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Carbon and Water Footprints and Energy Use of Greenhouse Tomato Production in Northern Italy

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  • Joana Almeida
  • Wouter M.J. Achten
  • Bruno Verbist
  • Reindert F. Heuts
  • Eddie Schrevens
  • Bart Muys

Abstract

type="main"> This study reports on the carbon, water, and energy footprints of tomatoes grown in a greenhouse in Northern Italy and two possible future variations of heating and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) fertilization on the current setup. The heat supply in place, consisting of natural gas (NG) and canola oil combustion, is compared to cogeneration and incineration of municipal solid waste for heating and CO 2 from industrial exhaust for fertilization. As a benchmark, the current system is also compared to a conventional system, in which heat is delivered solely based on NG. Each kilogram (kg) of fresh tomatoes (“Cuore di Bue” variety) produced in the current greenhouse emits 2.28 kg CO 2 equivalents (eq) and uses 95.5 megajoules (MJ) eq energy and 122 liters (L) of water. Relative to the system in place, the carbon footprint (CF) is 57.5% and 18% higher with conventional NG heating and cogeneration and is 40% lower with waste valorization. Further, 33%, 55%, and 63% less energy and 9%, 96%, and 14% less water are used in the conventional, cogeneration, and waste valorization scenarios, respectively. This confirms that there are multiple strategies to reduce the impact of the tomato production under consideration.

Suggested Citation

  • Joana Almeida & Wouter M.J. Achten & Bruno Verbist & Reindert F. Heuts & Eddie Schrevens & Bart Muys, 2014. "Carbon and Water Footprints and Energy Use of Greenhouse Tomato Production in Northern Italy," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 18(6), pages 898-908, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:inecol:v:18:y:2014:i:6:p:898-908
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Premaratne Samaranayake & Weiguang Liang & Zhong-Hua Chen & David Tissue & Yi-Chen Lan, 2020. "Sustainable Protected Cropping: A Case Study of Seasonal Impacts on Greenhouse Energy Consumption during Capsicum Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-23, August.
    3. Bellassen Valentin & Drut Marion & Antonioli Federico & Brečić Ružica & Donati Michele & Ferrer-Pérez Hugo & Gauvrit Lisa & Hoang Viet & Knutsen Steinnes Kamilla & Lilavanichakul Apichaya & Majewski E, 2021. "The Carbon and Land Footprint of Certified Food Products," Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization, De Gruyter, vol. 19(2), pages 113-126, December.
    4. Arianna Pignagnoli & Stefano Pignedoli & Emanuele Carpana & Cecilia Costa & Aldo Dal Prà, 2021. "Carbon Footprint of Honey in Different Beekeeping Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-14, October.
    5. Zhang, Menghang & Yan, Tingxiang & Wang, Wei & Jia, Xuexiu & Wang, Jin & Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír, 2022. "Energy-saving design and control strategy towards modern sustainable greenhouse: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).

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