Life Cycle Assessment of Oat Flake Production with Two End-of-Life Options for Agro-Industrial Residue Management

Luciano Rodrigues Viana (), Pierre-Luc Dessureault, Charles Marty, Jean-François Boucher and Maxime C. Paré
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Luciano Rodrigues Viana: Laboratoire sur les Écosystèmes Terrestres Boréaux (EcoTer), Département de Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 555 Boulevard de l’Université, Chicoutimi, QC G7H 2B1, Canada
Pierre-Luc Dessureault: Laboratoire sur les Écosystèmes Terrestres Boréaux (EcoTer), Département de Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 555 Boulevard de l’Université, Chicoutimi, QC G7H 2B1, Canada
Charles Marty: Carbone Boréal, Département de Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 555 Boulevard de l’Université, Chicoutimi, QC G7H 2B1, Canada
Jean-François Boucher: Laboratoire sur les Écosystèmes Terrestres Boréaux (EcoTer), Département de Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 555 Boulevard de l’Université, Chicoutimi, QC G7H 2B1, Canada
Maxime C. Paré: Laboratoire sur les Écosystèmes Terrestres Boréaux (EcoTer), Département de Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 555 Boulevard de l’Université, Chicoutimi, QC G7H 2B1, Canada

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: Canada is one of the world’s largest producers of oat ( Avena sativa L.) grains and their derivatives, such as oat flakes. During oat flake production, considerable amounts of residue are generated, which constitutes a major issue for producers. We applied life cycle assessment (LCA): (1) to quantify the environmental impacts of oat flakes production in northeastern Canada and (2) to compare two agro-industrial symbiosis scenarios applied to agricultural residues (transformation of residues into feed for farm animals vs. composting). LCA results indicated that the environmental impacts of oat flake production are largely dominated by the production and use of synthetic fertilisers (contributing to at least 50% of the impact of each evaluated category). Regarding end-of-life scenarios, an environmental advantage is observed for the scenario of residue transformation into animal feed in the provinces of Quebec and Manitoba. However, this recommendation may change depending on the electricity mix used and the assumptions made for the avoided products. The choice of industrial symbiosis chains must take into consideration the economic characteristics of the region where they will be implemented and the methodological parameters that can influence the decision-making process.

Keywords: LCA; agro-industrial ecology; circular economy; waste management; grain production; oat flakes; animal feed; composting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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