Key Data Set Information
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Location
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UM
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Geographical representativeness description
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California, USA
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Reference year
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2015
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Name
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Almond production
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Use advice for data set
| When utilizing this data for Life Cycle Assessment, take into account that it corresponds to the inputs and outputs from the 7th to 25th year of almond seedling growth, and is recorded as such in a 'black box' unit process. This data should not be used to represent early-stage growth or post-harvest processing. Consideration should be given to system boundaries and the inclusion/exclusion of environmental impacts from the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and water. The data set is region-specific to California, USA, and should be adapted when applied to almond production in other regions. |
Technical purpose of product or process
| The data set represents the use of almond production for the cultivation and processing of raw brown-skin almonds. These almonds can be used for direct consumption, as ingredients in food products such as confectionery, bakery goods, and healthy snacks, or further processed into almond butter, milk, oil, flour, and other almond-based products. |
Classification
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Class name
:
Hierarchy level
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| Prepare seedlings for almond production, cultivate and fertilize them manually or mechanically, add fertilizers, pesticides, water, and other substances, and finally harvest almond fruits and their by-products. |
Copyright
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No
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Owner of data set
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Quantitative reference
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Reference flow(s)
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Functional Unit
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1 kg of raw brown-skin almond
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Time representativeness
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Data set valid until
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2016
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Time representativeness description
| This data is recorded from the 7th to 25th year of almond seedling growth |
Technological representativeness
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Technology description including background system
| As with many commercially produced crops, almond production demands significant quantities of agrochemical inputs and fossil fuels for mechanized field operations. In addition, commercial almond production in California requires irrigation, which accesses groundwater resources and surface waters by the California Aqueduct system, entailing significant energy inputs for on-site and upstream water pumping. |
Flow diagram(s) or picture(s)
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