Environmental Sustainability and Economic Benefits of Dairy Farm Biogas Energy Production: A Case Study in Umbria

Abstract

Accelerating demand to reduce the environmental impact of fossil fuels has been driving widespread attention to renewable fuels, such as biogas. In fact, in the last decade numerous policy guidelines and laws regarding energy, the environment and agriculture have been issued to encourage the use of animal sewage as a raw material for the production of biogas. The production of energy from biogas in a dairy farm can provide a good opportunity for sustainable rural development, augmenting the farm's income from traditional sources and helping to reduce the overall environmental impact of the energy sector. This paper investigates the trade-off between the environmental and economic benefits of an agro-energy farm in the Umbria region of Italy that employs livestock sewage and manure, dedicated energy crops (corn and triticale silage) and olive waste. The environmental analysis was performed using the LCA methodology, while the economic investigation was carried out by reconstructing the economic balance of the agro-energetic supply chain based on the budgets of each activity performed. The LCA results show, on the one hand, the predominant weight of producing dedicated crops compared to all other processes in the supply chain and, on the other hand, a significant reduction in environmental impact compared to that caused by energy production from fossil fuels. Economic analysis revealed that the results depend significantly on what rate per kWh the government incentives guarantee to agricultural producers of renewable energy.

Rethinking Sustainability within the Viticulture Realities Integrating Economy, Landscape and Energy

“…Agro-energy planning needs a complex investigation based on an integrated analysis of the local availability of biomass resources and the environmental impact of energy crops [32,74]. In this perspective, the present work also focused on energy and environmental viewpoint.…”

An Economical Evaluation of Anaerobic Digestion Plants Fed with Organic Agro-Industrial Waste

“…In addition to the production of biogas, the digestate can be used as a fertilizer, so the process makes it possible to completely eliminate pathogens [4][5][6]. Organic waste sent to landfills generates uncontrolled methane and carbon dioxide emissions associated with decomposition.…”

Glass vs. Plastic: Life Cycle Assessment of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Bottles across Global Supply Chains

“…Many recent studies apply the LCA approach and provide guidelines to elicit pro-environment actions in the food and beverage industry. Some recent examples include Caputo et al [7], who enquire into strategies to support local food supply scenarios, Markussen et al [8], who evaluate the environmental sustainability of vegetable products supplied by small farmers in the U.K., and Torquati et al [9], who focus on the environmental and economic trade-off in biogas energy production for an Italian dairy farm. Manfredi and Vignali [10] assess the different life cycle phases of tomato puree packaged in a glass bottle, while Del Borghi et al [11] focus on 13 tomato-based products and perform an LCA identifying potential improvements in the cultivation and the packaging phases toward more environmental care in the supply chains.…”