Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2021
The environmental performance of cow milk produced in a conventional semi-intensive system was as... more The environmental performance of cow milk produced in a conventional semi-intensive system was assessed using a cradleto-farm gate attributional life cycle assessment. The impacts of 1 kg FPCM-fat and protein corrected milk were obtained considering six midpoint impact categories from the ReCiPe 2016 method: climate change (CC), terrestrial acidification (TA), freshwater eutrophication (FE), land use (LU), water consumption (WC), and fossil resource scarcity (FRS). The modeling of the product system and calculating the environmental impacts considered the use of SimaPro™ software. Enteric methane and nitrogen emissions and inputs for feeding animals (fertilization for pasture production, use of seed in corn crops, and milk replacer in calves feed) were the main contributors to impacts in milk production in most categories. In addition, the indirect energy use and wastewater generation in milking and milk cooling also were relevant. Literature-based strategies are suggested to mitigate the identified environmental impacts to achieve the best environmental performance without decreasing technical and quality milk production. We emphasize the importance of improving productivity per milk cow, knowing the origin of the supply chain inputs, and using it efficiently to produce animal feeds as the main strategies to improve milk's environmental performance. Changes in allocation methods did not substantially differ in impact categories. Sensitivity analysis foregrounds the consistency of results and conclusions of the current study despite the uncertainties associated with methodological choices, simplifications, suppositions, and the use and adaptation of international databases.
A avaliação do ciclo de vida (ACV) é uma metodologia de avaliação de impacto ambiental de produto... more A avaliação do ciclo de vida (ACV) é uma metodologia de avaliação de impacto ambiental de produtos e sistemas de produção considerando todo o ciclo de vida, desde a aquisição de matérias-primas até a disposição final. Este trabalho consistiu na investigação do progresso dos estudos sobre ACV no Brasil, por meio de uma pesquisa bibliográfica em eventos e periódicos oficiais ou reconhecidos pela Associação Brasileira de Engenharia de Produção e na base de dados SciELO Brasil. Foram identificados 80 artigos, a maioria de instituições das regiões Sul e Sudeste. A Universidade de São Paulo (USP) e Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) apresentaram o maior número de publicações dentre as 50 instituições identificadas. Verificou-se que 17 artigos aplicaram efetivamente a metodologia ACV em um estudo de caso, sendo que 11 utilizaram a metodologia para avaliar processo produtivo e 6 para comparar materiais ou processos.
Current research measured the indirect water consumption in the milking process in a medium-sized... more Current research measured the indirect water consumption in the milking process in a medium-sized dairy farming in the southwestern region of the state of Bahia, Brazil, to foreground the environmental management of water resources. The environmental impact associated with indirect water consumption throughout milk production (from milking to the moment milk is dispatched) was identified. The water consumption coefficient in the milking sector averaged 3.4 L-1 of milk produced, for 541 L of water consumed and a daily milk production close to 160 L. It should be underscored that professionals who deal with milking and cleaning activities have little or no instruction about the adequate use of water. Cleaner Production (CP) initiatives have been identified. It was proposed to the milking personnel that, if the initiatives are applied properly, they may contribute towards the reduction of water consumption and wastes without affecting either the quality of the final production. These initiatives comprised small and big actions such as staff training and replacement of cleaning equipment and fertilizing irrigation, which may immediately contribute towards the prevention or reduction of wastewater during milking. The qualitative and quantitative interpretation of data would contribute towards CP initiatives that might be implemented at the milking sector in the short, medium and long terms.
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2014
ABSTRACT Purpose A critical evaluation of the life cycle assessment (LCA) studies was performed i... more ABSTRACT Purpose A critical evaluation of the life cycle assessment (LCA) studies was performed in the main scientific bibliographic databases (online and free access) of Brazil where the LCA methodology could be considered. Methods This has been an exploratory study with a qualitative evaluation of quantitative LCA studies with regard to International Organization of Standardization (ISO) 14040 standards. Firstly, the selected papers were those which used the LCA methodology in case studies (quantitative LCA studies). This survey was based on previously chosen keywords which were directly and/or indirectly related to LCA in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Results and discussion One hundred and twenty papers related to LCA were found, among which 21 have been effectively used the LCA methodology applied to case studies. The study has indicated agriculture and livestock as some promising areas for the use of LCA methodology in Brazil. As for the scope of LCA, it has been found that nine papers have adopted the cradle-to-grave approach, whereas 12 papers have limited the study to some life cycle stage (cradle-to-gate, gate-to-gate, or gate-to-grave). This behavior can be justified by the difficulty in obtaining data from raw material, supply chain, inputs, or about the disposal, reuse, and recycling of products/systems. The criteria set out in the ISO 14040 standard was carried out in 17 out of the 21 selected papers. Conclusions The LCA of Brazilian studies could be improved. For instance, when considering the requirements and guidelines of ISO standards, at the goal phase, the papers have clearly mentioned their target audience. The scope phase requires more explanation about the allocation procedures, once the process/product is not isolated, and for most processes, it may generate more than one product. As regards the Life Cycle Inventory, these studies could improve their data sources, once few papers used primary sources. According to our understanding, the best phase performed by the papers was life cycle impact assessment. Hopefully, LCA will become a known research area and will be adopted by most of the Brazilian scientific community. It is further expected that LCA might have a regular publication in scientific journals (perhaps an own journal).
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2021
The environmental performance of cow milk produced in a conventional semi-intensive system was as... more The environmental performance of cow milk produced in a conventional semi-intensive system was assessed using a cradleto-farm gate attributional life cycle assessment. The impacts of 1 kg FPCM-fat and protein corrected milk were obtained considering six midpoint impact categories from the ReCiPe 2016 method: climate change (CC), terrestrial acidification (TA), freshwater eutrophication (FE), land use (LU), water consumption (WC), and fossil resource scarcity (FRS). The modeling of the product system and calculating the environmental impacts considered the use of SimaPro™ software. Enteric methane and nitrogen emissions and inputs for feeding animals (fertilization for pasture production, use of seed in corn crops, and milk replacer in calves feed) were the main contributors to impacts in milk production in most categories. In addition, the indirect energy use and wastewater generation in milking and milk cooling also were relevant. Literature-based strategies are suggested to mitigate the identified environmental impacts to achieve the best environmental performance without decreasing technical and quality milk production. We emphasize the importance of improving productivity per milk cow, knowing the origin of the supply chain inputs, and using it efficiently to produce animal feeds as the main strategies to improve milk's environmental performance. Changes in allocation methods did not substantially differ in impact categories. Sensitivity analysis foregrounds the consistency of results and conclusions of the current study despite the uncertainties associated with methodological choices, simplifications, suppositions, and the use and adaptation of international databases.
A avaliação do ciclo de vida (ACV) é uma metodologia de avaliação de impacto ambiental de produto... more A avaliação do ciclo de vida (ACV) é uma metodologia de avaliação de impacto ambiental de produtos e sistemas de produção considerando todo o ciclo de vida, desde a aquisição de matérias-primas até a disposição final. Este trabalho consistiu na investigação do progresso dos estudos sobre ACV no Brasil, por meio de uma pesquisa bibliográfica em eventos e periódicos oficiais ou reconhecidos pela Associação Brasileira de Engenharia de Produção e na base de dados SciELO Brasil. Foram identificados 80 artigos, a maioria de instituições das regiões Sul e Sudeste. A Universidade de São Paulo (USP) e Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) apresentaram o maior número de publicações dentre as 50 instituições identificadas. Verificou-se que 17 artigos aplicaram efetivamente a metodologia ACV em um estudo de caso, sendo que 11 utilizaram a metodologia para avaliar processo produtivo e 6 para comparar materiais ou processos.
Current research measured the indirect water consumption in the milking process in a medium-sized... more Current research measured the indirect water consumption in the milking process in a medium-sized dairy farming in the southwestern region of the state of Bahia, Brazil, to foreground the environmental management of water resources. The environmental impact associated with indirect water consumption throughout milk production (from milking to the moment milk is dispatched) was identified. The water consumption coefficient in the milking sector averaged 3.4 L-1 of milk produced, for 541 L of water consumed and a daily milk production close to 160 L. It should be underscored that professionals who deal with milking and cleaning activities have little or no instruction about the adequate use of water. Cleaner Production (CP) initiatives have been identified. It was proposed to the milking personnel that, if the initiatives are applied properly, they may contribute towards the reduction of water consumption and wastes without affecting either the quality of the final production. These initiatives comprised small and big actions such as staff training and replacement of cleaning equipment and fertilizing irrigation, which may immediately contribute towards the prevention or reduction of wastewater during milking. The qualitative and quantitative interpretation of data would contribute towards CP initiatives that might be implemented at the milking sector in the short, medium and long terms.
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2014
ABSTRACT Purpose A critical evaluation of the life cycle assessment (LCA) studies was performed i... more ABSTRACT Purpose A critical evaluation of the life cycle assessment (LCA) studies was performed in the main scientific bibliographic databases (online and free access) of Brazil where the LCA methodology could be considered. Methods This has been an exploratory study with a qualitative evaluation of quantitative LCA studies with regard to International Organization of Standardization (ISO) 14040 standards. Firstly, the selected papers were those which used the LCA methodology in case studies (quantitative LCA studies). This survey was based on previously chosen keywords which were directly and/or indirectly related to LCA in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Results and discussion One hundred and twenty papers related to LCA were found, among which 21 have been effectively used the LCA methodology applied to case studies. The study has indicated agriculture and livestock as some promising areas for the use of LCA methodology in Brazil. As for the scope of LCA, it has been found that nine papers have adopted the cradle-to-grave approach, whereas 12 papers have limited the study to some life cycle stage (cradle-to-gate, gate-to-gate, or gate-to-grave). This behavior can be justified by the difficulty in obtaining data from raw material, supply chain, inputs, or about the disposal, reuse, and recycling of products/systems. The criteria set out in the ISO 14040 standard was carried out in 17 out of the 21 selected papers. Conclusions The LCA of Brazilian studies could be improved. For instance, when considering the requirements and guidelines of ISO standards, at the goal phase, the papers have clearly mentioned their target audience. The scope phase requires more explanation about the allocation procedures, once the process/product is not isolated, and for most processes, it may generate more than one product. As regards the Life Cycle Inventory, these studies could improve their data sources, once few papers used primary sources. According to our understanding, the best phase performed by the papers was life cycle impact assessment. Hopefully, LCA will become a known research area and will be adopted by most of the Brazilian scientific community. It is further expected that LCA might have a regular publication in scientific journals (perhaps an own journal).
Uploads
Papers by Camila Willers