#11-133
CompleteCategory
Environment - Water Use/ConservationDate Full Report Received
05/23/2014Date Abstract Report Received
05/23/2014Investigation
Institution: Fayetteville, University of ArkansasPrimary Investigator: Marty Matlock
Co-Investigators: Richard K. Ulrich, Eric Boles, Mansour Leh, Heather Sandefur, Greg Thoma
Funded By
National Pork BoardThe goal of this study was to analyze water use in the U.S. pork industry using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. LCAs are quantitative analyses of complex systems for the evaluation of impacts and risks associated with management decisions. LCA can be an effective tool for determining comparative advantages of management strategies across specific environmental impacts of concern.
The environmental impact category that was used in this assessment to evaluate processes throughout the pork supply chain was cumulative water use (gallons). This assessment was performed at two scales: a cradle-to-grave scan-level analysis and a cradle-to-farm gate detail-level analysis. The Pig Production Environmental Footprint Calculator (PPEFC) was enhanced with water consumption algorithms based on data from peer reviewed scientific literature. The PPEFC was then utilized to estimate the lifecycle inventory of water use. The work on this project was divided into the following tasks:
Task B. Pork Supply Chain Scan Level LCA of Water Use
Task C. Live Swine Production Detailed LCA of Water Use
Task D. Pig Production Environmental Footprint Calculator