Life cycle assessment of canola edible oil production in Iran: A case study in Isfahan province

The present study uses cradle-to-factory gate life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate environmental impact categories in producing packaged canola edible oil in Isfahan province of Iran. In this study, LCA methodology is applied in order to satisfy two goals, namely, to evaluate hot spots in production chain of canola oil and to compare environmental burdens of oil production at each stage of the production chain. The initial data about inputs consumption and canola yield are collected from 126 farmers in Fereydounshahr region by face-to-face questionnaire method. Detailed information about processing, input materials and energy consumption in industrial phase of oil production are obtained by visiting factory units and interviewing with employees and engineers of Golbahar Sepahan oil factory. The required data about the background system are extracted from Ecoinvent 3.2 and Industry data 2.0 databases. LCA results in canola edible oil production show that farm stage has a key role in environmental impacts wherein the use of chemical fertilizers and diesel fuel make major contributions. In oil extraction and refinement step, natural gas combustion and background processes of natural gas also play major roles in generating environmental impact categories. In packaging step, the packaging materials, i.e., plastic and carton, and the background processes of diesel fuel have major contributions to aggravating environmental burdens. In conclusion, reducing the consumption of chemical fertilizers, especially nitrogen-based ones, is important for reducing environmental footprints in canola edible oil production due to the key role of farm stage in environmental impacts of canola edible oil production.