Abstract
BackgroundSince sugarcane areas have increased rapidly in Brazil, the contribution of the sugarcane production, and, especially, of the sugarcane harvest system to the greenhouse gas emissions of the country is an issue of national concern. Here we analyze some data characterizing various activities of two sugarcane mills during the harvest period of 2006-2007 and quantify the carbon footprint of sugar production.ResultsAccording to our calculations, 241 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent were released to the atmosphere per a ton of sugar produced (2406 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per a hectare of the cropped area, and 26.5 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per a ton of sugarcane processed). The major part of the total emission (44%) resulted from residues burning; about 20% resulted from the use of synthetic fertilizers, and about 18% from fossil fuel combustion.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that the most important reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from sugarcane areas could be achieved by switching to a green harvest system, that is, to harvesting without burning.
Highlights
Since sugarcane areas have increased rapidly in Brazil, the contribution of the sugarcane production, and, especially, of the sugarcane harvest system to the greenhouse gas emissions of the country is an issue of national concern
Based on the scenario and studied year, total company's greenhouse gases (GHG) emission was 164,878 ton of CO2 equivalent (CO2eq) corresponding to 2.41 ton of CO2eq emitted for each cropped hectare
Some authors showed emission of 3.24 ton of CO2eq ha-1 considering 60% of area harvested with burning practice and emission related to fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides manufacturing phase incorporated in this amount [14] while in our scope it was considered emissions related to company's boundary emissions, only
Summary
Since sugarcane areas have increased rapidly in Brazil, the contribution of the sugarcane production, and, especially, of the sugarcane harvest system to the greenhouse gas emissions of the country is an issue of national concern. Developing country-specific emission factors and activity data have been a tough challenge for non-Annex I countries which are recognized mostly as certain groups of developing countries that are vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. Among the main practices that have caused national concern in Brazil, the harvest system is highlighted, especially in sugarcane agricultural areas, which in most regions are still based on residues burning. Sugarcane residues represents 11% of the worldwide agricultural residues [4], and while sugarcane areas have increased rapidly in Brazil, few papers quantify its impact on air quality due to the land use, especially considering
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