. In the second, the minimised MO function includes normalised values of feed cost and impacts climate change, P demand, non-renewable energy demand and land occupation. An additional factor weights the relative influence of economic and environmental objectives. The potential of the method was evaluated using two scenarios of feed formulation for pig, broiler and young bulls. Compared to baseline feeds, MO-formulated feeds had lower environmental impacts in both scenarios studied (−2 to −48 %), except for land occupation of broiler feeds, and a moderately higher cost (1–7 %). The ultimate potential for this method to mitigate environmental impacts is probably lower than this, as animal supply chains may compete for the same low-impact feed ingredients. The method developed complements other strategies, and optimising the entire animal production system should be explored in the future to substantially decrease the associated impacts.

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