title: A Life Cycle Assessment of integrated dairy farm-greenhouse systems in British Columbia.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anticipated environmental benefits from integrating a dairy farm and a greenhouse; the integration is based on anaerobic digestion of manures to produce biogas energy, biogenic CO2, and digested slurry. A full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been conducted on six modeled cases applicable in British Columbia, to evaluate non-renewable energy consumption, climate change, acidification, eutrophication, respiratory effects and human toxicity. Compared to conventional practice, an integrated system has the potential to nearly halve eutrophication and respiratory effects caused by inorganic emissions and to reduce non-renewable energy consumption, climate change, and acidification by 65-90%, while respiratory effects caused by organic emissions become negative as co-products substitute for other materials. Co-digestion of other livestock manures, greenhouse plant waste, or food and food processing waste with dairy manure can further improve the performance of the integrated system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2360 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
authors.forename: Siduo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaotao Tony
authors.initials: XT
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Clift
mesh_terms: D000143:Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D001955:British Columbia; D003246:Conservation of Energy Resources / Q000379:methods*; D003612:Dairying / Q000379:methods*; D005068:Eutrophication; D017752:Greenhouse Effect / Q000517:prevention & control; D006802:Human Activities; D006801:Humans; D008372:Manure; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D012621:Seasons; D035501:Uncertainty; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000143:Acids; D008372:Manure; D014867:Water
keywords: Biogas; Eco-industrial integration; Environmental impact reduction; Life Cycle Assessment; Renewable energy