Life Cycle Assessment of Oat Flake Production with Two End-of-Life Options for Agro-Industrial Residue Management

Canada is one of the world's largest producers of oat (Avena sativa L.) grains and their derivatives, such as oat flakes. During oat flake production, considerable amounts of residue are generated, which constitutes a major issue for producers. We applied life cycle assessment (LCA): (1) to quantify the environmental impacts of oat flakes production in northeastern Canada and (2) to compare two agro-industrial symbiosis scenarios applied to agricultural residues (transformation of residues into feed for farm animals vs. composting). LCA results indicated that the environmental impacts of oat flake production are largely dominated by the production and use of synthetic fertilisers (contributing to at least 50% of the impact of each evaluated category). Regarding end-of-life scenarios, an environmental advantage is observed for the scenario of residue transformation into animal feed in the provinces of Quebec and Manitoba. However, this recommendation may change depending on the electricity mix used and the assumptions made for the avoided products. The choice of industrial symbiosis chains must take into consideration the economic characteristics of the region where they will be implemented and the methodological parameters that can influence the decision-making process.

Automated summary

Canada is a major producer of oat grains and oat flakes, generating significant amounts of residue during production. This study used life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impacts of oat flake production in northeastern Canada and compared two agro-industrial symbiosis scenarios for disposing of agricultural residues. The results showed that the production and use of synthetic fertilizers contributed the most to the environmental impacts of oat flake production. Transforming residues into animal feed was found to have environmental advantages in certain provinces, but this could vary depending on factors such as electricity sources and assumptions made for avoided products. The choice of industrial symbiosis chains should consider regional economic characteristics and methodological parameters.