Life Cycle Assessment to Evaluate the Environmental Impact of Arable Crop Production (English shop)

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Frank Brentrup’s dissertation “Life Cycle Assessment to Evaluate the Environmental Impact of Arable Crop Production” develops an agricultural life cycle assessment methodology for evaluating the environmental impacts of arable farming systems. The research focuses on plant nutrition and the environmental consequences of different crop production and fertilizer management strategies. Existing life cycle assessment approaches are examined and adapted to account for agricultural impacts that are insufficiently represented in conventional industrial assessment models. Particular attention is given to diffuse nitrogen emissions, including ammonia volatilization, nitrous oxide emissions, and nitrate leaching, considering relevant soil, climate, and management conditions. The study introduces an improved assessment of abiotic resource depletion and applies the hemeroby concept to quantify environmental impacts associated with agricultural land use. An additional weighting procedure based on internationally recognized environmental targets enables the aggregation of different environmental effects into comprehensive indicators. The methodology is evaluated through case studies involving sugar beet and winter wheat production under different nitrogen fertilization regimes. The findings demonstrate that both excessive nitrogen application and the complete absence of fertilization can substantially increase environmental impacts per tonne of wheat. Aquatic eutrophication dominates under excessive fertilization, whereas land use becomes particularly important without nitrogen inputs. The dissertation provides a methodological foundation for comparing agricultural production systems and improving their environmental performance.