Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of aquatic products Patrik Henriksson1,2 1Department of System Ecology, Stockholm University, Sweden
2Beijer Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
• Mankind’s energy use has been increasing faster than the global population increase since 1970
• About 60% of worldwide biomass production is used by humans • This, however, does only meet 64% of human needs, the rest is
derives from fossil energy • 19% of these fossil fuels are in the U.S. used for food production,
in China 25% • If available sources of renewable energy were expanded to cover
20-26% of the world’s land area, they would only cover half of our current need of fossil fuels
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) In food production systems
• Five calories of human energy for each calorie consumed in an average diet in developed countries
• Equals 770 liters of combusted oil per year • Protein sources are more energy demand to produce • Very few food products make an energy surplus,
some extensive carp farms have 1:1 energy return • Energy consumption in capture fisheries have increased six-fold
during the last two centuries • Greenhouse gas emissions due to food consumption increased
by 48 percent in China between 1990 and 2006 • Proximal environmental concerns are driving aquaculture in
developed countries towards closed systems, ecosystem services are being replaced by energy intensive human processes
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) In food production systems
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), “Cradle to grave” approach. Takes all production stages including waste management into account
• Traditionally developed in the 1970s for manufactured products, later applied to food products
• Provide information that could improve efficiency and environmental performance as well as providing consumers with information on how products are being produced
• Impact categories: Energy use, global warming potential, ozone depletion, biotic resources, abiotic resources, acidification, water use, eutrophication, ecotoxicological impacts, photochemical oxidant formation and human work environment
• ISO 14040, 14041 and 14044 • LCA software, PAS2050, Water Footprint
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Flow chart of the production processes in fisheries with the energy consuming steps identified
Fishing phase
Fuel Machine oil etc.
Environmental implications
Energy
Labor
Packaging material Market
Waste treatment
Processing
Consumption
Equipment and infrastructure
Labor
+10%
+25%
Labor
Energy
Flow chart of the production process in aquaculture with the energy consuming
steps identified
Labor
Aquaculture production
phase
Wild stocking
Nutrients
Energy
Chemicals
Energy Labor Feed
Energy & labor
Environmental implications
Byproducts from animal
production etc.
Hatchery
Equipment and infrastructure
Energy
Labor
Processing of fish meal
Agriculture
Energy
Labor
Packaging material Market
Waste treatment
Processing
Consumption
Fertilizers
Capture fisheries
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Cumulative energy demand for production of 1 tonne of Milkfish in extensive farming, Philippines
?
1 000 kg CO2 eq.
? kg CO2 eq.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Allocation
1. Wherever possible, allocation should be avoided by: -Increasing the level of detail -Expanding the system
2. Environmental loads should be partitioned between the system’s different products and functions in a way that reflects the underlying physical relationships
3. Allocation by other relationships, such as economic value or system expansion
Alloca&on factor Data
availability Sta&c Market oriented
Weight Good Yes No
Value Average No Yes
Mortality Average No No
Energe&c content, kcal Average Yes No
System expansion Poor Some&mes Some&mes
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Allocation
Allocation of finprint
Weight
Allocation of finprint Energetic content, calories
99% 1%
Finprint, basis for allocation Value
99% 1%
Carbon neutral?
From: Thrane 2006
Life Cycle Assessment difficulties: Co-product allocation
Danish fisheries used 0.14 liter of diesel per kg landed “mixed fish”
The difference between Norway lobster and mussels are a factor of 500 when system expansion is applied, 120 when mass allocation is applied and 50 according to economical allocation.
Labour The annual productivity of one employee in different production systems
From: Tyedmers 2000
Industrial energy inputs in salmon and carp aquaculture
Figure A: Source of industrial energy inputs to produce Atlantic salmon in intensive cage culture
Figure B: Source of industrial energy inputs to produce silver and bighead carps in semi-intensive pond culture
Atlantic salmon 40-50 J input/output Carp 1-9 J input/output
Environmental impacts from different farming methods of one tonne of salmon
Food produc)on system EROI J input / J output
Carp – extensive pond culture 100-111% 100-111%
Chicken (U.S.) 25%
Milkfish extensive 24%
Milkfish intensive 16%
Commercially caught pink salmon (B.C.) 14%
Milkfish semi-intensive 14%
Pangasius intensive – small scale tidal fed 14%
Commercially caught chum salmon (B.C.) 13%
Tilapia – extensive pond culture (Indonesia) 13%
Atlantic salmon – marine net-pen culture (B.C.) 11%
Commercially caught sockeye salmon (B.C.) 11%
Mussel – longline culture (Scandinavia) 10-15%
Turkey (U.S.) 10%
Atlantic salmon – marine bag culture (B.C.) 9.3%
Gillnet fishery for salmon (B.C.) 9.0%
Troll fishery for salmon (B.C.) 8.9%
Commercially caught chinook salmon (B.C.) 8.7%
Global fisheries 8.0%
Commercially caught coho salmon (B.C.) 7.4%
Milk (U.S.) 7.1%
Swine (U.S.) 7.1%
Beef – pasture based (U.S.) 5.0%
Catfish – intensive pond culture (U.S.) 4.0%
Atlantic salmon – land-based saltwater flow-through culture (B.C.) 3.1%
Eggs (U.S.) 2.5%
Beef – feedlot (U.S.) 2.5%
Tilapia – intensive cage culture (Zimbabwe) 2.5%
Pangasius intensive – large scale pump fed 2.1%
Lamb (U.S.) 1.8%
Shrimp – intensive culture (Thailand) 1.4%
Arctic char – land-based freshwater recirculating culture (N.S.) 0.01%
• Quantification leads to generalizations • The outcome of a LCA is highly influenced by the
practitioner’s aim, ambition and methodology • No one right way for allocating • Labor is not included in most LCA studies • Great tool, if interpreted correctly • Energy intensive systems are more sensitive to
increasing oil prices
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Conclusion
Thanks