Quantification and analysis of carbon neutralization in mulberry and silk in China

Abstract

With the concern of global warming, efforts are increasingly focused on understanding and addressing carbon emission in the life cycle of silk products. Whereas, the carbon sequestration effects of mulberry and silk are rarely mentioned in the previous studies on the carbon footprint of silk products. In this regard, this study constructed a biomass method to adequately evaluate the carbon sequestration effects of mulberry and silk produced in China. An application demonstration was conducted in the area of mulberry fields and the cocoon yield of the silk industry in China from 1990 to 2021. The results indicate that mulberry fields in China fixed 875.9608 million tons of CO2 from 1990 to 2017, while silk in cocoons produced in China fixed a total of 5.9528 million tons of CO2 . These vast quantities of carbon trapped in mulberry leaves enter the silk, the silkworm chrysalis and silkworm droppings, as well as other by-products as silkworms ingest, grow, and spin cocoons. This demonstrates that increased exploitation of sericulture by-products can also contribute to carbon sequestration. Besides, the influence of the silk product's lifespan should be taken into account when quantifying and analysing the carbon neutralization of silk. Therefore, extending the usage life of silk products as long as feasible can also have a great effect on the carbon sequestration of silk products.