Life Cycle Assessment of Slaughtered Pork Production: A Case Study in Thailand

Q3 Environmental Science

Environment and Natural Resources Journal Pub Date : 2024-07-01 DOI:10.32526/ennrj/22/20240074

Monthita Joyroy, P. Sriphirom, Direkrit Buawech, B. Phrommarat

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Pork is a staple food in many cultures worldwide and plays a significant role in global food systems. However, the production of pork is associated with various environmental issues throughout its life cycle. This study employed a life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impact of slaughtered pork production in Thailand. The system boundaries encompassed pig breeding, pig farming, and slaughtering. The primary focus was on identifying significant contributors to environmental burdens throughout the pork production chain. Three scenarios for pig feed compositions were assessed. The results indicated that pork production generated a total impact of 5.07 kgCO2-eq on global warming, 1.16E-03 kgP-eq on freshwater eutrophication, 4.69 m2a-eq on land use, and 4.97 m3 on water consumption. Pig feed production, particularly maize cultivation, emerged as a hotspot within the life cycle, contributing the highest impact across all categories. According to scenario analysis, the substitution of rice by-products and sorghum in pig feed tended to reduce the magnitude of the impact. Opportunities were suggested to improve the environmental performance of pork production, especially through feed strategies such as substituting high-impact ingredients with more sustainable alternatives and utilizing waste from pig farming and slaughtering.

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屠宰猪肉生产的生命周期评估：泰国案例研究

猪肉是全球许多文化中的主食，在全球粮食系统中发挥着重要作用。然而，猪肉的生产在其整个生命周期中会产生各种环境问题。本研究采用生命周期评估（LCA）来评价泰国屠宰猪肉生产对环境的影响。系统边界包括养猪、养猪场和屠宰。主要重点是确定整个猪肉生产链中造成环境负担的主要因素。对猪饲料组成的三种方案进行了评估。结果表明，猪肉生产对全球变暖的总影响为 5.07 kgCO2-eq，对淡水富营养化的总影响为 1.16E-03 kgP-eq，对土地利用的总影响为 4.69 m2a-eq，对水消耗的总影响为 4.97 m3。猪饲料生产，尤其是玉米种植，成为生命周期中的一个热点，对所有类别的影响最大。根据情景分析，在猪饲料中使用大米副产品和高粱的替代品往往会降低影响程度。建议有机会改善猪肉生产的环境绩效，特别是通过饲料策略，如用更可持续的替代品替代高影响成分，以及利用养猪和屠宰产生的废物。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Environment and Natural Resources Journal Environmental Science-Environmental Science (all)

CiteScore

1.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

8 weeks

期刊介绍： The Environment and Natural Resources Journal is a peer-reviewed journal, which provides insight scientific knowledge into the diverse dimensions of integrated environmental and natural resource management. The journal aims to provide a platform for exchange and distribution of the knowledge and cutting-edge research in the fields of environmental science and natural resource management to academicians, scientists and researchers. The journal accepts a varied array of manuscripts on all aspects of environmental science and natural resource management. The journal scope covers the integration of multidisciplinary sciences for prevention, control, treatment, environmental clean-up and restoration. The study of the existing or emerging problems of environment and natural resources in the region of Southeast Asia and the creation of novel knowledge and/or recommendations of mitigation measures for sustainable development policies are emphasized. The subject areas are diverse, but specific topics of interest include: -Biodiversity -Climate change -Detection and monitoring of polluted sources e.g., industry, mining -Disaster e.g., forest fire, flooding, earthquake, tsunami, or tidal wave -Ecological/Environmental modelling -Emerging contaminants/hazardous wastes investigation and remediation -Environmental dynamics e.g., coastal erosion, sea level rise -Environmental assessment tools, policy and management e.g., GIS, remote sensing, Environmental -Management System (EMS) -Environmental pollution and other novel solutions to pollution -Remediation technology of contaminated environments -Transboundary pollution -Waste and wastewater treatments and disposal technology