Agricultural Co-Product Management: An LCA Perspective on the Use of Safflower Oilcake from Bio-Oil Production in Umbria Region, Italy

Simone Pelaracci,Lucia Rocchi,Francesco Romagnoli,Antonio Boggia,Luisa Paolotti

doi:10.2478/rtuect-2022-0003

Simone Pelaracci, Lucia Rocchi + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2022-0003

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Abstract

Abstract This work evaluates the impact of cultivating Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) in marginal lands of the Umbrian territory (Italy) to produce oil. The analysis considers the entire production process, aiming to understand which are the most impacting factors. In particular, the work assesses the environmental savings deriving from the reuse of the main by-product of the oil extraction process, i.e. the cake, for animal feed purposes. The evaluation was carried out by means of a cradle-to-gate LCA. The results show that the greatest impacts are due to the crop fertilization. However, such an impact is almost completely compensated by the use of the cake in feed production.

Highlights

The concept of Circular Economy (CE) is inspired by the observation of non-linear and complex systems, in particular of regenerative, evolutionary living systems, capable of absorbing and enhancing the contributions of negative entropy available in nature [1]
This work evaluates the impact of cultivating Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) in marginal lands of the Umbrian territory (Italy) to produce oil
The present study considers using a by-product, i.e. the oilcake deriving from seed oil extraction process, to produce feed

Summary

Introduction

The concept of Circular Economy (CE) is inspired by the observation of non-linear and complex systems, in particular of regenerative, evolutionary living systems, capable of absorbing and enhancing the contributions of negative entropy available in nature [1]. Regarding the agri-food sector, some authors exclude the possibility of a completely circular food system, due to some intrinsic openness and complexity of it [3], it is possible to improve its global degree of circularity. In this context, a particular role is played by the valorization in food supply chains of plant-based by-products, which are very promising in some cases, while in others the sustainability and cost-efficiency at industrial scale have to be assessed [4]. The authors considered safflower as suitable for cultivation in marginal soils due to its properties like being a rustic crop, resistant to Environmental and Climate Technologies

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