Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of portuguese olive oil

conferenceObject

Figueiredo, F.
Coroama, V.C.
Ramos, A.S.
Almeida, A.
Ramalhosa, E.
Castanheira, E.G.
Peres, M.F.
Carneiro, J.P.
Pereira, J.A.
Feliciano, M.
Gomes, P.C.
Marques, P.
Freire, F.

FIGUEIREDO,F. [et al.] (2013) - Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of portuguese olive oil. In Energy for Sustainability, Coimbra, 8-10 september. Comunicação.

Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of portuguese olive oil

Carbon footprint
Olive plantations
Environmental impact
Extraction
Greenhouse gas
Life-cycle assessment
Mediterranean diet

2014-10-22T14:54:14Z
2014-10-22T14:54:14Z
2013

The main goal of this paper was to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of olive oil production in Portugal. A life-cycle model and inventory were implemented for the entire production process, including a comprehensive analysis of olive cultivation, olive oil extraction, packaging, and distribution. Data originates from five differently-sized Portuguese olive growers and from a total of six olive oil mills, representing the three extraction processes in use: three-phase extraction, two-phase extraction, and traditional pressing. The results show that the GHG intensity lies in the range 1.8-8.2 kg CO2eq/liter and that the main contributors were fertilizers (production and field emissions). Efficient use of fertilizers thus seems to be a key factor for mitigating the GHG intensity of olive oil production.
This research was supported by project ECODEEP (Eco-efficiency and Eco-management in the Agro Industrial sector, FCOMP–05–0128–FEDER–018643) and the Portuguese Science

openAccess

eng