Life cycle assessment of oil palm plantation in Riau province: evaluating environmental impacts

Abstract

Indonesia possesses palm oil as one of its strategic commodities, and it plays a crucial role in its economic growth. Over the years, the expansion of land and the production of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) of palm oil has consistently increased, accompanied by a rise in land area and crude palm oil (CPO) production. The pivotal role of Indonesia as the world’s largest palm oil producer must be highlighted through sustainability studies, especially in environmental aspects. Life cycle assessment is a technique utilized to evaluate the environmental implications of products, processes, and services, spanning their complete life cycle from the extraction of raw materials to waste management. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) encompasses various environmental impact categories, providing a comprehensive understanding of the ecological contribution of a product or service. This research assesses the environmental impact of oil palm plantation activities in Riau province, Indonesia. The research’s boundary is set to a cradle-to-gate analysis within the oil palm plantation subsystem. The Life Cycle Assessment was conducted utilizing the SimaPro 9.5.0.0 software employing the ReCiPe 2016 method. The total emissions generated during the production process of 5 tons of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) amount to 1634.22 kg CO2 eq/5 tons of FFB. The major contributors to emissions are the production and use of inorganic fertilizers. Specifically, the types of fertilizers responsible for the high greenhouse gas emissions are KCl, followed by phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers. Besides the potential for global warming, human carcinogenic toxicity is another potential impact, primarily from fertilization. The findings in this study can serve as scientific evidence in formulating solutions for sustainable oil palm plantations, particularly in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. An environmentally conscious approach to lowering emissions requires meticulous scrutiny and implementation of precision farming. It chiefly involves keeping a close watch on the quantity of fertilizer used in plantation settings and promoting using fertilizers with lower carbon footprints.