Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of portuguese olive oil

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 distrib...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Figueiredo, F. (author)
Other Authors: Coroama, V.C. (author), Ramos, A.S. (author), Almeida, A. (author), Ramalhosa, E. (author), Castanheira, E.G. (author), Peres, M.F. (author), Carneiro, J.P. (author), Pereira, J.A. (author), Feliciano, M. (author), Gomes, P.C. (author), Marques, P. (author), Freire, F. (author)
Format: conferenceObject
Language:eng
Published: 2014
Subjects:
Carbon footprint
Olive plantations
Environmental impact
Extraction
Greenhouse gas
Life-cycle assessment
Dieta mediterrânica
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10400.11/2591
Country:Portugal
Oai:oai:repositorio.ipcb.pt:10400.11/2591
Description
Summary: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.

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