Life cycle assessment of the supply chain processes for the valorisation of corn cob

Abstract

The circular economy can find a wide range of application in the agricultural sector given the countless possibilities of transforming crop residues and recycling precious resources, playing a strategic role in increasing the sustainability of the agriculture. Under this perspective, crop production provides several residues and waste along the production chain. In the maize cultivation process, a significant amount of residual organic materials is produced and commonly left on the field as soil conditioner and source of nutrients. However, some parts of these residues, such as corn cob, could be considered for valorization processes.Focusing on corn cob as a valuable raw material, the sustainable solutions for its valorization depend on economic and environmental factors. The main aims and novelty of the work is the evaluation of the environmental performance of alternative supply chain in a life-cycle perspective in order to compare the overall sustainability of this valorization alternative, maximizing its environmental added value. The paper reports the results of a Life Cycle Analysis, from cradle-to-gate, of corn cob valorized as a raw material for corn cob pellet. A comparison with wood pellet available on the market and with analogous function has been performed. The results show that cob-based product has environmental impact lower than wood-based products currently used. Finally, the work provides indication for evaluating the benefits of turning an agricultural waste in natural-based material and paves the way of promoting circular economy processes in agriculture production.