Evaluating the Sustainability of Sugar Beet Production Using Life Cycle Assessment Approach

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the energy consumption and Global Warming Potential (GWP) of sugar beet production in Cherdavel (33.7018° N, 47.0194° E in Ilam province) and Islamabad (34.1132° N, 46.5279° E in Kermanshah province), Iran. Data were collected through detailed questionnaires and in-depth interviews with farmers. Environmental impacts were assessed using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, which evaluates the environmental effects throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to disposal. The CML-IA baseline V3.08/EU25 method was used for this assessment, providing a standardized framework for impact categories such as global warming, abiotic depletion, and toxicity. The results indicated that energy consumption for sugar beet production in Cherdavel and Islamabad regions was 55,308.42 and 54,871.22 MJha⁻¹, respectively. The energy efficiency index was calculated as 17.01 and 14.69 for Cherdavel and Islamabad, respectively. The economic analysis showed that in Cherdavel and Islamabad, the profit-to-cost ratio was 2.05 and 1.89, and the economic productivity of production was 11.41 and 10.53 kg$⁻¹, respectively. The results of modeling with the Cobb–Douglas function, a common econometric model used to represent the relationship between inputs and outputs, showed that the coefficient of determination (R²) in Cherdavel and Islamabad regions was 0.93 and 0.96, respectively. This high R² value indicates a strong correlation between the input variables and the output (sugar beet yield), suggesting that the model accurately represents the production process. The results showed that Global Warming Potential (GWP) in Cherdavel and Islamabad was 54.05 and 44.47 (kg CO₂eq) per ton of sugar beet production, respectively. These values are relatively high compared to other crops, indicating significant greenhouse gas emissions associated with sugar beet production in these regions. Abiotic Depletion for Fossil fuels (ADF) was 435.69 and 363.19 MJ, Human Toxicity (HT) was 21.53 and 16.87 (1,4-DB eq kg), and Marine Aquatic Ecotoxicity (MAE) was 23,543.82 and 18,306.06 (1,4-DB eq kg) in Cherdavel and Islamabad, respectively. These metrics highlight the substantial environmental impacts of sugar beet production with Cherdavel showing higher values in most categories. Despite these environmental concerns, both regions demonstrated favorable economic productivity and profit-to-cost ratios, suggesting that sugar beet production remains economically viable.