Abstract
With reference to the province of Novara in northwest Italy, this study aims to raise awareness about the environmental benefits that can derive from the use of alternative rice straw management practices to those currently in use, also highlighting how the use of these straws for energy purposes can be a valid alternative to the use of non-renewable resources. Using the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) method, the two rice straw management practices currently in place (open field combustion and straw incorporation) were compared with an alternative strategy consisting in their collection and removal. The results show that removal of straw allows reducing the emissions of pollutants significantly: about one-hundredth of the PM (Particulate Matter) formation compared to the open-field burning and about one-tenth of the ozone depletion (CFCs, HCFCs, halons, etc.) compared to both the other two practices. Moreover, the LCA results show how the use of rice straw to produce energy as an alternative to conventional fuels helps to reduce the global warming potential of rice cultivation.
Highlights
IntroductionThe international community has made considerable efforts to reconcile the increase in air pollution, with evident repercussions on both human and planet health [1,2], with the growing global demand for energy.For this reason, in the most disparate sectors, a consistent effort has been made in order to develop alternative solutions which, due to their innovative character, their higher efficiency or their lower environmental impact, were more sustainable than traditional ones [3,4,5,6,7,8].Despite this, the 7th Sustainable Development Goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [9], which aims to guarantee sustainable energy, is far from being achieved [10]
The performed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis of the different rice straw management practices shows that Collection and Baling (CB) is a winning strategy in reducing the environmental impact of rice cultivation (−60% Global Warming Potential (GWP), −40% Terrestrial Acidification (TA) and −96% particulate matter (PM))
The energy harvesting from rice straw in northwest Italy can be a valuable alternative to the actual use of non-renewable resources such as coal, fuel oil and waste burning
Summary
The international community has made considerable efforts to reconcile the increase in air pollution, with evident repercussions on both human and planet health [1,2], with the growing global demand for energy.For this reason, in the most disparate sectors, a consistent effort has been made in order to develop alternative solutions which, due to their innovative character, their higher efficiency or their lower environmental impact, were more sustainable than traditional ones [3,4,5,6,7,8].Despite this, the 7th Sustainable Development Goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [9], which aims to guarantee sustainable energy, is far from being achieved [10]. The international community has made considerable efforts to reconcile the increase in air pollution, with evident repercussions on both human and planet health [1,2], with the growing global demand for energy. For this reason, in the most disparate sectors, a consistent effort has been made in order to develop alternative solutions which, due to their innovative character, their higher efficiency or their lower environmental impact, were more sustainable than traditional ones [3,4,5,6,7,8]. During 2020, about 44% of the province area was dedicated to agricultural production, of which approximately 60% was used for rice cultivation [17]
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