Assessing the effects of wheat flour production on the environment

Pourmehdi, Kolsoum; Kheiralipour, Kamran

doi:10.22104/aet.2021.4704.1280

Assessing the effects of wheat flour production on the environment

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Mechanical Engineering of Biosystems Department, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran.

10.22104/aet.2021.4704.1280

Abstract

Evaluating the energy and environmental indicators allows for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a system for optimizing material and energy consumption and developing strategies to reduce environmental impacts. This study determined and assessed the energy and environmental indicators of wheat flour production systems. The input and output materials and corresponding energy equivalents were calculated and then the energy indicators and forms. The environmental indicators were assessed by the life cycle assessment method in SimaPro software. The total input and output energies per year of flour production were 287935007 and 286675200 MJ, respectively. Wheat had the highest share (99.19%) of energy consumption in flour production; the energy ratio, productivity, intensity, and net energy gain indexes were equal to 1.02, 0.07 kg/MJ, 13.84, MJ/kg, and 0.31 MJ/kg, respectively. In the flour factory, the share of direct and indirect energy was 0.27 and 99.73%, respectively; the share of renewable and nonrenewable energy was 99.19 and 0.81%, respectively. Wheat input had the largest share of environmental indicators in flour production. The normalization step showed that the most important environmental indicator was marine water ecotoxicity (1.53×10⁵kg 1.4 DB eq/ton) followed by terrestrial ecotoxicity (36.59×10⁵kg 1.4 DB eq/ton), eutrophication (5.83kg PO₄ eq/ton), and acidification potential (6.57kg SO₂eq/ton) indicator.

Keywords

Main Subjects

modeling and simulation

References

[1] FAO. (2012). Energy-Smart Food at FAO: An Overview. Rome.

[2] Ramedani, Z., Alimohammadian, L., Kheialipour, K., Delpisheh, P., Abbasi, Z. (2019). Comparing energy state and environmental impacts in ostrich and chicken production systems. Environmental science and pollution research, 26(27), 28284-28293.

[3] Tillman, A. M. (2000). Significance of decision-making for LCA methodology. Environmental impact assessment review, 20(1), 113-123.

[4] Moro Piekarski, C., Mendes da Luz, L., Zocche, L., De Francisco, A. C. (2013). Life cycle assessment as entrepreneurial tool for business management and green innovations. Journal of technology management and innovation, 8(1), 44-53.

[5] Kheiralipour, K. (2020). Environmental life cycle assessment. 1^st edition. Ilam university publication. Ilam, Iran. (In Persian).

[6] Roy, P., Nei, D., Orikasa, T., Xu, Q., Okadome, H., Nakamura, N., Shiina, T. (2009). A review of life cycle assessment (LCA) on some food products. Journal of food engineering, 90(1), 1-10.

[7] Kheiralipour, K., Jafari Samrin, H. and Soleimani, M. (2017). Determining the environmental impacts of canola production by life cycle assessment, case study: Ardabil Province. Iranian journal of biosystems Engineering, 48(4), 517-526. (In Persian).

[8] Kheiralipour, K., Payandeh, Z. and Khoshnevisan, B. (2017). Evaluation of environmental impacts in Turkey production system in Iran. Iranian journal of applied animal science, 7(3), 507-512.

[9] Kheiralipour, K., Sheikhi, N. (2020). Material and energy flow in different bread baking types. Environment, development and sustainability, 1-16.

[10] Colley, T. A., Birkved, M., Olsen, S. I., Hauschild, M. Z. (2020). Using a gate-to-gate LCA to apply circular economy principles to a food processing SME. Journal of cleaner production, 251, 119566.

[11] Thomas, C., Grémy-Gros, C., Perrin, A., Symoneaux, R., Maître, I. (2020). Implementing LCA early in food innovation processes: Study on spirulina-based food products. Journal of cleaner production, 268, 121793.

[12]. Kumar Sharma, M., Pallakonda, S., Raju, G., Sarkar, P., Singla, E. and Singh, H. (2018). An approach to evaluate sustainability of a production process based on its LCA and environment impact analysis: A case study on a food product. Materials today: proceedings, 5(5), 12467-12473.

[13]. Gholamrezayi, H., Kheiralipour, K., Rafiee, S. and Ghamary, B. (2021). Investigation of energy and environmental indicators in sugar production from sugar beet. Journal of environmental science studies, accepted manuscript. (In Persian).

[14] Fischer, G., Albrecht, A., Jäckel, U., Kämpfer, P. (2008). Analysis of airborne microorganisms, MVOC and odour in the surrounding of composting facilities and implications for future investigations. International journal of hygiene and environmental health, 211(1-2), 132-142.

[15] Pishgar-Komleh, S. H., Akram, A., Keyhani, A. R. and Huijbregt Mark, A. J. (2017). Life cycle assessment of tomato paste product (case study: Alobrz Province). Iranian journal of biosystems engineering, 47(4), 677-688. (In Persian).

[16] Jalilian, M. M., Kheiralipour, K. and Mirzaee-Ghaleh, E. (2020). Comparison of environmental indicators in Sangak and Lavash bread production in Eslamabad-e-Gharb, Kermanshah. Journal of environmental science studies, 5(4), 3198-3203. (In Persian).

[17] Khanali, M., Akram, A., Mohammadnia Galeshklamei, M., Hosseinzadeh-Bandbafha, H. and Elhami, B. (2019). Evaluating the energy flow and environmental effects of cake production in Guilan Province by life cycle assessment approach. Iranian journal of biosystems engineering, 50(3), 569-579. (In Persian).

[18] Hajiahmad, A., Mirbazel, F., Solki Cheshmeh Soltani, F. and Pishgar-Komleh, S. H. (2019). Energy indices and environmental impact assessment of industrial bread production by using life cycle. Iranian journal of biosystems engineering, 50(1), 155-168. (In Persian).

[19] Goesaert, H., Brijs, K., Veraverbeke, W. S., Courtin, C. M., Gebruers, K., Delcour, J. A. (2005). Wheat flour constituents: how they impact bread quality, and how to impact their functionality. Trends in food science and technology, 16(1-3), 12-30.

[20] Chen, Y., Wu, Y., Fu, J., Fan, Q. (2020). Comparison of different rice flour-and wheat flour-based butter cookies for acrylamide formation. Journal of cereal science, 95, 103086.

[21] Tiga, B. H., Kumcuoglu, S., Vatansever, M., Tavman, S. (2021). Thermal and pasting properties of Quinoa—Wheat flour blends and their effects on production of extruded instant noodles. Journal of cereal science, 97, 103120.

[22] Guo, L., Fang, F., Zhang, Y., Xu, D., Xu, X., Jin, Z. (2020). Effect of glutathione on gelatinization and retrogradation of wheat flour and starch. Journal of cereal science, 95, 103061

[23] Singh, S. and Mittal, J. P. (1992). Energy in Production Agriculture. Mittal publications, New Dehli, India.

[24] De, D., Singh, R. S., Chandra, H. (2001). Technological impact on energy consumption in rainfed soybean cultivation in Madhya Pradesh. Applied energy, 70(3), 193-213.

[25] Kitani, O., Jungbluth, T., Peart, R. M., Ramdani, A. (1999). CIGR handbook of agricultural engineering. Energy and biomass engineering, 5, 330.

[26] Chauhan, N. S., Mohapatra, P. K., Pandey, K. P. (2006). Improving energy productivity in paddy production through benchmarking—an application of data envelopment analysis. Energy conversion and management, 47(9-10), 1063-1085.

[27] Singh, H., Mishra, D. and Nahar, N. M. (2002). Energy use pattern in production agriculture of a typical village in Arid Zone India-part I. Energy conversion and management, 43(16), 2275-2286.

[28] Ovtit-Canavate, J. and Hernanz, J. L. (1999). Energy Analysis and Saving. In CIGR Handbook of Agricultural Engineering. Energy and biomass Engineering. Vol. V, ASAE Publication; MI., 13-23.

[29] Ozkan, B., Kurklu, A. and Akcaoz, H. (2004). An input-output energy analysis in greenhouse vegetable production: a case study for Antalya region of Turkey. Biomass bioenergy, 26(1), 189-195.

[30] Molaei, K.,Keyhani, A.,Karimi, M., Kheiralipour, K. andGhasemi Varnamkhasti, M. (2008). Energy ratio in dryland wheat-case study: Eghlid Township. Iranian journal of biosystems engineering, 39(1), 13-19. (In Persian).

[31] Schweigert, M. K., Mackenzie, D. P., Sarlo, K. (2000). Occupational asthma and allergy associated with the use of enzymes in the detergent industry–a review of the epidemiology, toxicology and methods of prevention. Clinical and experimental allergy, 30(11), 1511-1518.

[32] Payandeh, Z., Kheiralipour, K., Karimi, M. and Khoshnevisan, B. (2017). Joint data envelopment analysis and life cycle assessment for environmental impact reduction in broiler production systems. Energy, 127, 768-774.

[33] Almasi, M., Kiani, S. and Louimi, N. (2008). Principles of agricultural mechanization. 4^th edition, Jangal publication, Tehran, Iran. (In Persian).

[34] Payandeh, Z., Kheiralipour, K. andKarimi, M. (2016). Evaluation of energy efficiency of broiler production farms using data envelopment analysis technique, case study: Isfahan province. Iranian journal of biosystems engineering, 47(3), 577-585. (In Persian).

[35] International organization for standardization. (2006). Environmental management: life cycle assessment; principles and framework (Vol. 14044). International organization for standardization.

[36] Kheiralipour, K., Gholamrezaee, H. and Rafiee, S. (2018). Investigation of energy status in sugar production. 11^th Iranian national congress on mechanical engineering of biosystems and mechanization, 3-5 September, Hamadan, Iran. (In Persian).

[37] Fikadu, M. (2019). Evaluation of environmental and social impacts of flour factory: a case of Kedija flour factory, Werabe, Ethiopia. Journal of industrial pollution control, 1, 1-8.