The life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of rendered products

Ramirez, A.D. (2012) The life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of rendered products. Doctoral thesis, Harper Adams University.

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Abstract

The main research objectives were: (i) to quantify the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of rendered products, and (ii) to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of ingredients derived from terrestrial animal by - products (ABP) on the GHG emissions of animal diets. Generic life cycle assess ment methodology was used to study the main systems: category 1 and 3 mammalian rendering, on - farm broiler production, chicken meat processing, poultry rendering, and salmon feed production. UK industry data were collected to build the life cycle inventori es. The effect of fuels used (natural gas (NG) and rendered fat (RF)) in the rendering industry and alternative co - product handling approaches were investigated. GHG emissions calculated were −0.77 and 0.15 kg CO 2 e/kg category 1 and 3 mammalian rendered fa t respectively and 0.15 kg CO 2 e/kg mammalian processed animal protein (PAP) for the mean proportion of NG and RF. GHG emissions were 1.798 and 1.901 kgCO 2 e/kg live weight for ‘Standard’ and ‘Heavy’ broiler production systems respectively. GHG emissions wer e 3. 415 , 2.0 4 2, 3.4 95 , and 3. 257 kgCO 2 e/kg chicken meat using economic allocation, mass allocation, main product, and system expansion respectively. GHG emissions of poultry PAP were 0.3 25 and 1. 201 , 7. 555 and 8. 423 , - 0.178 and 0.698 kg CO 2 /kg for economic allocation, mass allocation, main product employed to partition between chicken meat and poultry ABP and for RF and NG respectively. The inclusion of poultry PAP instead of fish meal derived from reduction fisheries in salmon feed production resulted in h igher and lower GHG emissions when employing mass and economic allocation respectively. Economic allocation is an adequate co - product handling method for animal by - product systems because the driver for their production is the demand for the main commodity (edible meat products). The GHG emissions of rendered products were similar or low relative to marginal products such as palm oil and soya bean meal because (i) ABP have a low or null value and therefore incur low or zero emissions from their production, (ii) the rendering process produces biofuels that are used to offset the use of fossil fuels, and (iii) palm oil and soya bean incur emissions from agriculture and land transformation.

Item Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Divisions: Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinary Sciences (to 31.07.20)
Depositing User: Ms Kath Osborn
Date Deposited: 23 Aug 2018 14:16
Last Modified: 23 Aug 2018 14:16
URI: https://hau.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/17326

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