Life Cycle CO 2 Emissions Analysis of a High-Tech Greenhouse Horticulture Utilizing Wood Chips for Heating in Japan

Jun Taguchi, Hiroki Hondo () and Yue Moriizumi
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Jun Taguchi: Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
Hiroki Hondo: Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
Yue Moriizumi: Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: High-tech greenhouse horticulture offers efficient crop cultivation that is unaffected by outdoor climate. However, compared to conventional cultivation systems, energy requirements, such as greenhouse heating and control, are larger, and concerns about the associated increase in CO 2 emissions exist. Although several previous studies have analyzed CO 2 emissions from high-tech greenhouse horticulture, few have covered the entire life cycle. This study aimed to analyze CO 2 emissions from high-tech greenhouse horticulture for tomatoes in Japan across the entire life cycle. A hybrid method combining process and input–output analyses was used to estimate life cycle CO 2 (LC-CO 2 ) emissions. The emission reduction potential of replacing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for greenhouse heating with wood chips was also examined. The results show that LC-CO 2 emissions were estimated to be 3.67 kg-CO 2 per 1 kg of tomato, 55.6% of which came from the production and combustion of LPG for greenhouse heating. The substitution of LPG with wood chips has the potential to reduce LC-CO 2 emissions by up to 49.1%. However, the improved LC-CO 2 emissions are still higher than those of conventional cultivation systems; thus, implementing additional measures to reduce LC-CO 2 emissions is crucial.

Keywords: high-tech greenhouse horticulture; life-cycle assessment; renewable energy; wood chips; hybrid method; process analysis; input–output analysis; climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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