DEVELOPMENT OF A WEB APPLICATION FOR ESTIMATING CO2-EQUIVALENT EMISSIONS OF POULTRY AND SWINE SLAUGHTERING PROCESSES

Abstract

This study aimed to create a web application to evaluate GHG emissions of poultry and swine slaughtering processes. The development was based on the carbon footprint of the product and life cycle assessment approach. The designed scope involved a cradle-to-gate assessment. The CO2-eq estimation results are based on the following functional units: per kilogram of animal live weight, or per number of live animals, or a product-based perspective as per kilogram of animal meat or carcass. The developed application can be conceptualized in three main components. First is a web-based user interface, separated in input and output parts. Slaughterhouse information and activity data were required to be entered as site-specific input data while CO2-equivalent emission was shown as carbon footprint output. Next, the processing system was designed to function regarding various conditions of input data, ranging from minimum to detailed data sets providing a simple, coarse, and detailed estimation. Finally, the system database used to access and store emission factors, historical data, and carbon footprint results was created using a relational database model to organize data in a set of 6 tables. Moreover, many functionalities were considered and incorporated in the application to facilitate the user’s estimation such as navigation tool, functional unit selection, data validation and null check, emission factor management, report/export documentation, and data confidentiality and security. The potential of this developed application is expected to aid the Thai slaughterhouse industry calculating their GHG emissions released in the environment, and subsequently leading to CO2 mitigation.