Life cycle assessment of fertilizers: a review

Abstract Life cycle assessment has become an increasingly common approach for identifying, quantifying, and evaluating the total potential environmental impact of production processes or products, from the procurement of raw materials (the ‘cradle’), to production and utilization (the ‘gates’) and their final storage (the ‘grave’), as well as for determining ways to repair damage to the environment. The paper describes life cycle assessment of mineral fertilizers. On the basis of results provided by life cycle assessment, it can be concluded that an effective strategy for protecting the environment against the harmful effects of fertilizers is to attempt to ‘seal’ the nutrient cycle on a global, regional, and local scale. Pro-environ- mental measures aim on the one hand to reduce resource utilization, and on the other hand to limit losses of nutrients, during both production and use of fertilizers. An undoubted challenge for life cycle assessment when used in agricultural production is the need for relevance at each scale.

[1]  G. Anderi Silva,et al.  Application of life cycle assessment to the LCA case studies single superphosphate production , 2003 .

[2]  Thomas Nemecek,et al.  Life cycle assessment of Swiss farming systems: II. Extensive and intensive production , 2011 .

[3]  Sven Bernesson,et al.  Nitrogen fertiliser production based on biogas - energy input, environmental impact and land use. , 2010, Bioresource technology.

[4]  J. Lammel,et al.  Environmental impact assessment of agricultural production systems using the life cycle assessment methodology: I. Theoretical concept of a LCA method tailored to crop production , 2004 .

[5]  Anna Lúcia Mourad,et al.  A simple methodology for elaborating the life cycle inventory of agricultural products , 2007 .

[6]  D. Macdonald,et al.  Comparing global warming potential, energy use and land use of organic, conventional and integrated winter wheat production , 2012 .

[7]  Martin Wattenbach,et al.  Which cropland greenhouse gas mitigation options give the greatest benefits in different world regions? Climate and soil‐specific predictions from integrated empirical models , 2012 .

[8]  O. Jolliet,et al.  Environmental analysis of intensity level in wheat crop production using life cycle assessment , 2006 .

[9]  Kiyotada Hayashi,et al.  Practical recommendations for supporting agricultural decisions through life cycle assessment based on two alternative views of crop production: the example of organic conversion , 2012, The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.

[10]  P. Barraclough,et al.  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 , 2004 .

[11]  Henrik Wenzel,et al.  Life cycle inventory modelling of land use induced by crop consumption , 2007 .

[12]  C. Dawson,et al.  Fertiliser availability in a resource-limited world: Production and recycling of nitrogen and phosphorus , 2011 .

[13]  M. Bannayan,et al.  The environmental impact assessment of wheat and barley production by using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology , 2012, Environment, Development and Sustainability.

[14]  D. Herridge,et al.  Greenhouse gas emissions profile for 1 tonne of wheat produced in Central Zone (East) New South Wales: a life cycle assessment approach , 2012, Crop and Pasture Science.

[15]  Frank Brentrup,et al.  Application of the Life Cycle Assessment methodology to agricultural production: an example of sugar beet production with different forms of nitrogen fertilisers , 2001 .

[16]  A. Tillman,et al.  Life cycle assessment of phosphorus alternatives for Swedish agriculture , 2012 .

[17]  Anthony G Williams,et al.  Environmental burdens of producing bread wheat, oilseed rape and potatoes in England and Wales using simulation and system modelling , 2010 .

[18]  T. Koellner,et al.  Principles for life cycle inventories of land use on a global scale , 2013, The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.

[19]  F. Brentrup,et al.  GHG emissions and energy efficiency in European nitrogen fertiliser production and use. , 2008 .

[20]  F. Brentrup.  Life cycle assessment of crop production , 2012 .

[21]  Luiz Kulay,et al.  Environmental performance comparison of wet and thermal routes for phosphate fertilizer production using LCA – A Brazilian experience , 2005 .

[22]  J. Gliński,et al.  Production and uptake of nitrous oxide (N2O) as affected by soil conditions , 2010 .

[23]  A. A. Jensen.  Life cycle assessment (LCA) : a guide to approaches, experiences and information sources , 1998 .

[24]  P. Nielsen,et al.  Life cycle inventory modelling of land use induced by crop consumption , 2008 .