The water footprint of the sugarcane agro-industry in the Northeast region of Brazil

The water footprint (WF) is an important indicator for water management, as it identifies the amount of water used directly and indirectly by a consumer or a product. The objective of this study is to analyze the sugarcane industry's WF in Brazil's Northeast region for the 2016/17 and 2017/18 harvest seasons. The blue, green and grey WFs of sugarcane were quantified, as well as the blue WFs of the production processes of ethanol and sugar, the main subproducts of sugarcane for both harvests. The work was carried out in an area with 18.42 hectares of sugarcane crops under sprinkler irrigation. The process of sugarcane production and use of pesticides was surveyed and meteorological data for the production period was collected. Right after, mathematical models were used to estimate the blue, green and grey WFs. The WF of the sugarcane was found to be 2,364.87 m³ t-1 and 1,043.92 m³ t-1 for the first and second harvest, respectively. The grey WF made up the largest part of this value, mostly due to use of the pesticides Diuron 800 and Imazapic. The processes of ethanol and sugar production, meanwhile, were found to have a blue WF of approximately 10 m³ t-1 and 5 m³ t-1, respectively. From these results, we can conclude that the WF is an effective indicator for monitoring water use in the production cycle of sugarcane and its subproducts, and that the use of fewer polluting pesticides would aid in reducing the WF of this cycle.

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Water Footprint: A critical review using sugar production as an example

Sugar Industry ◽

10.36961/si12782 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 159-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Carlos Nähle ◽

Markwart Kunz

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Sugar Beet ◽

Water Consumption ◽

Critical Review ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Sugar Production ◽

Numerical Indicator ◽

The Individual

This article deals with the numerical indicator water footprint. The definitions and terminology used in this indicator are analyzed in terms of their importance for water management. The individual components of the water footprint – blue, green, grey – are discussed in terms of their determination especially in relation to the aspects of evapotranspiration and fertilization. Using the example of sugar (beet and sugar production), it is shown that the determined water “consumption” with this indicator is only virtual and does not correspond to reality. Improvements in water management can only be achieved through key figures that can be actively influenced. This is very questionable in the case of the indicator water footprint.

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CONTROL IN REAL TIME THE DENSITY OF PRODUCT AT VARIOUS STAGES OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESS OF SUGAR PRODUCTION

STATE AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS OF AGRIBUSINESS. In the frame of the XXIII Agribusiness Forum of the South of Russia and the Exhibition «Interagromash» Volume 1 ◽

10.23947/interagro.2020.1.630-632 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

S.B. Kudryashev ◽

◽

N.S. Assev ◽

R.D. Belashov ◽

V.A. Naumenko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Technological Process ◽

Sugar Industry ◽

Sugar Production ◽

Production Processes ◽

Quality Of Products

The article is devoted to solving one of the most important problems of the development of the sugar industry in Russia – the modernization of sugar production processes. Today, sugar production is actively being modernized, shifting most of its processes to the path of avomatization and optimization to improve the quality of products. This article describes one of the main ways to obtain information about the concentration of sucrose in syrup in the production of sugar.

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Temporal and Local Heterogeneities of Water Table Depth under Different Agricultural Water Management Conditions

Water ◽

10.3390/w13162148 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 2148

Author(s):

Jonathan A. Lafond ◽

Silvio J. Gumiere ◽

Virginie Vanlandeghem ◽

Jacques Gallichand ◽

Alain N. Rousseau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Water Table ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Sprinkler Irrigation ◽

Water Table Depth ◽

Management Systems ◽

Integrated Water Management ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Good Drainage

Integrated water management has become a priority for cropping systems where subirrigation is possible. Compared to conventional sprinkler irrigation, the controlling water table can lead to a substantial increase in yield and water use efficiency with less pumping energy requirements. Knowing the spatiotemporal distribution of water table depth (WTD) and soil properties should help perform intelligent, integrated water management. Observation wells were installed in cranberry fields with different water management systems: Bottom, with good drainage and controlled WTD management; Surface, with good drainage and sprinkler irrigation management; Natural, without drainage, or with imperfectly drained and conventional sprinkler irrigation. During the 2017–2020 growing seasons, WTD was monitored on an hourly basis, while precipitation was measured at each site. Multi-frequential periodogram analysis revealed a dominant periodic component of 40 days each year in WTD fluctuations for the Bottom and Surface systems; for the Natural system, periodicity was heterogeneous and ranged from 2 to 6 weeks. Temporal cross correlations with precipitation show that for almost all the sites, there is a 3 to 9 h lag before WTD rises; one exception is a subirrigation site. These results indicate that automatic water table management based on continuously updated knowledge could contribute to integrated water management systems, by using precipitation-based models to predict WTD.

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Examining the water footprint concept in relation to sustainable water management, Libya

10.7190/shu-thesis-00198 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Allafi Omar Ali

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Sustainable Water Management

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Calibration of reference evapotranspiration models in Pará

Acta Scientiarum Agronomy ◽

10.4025/actasciagron.v42i1.42475 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

pp. e42475

Author(s):

Vivian Dielly da Silva Farias ◽

Deborah Luciany Pires Costa ◽

Joao Vitor de Novoa Pinto ◽

Paulo Jorge Oliveira Ponte de Souza ◽

Everaldo Barreiro de Souza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Linear Regression ◽

Reference Evapotranspiration ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Estimation Methods ◽

Correction Factors ◽

Regression Methods ◽

Dry Seasons ◽

Statistical Criteria

The use of empirical agrometeorological models that can be adjusted to the climatic conditions of different regions has become increasingly necessary to improve water management in grain-producing municipalities. The aim of this work is to examine the correlation between various reference evapotranspiration (ETo) estimation methods and the standard FAO 56 Penman-Monteith method, as well as to determine correction factors, when necessary, for crop-producing municipalities in the northeast of Pará, during both the rainy and dry seasons. We compared simpler methods of ETo estimation to the FAO 56 Penman-Monteith method. For this purpose, meteorological data from Tracuateua, Bragança, Capitão Poço and Castanhal, provided by the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), were used. The calibration of equations was performed through linear regression. The accuracy of different estimation methods was examined. The Turc, FAO 24 Blaney-Criddle and regression methods presented the best results for all statistical criteria; the Priestley-Taylor, Makkink and FAO 24 Radiation methods presented excellent results after calibration. The methods of Camargo and Hargreaves-Samani produced the worst results for all the criteria.

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Bootstrap Analysis of the Production Processes Capability Assessment

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app9245360 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (24) ◽

pp. 5360 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Patrycjusz Stoma ◽

Monika Stoma ◽

Agnieszka Dudziak ◽

Jacek Caban

Keyword(s):

Production Process ◽

Product Quality ◽

Low Cost ◽

Bootstrap Method ◽

Process Capability ◽

Production Cycle ◽

Bootstrap Analysis ◽

Production Processes ◽

Characteristic Features ◽

The Bootstrap Method

The high customer requirements for appropriate product quality pose a challenge for manufacturers and suppliers and also cause them many problems related to ensuring a sufficiently high product quality throughout the entire production cycle. For the above reasons, it is so important to assess the capability of monitored processes, and shaping, analyzing and controlling the capability of processes is an important aspect of managing an organization that uses a process approach to management. The use of an appropriate method to analyze the course of production processes is a necessity imposed by quality standards, e.g., ISO 9001: 2015. That is why it is so important to propose a quick and low-cost method of assessing production processes. For this purpose, a method of assessing the capability of the manufacturing process using bootstrap analysis was used. The article presents the analysis of inherent properties of the production process based on the results of measurements of the characteristic features of the process or the characteristics of the manufactured products (process variables) for the shafts with grooves. The main goals of the work are to develop a procedure for determining process capability based on the bootstrap method, including criteria for the classification of production process capability; to develop the criterion values for confidence intervals of production process capability; as well as to demonstrate the practical application of bootstrap analysis in manufacturing. Moreover, comparative analyses of process capabilities using bootstrap and classic methods were carried out. They confirm both the narrowing of the confidence interval when using the bootstrap method and the possibility of determining a better estimator of the lower limit of this range compared to the results obtained using the classic method. The tests carried out for the unit production of shafts with grooves showed that the analysis of the process capability for measuring tests n = 10 is possible. Finally, new criterion values for the assessment of process capability for the bootstrap method were proposed. The model for assessing the capability of production processes presented in the paper was implemented in low-volume production in the defense industry.

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Long-Term Water Footprint Assessment in a Rainfed Olive Tree Grove in the Umbria Region, Italy

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture10010008 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 8

Author(s):

Luca Rossi ◽

Luca Regni ◽

Sara Rinaldi ◽

Paolo Sdringola ◽

Roberto Calisti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Water Use ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Agricultural Crop ◽

Agricultural Water ◽

Yield Data ◽

Agricultural Water Use ◽

Umbria Region

Life Cycle Assessment (the systematic analysis of the environmental impact of products during their entire life cycle), Carbon Footprint and Water Footprint assessments play an important role in decision-making processes. These assessments can help guide land management decisions and will likely play a larger role in the future, especially in natural areas with high biodiversity. Agriculture is a substantial consumer of fresh water, so it is important to identify causes and possible solutions to optimize agricultural water use. Water footprint assessments consider water consumption from several points of view and aid in reaching Sustainable Development Goals. Olive trees are a widespread agricultural crop growing in the Mediterranean Basin and are particularly important in the Umbria region in Italy. This paper estimates the water footprint impact related to the production of 1 kg of olives in a rainfed olive orchard managed using low environmental impact techniques. Eleven years of data collection (meteorological data, olives yield data, processes data) are analyzed for typical rural conditions. The results show that local management techniques have lower water requirements than standard international usages. These results can be used to improve and to further explore agricultural water use.

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Water Footprint and Water Pinch Analysis in Ethanol Industrial Production for Water Management

Water ◽

10.3390/w11030518 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 518 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Heng Liu ◽

Lijun Ren ◽

Huimin Zhuo ◽

Sanze Fu

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Environmental Pollution ◽

Water Reuse ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Fuel Ethanol ◽

Pinch Analysis ◽

Energy Demands ◽

Analysis Technique ◽

Ethanol Plant ◽

Water Pinch

Fuel ethanol is considered to be a clean alternative fuel to meet increasing energy demands and mitigate environmental pollution. Faced with challenges in terms of energy security and environmental pollution, China is vigorously developing fuel ethanol. However, ethanol-manufacturing is a water-intensive industry; it consumes large volumes of fresh water and generates a corresponding amount of waste water. Expansion of this industry can reduce water quality and cause water stress. This study aims to combine the water footprint (WF) with a water pinch analysis technique to manage water consumption and sewage discharge systematically in an ethanol plant. A well-operated cassava ethanol plant in China was chosen as a case study. The WF of industrial ethanol production was evaluated. The total WF was 17.08 L/L ethanol, comprised of a 7.69 L blue water footprint (BWF), and a 9.39 L gray water footprint (GWF). The direct WF was 16.38 L/L ethanol, and the indirect WF was 0.70 L/L ethanol. Thereafter, a water pinch analysis was conducted, and the optimal direct water reuse scheme was studied. After the water network was optimized, the BWF was reduced by 0.98 L/L ethanol, while the GWF was reduced by 1.47 L/L ethanol. These results indicate that the combined use of WF and pinch analysis can provide the starch-based ethanol industry with an effective tool to improve its water management.

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Impact of site-specific fertilizing management in carbon and water footprint. The case of cotton under Mediterranean conditions

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-13668 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Antonios Papadopoulos ◽

Gerasimos Troyanos ◽

Dionissios Kalivas ◽

Maria Doula ◽

Stamatios Kavasilis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Footprint ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Emission Factors ◽

The Other ◽

Chemical Pollution ◽

Agricultural Practice ◽

Site Specific ◽

Specific Management

<p>In field homogenous application of fertilizers can be considered as a non-environment friendly agricultural practice as it ignores site specific variations of soil and plant properties. Conventional fertilizing management usually results in overfertilization guiding to burdens of the environment in terms of chemical pollution in soil-water system and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere. The effects are expected to be more severe in Mediterranean region under the evolving climate change. Site-specific fertilizing management on the other hand, poses a practice that is adapted to high precision spatial soil, climatic and plant conditions. In this sense, the agricultural practices are properly adjusted to the needs of the crops. The research is focused on the assessment of the impacts of conventional and site-specific management of nitrogen fertilization to carbon and water footprint at cotton cultivation in field level. The study area concerns two cotton fields in Central Greece that were monitored with the use of classical soil analytical methods and remote sensing sensors throughout a cultivation period. The monitoring process led to the delineation of the fields in different management zones needing variable fertilizing doses. Further, all conventionally applied practices were annotated concerning the last 4-year period in order to collect historical fertilizing data. In both cases (conventional and site-specific) the carbon and water (blue, green, grey) footprints of the two fields were calculated. Carbon footprint was calculated by assessing IPCC 2006 guidelines (updated in 2019) as regards direct and LULUCF emissions. For this, Tier 2 emission factors were used for the main emission categories, as these were defined by the Greek State, while for the other categories, emission factors of Tier 1 of IPCC guidelines were used. For the determination of water footprint, local meteorological data and cotton development stages concerning Greek conditions were used. The determination of the footprints was realized with the use of a software tool developed by the BalkanROAD project in the framework of INTERREG Balkan-Mediterranean 2014-2020 programme, which addresses territorial competitiveness and environment. Preliminary results show encouraging prospective for the improvement of carbon and water footprint when shifting from conventional to site-specific management.</p>

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