Life Cycle Assessment of Sugar Production in Sudan: Green-House Gases Emissions and Energy Usage

Abstract

Abstract A Life Cycle Assessment used to analyse the Sudanese sugar production environmental impact. The systems studied include sugarcane production, fertilizers, and herbicides manufacturing, sugarcane harvesting and transportation, and sugar milling. The study used SimaPro Software Version 9.0.0.49 and the methods of ReCiPe 2016 and Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) 2007. Sugarcane production was the most consumer (39%) of fossil fuel (2166 MJ t− 1 sugar), followed by sugar processing (26.6%), sugarcane cultivation (20.7%) and sugarcane harvesting with transportation (13.7%). The green-house gases emissions were 271.2 kg CO2-equivalent t− 1 sugar and 59% of this is from sugarcane production. However, 51% of the global warming potential was from sugar processing, sugarcane production. The principal contributor to ozone depletion was sugarcane production (44%). Sugar processing has contributed significantly to eutrophication, acidification, particulate matter, and ecotoxicity. The study has recommended enhancement on the sugar industry operations that would substantially improve environmental performance.