From agricultural cultivation to food and bio-based products: a life cycle assessment perspectiv

Abstract

The growth of population and per capita income has led to the indiscriminate use of resources, especially those of fossil origin, causing several ecological crises. Agricultural systems have developed over time in order to comply with the population growth. However, this agricultural development is reaching a limit due to intense mechanization, widespread use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, use of land and water. It is therefore important to find ways to make production more sustainable, while ensuring food security and human and ecosystem health, alleviating environmental impacts. The environmental concern about the use of non-renewable sources drew attention to the use of renewable biomass for the production of biofuels and bio-based products. Examples include first-generation (1G) feedstocks, such as starch crops (e.g., maize and wheat grains), which compete with food/feed markets. Agricultural and industrial processing residues, namely second-generation (2G) feedstocks, are also of interest for use in industrial fermentation processes, although, to date, they have fewer technological advantages in relation to 1G biomass. Bioeconomy and circular economy are key concepts to promote the development of more sustainable production processes, which promote compliance, by governments, with the commitments and initiatives of the 2030 Agenda, the United Nations SDGs and the Paris agreement, among others. In this context, significant efforts in the sustainable production of agriculture and bio-based products are essential for sustainable development. The main objective of this doctoral thesis is to assess the environmental and economic impacts of bioproducts, considering food and bio-based products, by means of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology.