Process information
| Key Data Set Information | |
| Location | QD-SD-CN |
| Geographical representativeness description | A questionnaire survey was conducted on dairy farms in Qingdao, Shandong Province from July to August 2020. |
| Reference year | 2016 |
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| Use advice for data set | When utilizing this Life Cycle Assessment data for milk production within an IPBS, it is essential to capture the differences in environmental impact due to transportation distances of feed and organic fertilizer. Data users should account for energy consumption variances and nutrient loss associated with transportation, noting the localized nature of silage corn production and organic fertilizer use within IPBS, versus the longer transportation distances involved in non-IPBS scenarios. When assessing the transportation impact of imported feed components, consider the substantial distances involved for items like oats and alfalfa from the United States. Users must adjust the model to reflect varying transportation distances and potential subsidies affecting cultivation practices, like the silage corn planting subsidy policy in Shandong Province. |
| Technical purpose of product or process | The described industrial process is primarily used for milk production within an Integrated Planting and Breeding System (IPBS), where feed and organic fertilizer transportation constitute key components. The silage corn and organic fertilizer are predominantly sourced locally, with transportation distances being a critical factor in determining the process's environmental impact. The objective is to minimize transportation distance (to 1 km within the IPBS system) to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact, as demonstrated by the reduced risks of nutrient loss (N and P) and eutrophication in water bodies when transportation distances are short. The byproducts, particularly liquid fertilizers, are used within local agricultural areas due to their low fertilizer value, which does not appeal to many vegetable and fruit farmers. Additionally, the import of key feed components such as oats and alfalfa involves long-distance transport from the United States, contributing to the life cycle environmental footprint of the milk production process. |
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| General comment on data set | In the transport of feed and organic fertilizer, the difference between the two models lies in the transport of silage corn and organic fertilizer. In non-IPBS, silage corn is all purchased, assuming that the average transportation distance is 30km, and organic fertilizer is all sold to fruit and vegetable farmers, with an average transportation distance of 20km. The transportation distance of the two is 1km. Different transportation distances will lead to different energy consumption, and thus different impacts on the environment. Relevant studies have shown that long distance transport of organic fertilizers will increase the loss of N and P in feces and increase the risk of eutrophication in water [11]. According to the investigation, the fertilizer value of liquid fertilizer is low, and vegetable and fruit farmers are reluctant to buy liquid fertilizer. The liquid fertilizer of the two modes is sprayed by the farm car to the surrounding farmland or farm farmland, and the transportation distance is 1km. The other feed transportation distance of the two modes is the same, and the concentrated feed, soybean meal, corn kernel and wheat bran are from the local market, and the transportation distance is the same About 50km. Cottonseed from Gansu Province, the transport distance of about 1830km. Leymus chinensis from Heilongjiang Province, the transport distance of about 1720km. Oats and alfalfa come from the United States and travel a distance of about 18,000 km |
| Copyright | No |
| Owner of data set | |
| Quantitative reference | |
| Reference flow(s) | |
| Functional Unit | The 1t FPCM corrected for protein and fat content was selected as the evaluation unit |
| Time representativeness | |
| Time representativeness description | From 2016, Shandong began to implement the silage corn planting subsidy policy, is one of the earliest provinces to implement the subsidy policy, the subsidy standard is 20~50 yuan /t. In 2019, Shandong Province silage corn planting area reached 14,100 hm2, accounting for 7.3% of the country. |
| Technological representativeness | |
| Technology description including background system | In the study area, there are mainly two milk production modes :IPBS and non-IPBS. In non-IPBS, the farms only have feeding links and manure treatment links, all the feed is purchased, and the manure pile fertilizer is made into organic fertilizer and sold to fruit and vegetable farmers. In IPBS, the silage corn planting process is increased in the farm, organic fertilizer and liquid fertilizer are mainly applied to the farm field, and the remaining part is sold to fruit farmers and vegetable farmers, etc. The differences between the two models are as follows :1) the sources of silage corn in the farm are different, resulting in different feed transportation distances and feed costs; 2) The use of organic fertilizer and liquid fertilizer is different, and the transportation distance is different. A total of 109 dairy farms were investigated in this study, and 83 valid questionnaires were obtained after excluding non-conforming questionnaires, among which 38 were non-IPBS and 45 were IPBS. |
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Modelling and validation
Administrative information
Inputs and Outputs