Influences of Management Practices and Methodological Choices on Life Cycle Assessment Results of Composting Mixtures of Biowaste and Green Cuts

Ben Joseph () and Heinz Stichnothe
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Ben Joseph: Thünen-Institute of Agricultural Technology, Bundesallee 47, 38116 Brunswick, Germany
Heinz Stichnothe: Thünen-Institute of Agricultural Technology, Bundesallee 47, 38116 Brunswick, Germany

Waste, 2023, vol. 1, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: This paper presents an analysis that aimed to quantify the consequences of modelling choices in the life cycle assessment of composting by investigating the influence of composting management practices and the influence of the selected marginal product for substitution. In order to investigate the different influencing factors, a set of 11 scenarios were defined. The scenario results revealed that increasing the turning frequency of the input material leads to a Global warming potential (GWP) reduction of approx. 50%. However, there is a trade-off between GWP reduction and increases in other environmental impacts, including acidification potential (AP), ozone formation potential (OFP), and stratospheric ozone depletion potential (ODP). GWP and AP can also be reduced by optimal exhaust gas filter maintenance, although this causes OFP and ODP to increase. The most relevant factor for GWP is the choice of substituted products. When peat for horticulture can be replaced, GWP can be substantially lowered while hardly affecting other environmental impacts.

Keywords: scenario analysis; LCA; marginal products; biowaste; compost (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q16 Q18 Q2 Q20 Q23 Q24 Q25 Q28 Q3 Q31 Q38 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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