Life cycle assessment of cucumber irrigation: unplanned water reuse versus groundwater resources in Tipaza (Algeria)

Abstract

Effective quantitative and qualitative management of water for irrigation is crucial in many regions and the use of reclaimed water is a possible solution. Quantifying the impact of the use of such water is thus important. Using life cycle assessment methodology, this study analyzes the impact of water reuse irrigation and farmers’ practices in greenhouse cucumber production. Three scenarios concerned sources of water for irrigation and agricultural practices: the first scenario used surface water including reclaimed water, the second used groundwater. The third scenario resembled the first but also accounted for fertilizer application based on theoretical cucumber requirements. The third scenario showed 35% less fertilizer is required than the quantities farmers actually use. Our results show that the higher environmental impact of irrigation using reclaimed water than using groundwater is mainly due to the over-fertilization. Comparison of the first and third scenarios also showed that the reduction in the environmental impact under the third scenario was significant. We conclude that LCA is a useful tool to compare the impacts of different water sources and farmers’ irrigation/fertilization management practices, and in particular, that the quantity of nutrients in reclaimed water should be deducted from the actual amount applied by the farmers.

The Economics of Fruit and Vegetable Production Irrigated with Reclaimed Water Incorporating the Hidden Costs of Life Cycle Environmental Impacts

“…Romeiko [7] found that replacing groundwater with reclaimed water as the irrigation source significantly increased the life cycle of non-cancer impacts of corn, soybean, and wheat systems in China, but decreased the life cycle of global warming, acidification, ozone depletion, smog formation, and respiratory impacts. Azeb et al [6] showed that irrigating cucumbers with reclaimed water has quite a similar impact to groundwater for ionizing radiation, freshwater eu trophication, marine ecotoxicity, land occupation, and mineral resource scarcity. Fur thermore, as many case studies by Hernandez-Sanchez et al [11] demonstrate wastewater can be economically feasible, with the benefits outweighing the costs.…”

“…Life cycle costing (LCC) is well developed [2,5] in terms of the real financial burdens (direct monetary costs) for the construction and operation of treatment plants. On the other hand, LCA studies of agricultural products irrigated with treated wastewater have been developed, focusing on physical (or "environmental") aspects [6][7][8][9]. Other studies [9] report LCC by describing the economic burden of the product life cycle, alongside its environmental impacts.…”

Life cycle assessment as decision support tool for water reuse in agriculture irrigation

“…They found that irrigation with reclaimed water offred potential environmental benefits, compared to the use of desalinated water, especially in terms of eutrophication, aquatic ecotoxicity and energy use. In the same vein, Azeb et al [16] analyzed the impact of irrigation with recycled water and farmers' practices in greenhouse cucumber cultivation. Compared to groundwater irrigation, the results show that fertilizers have the highest impact on life cycle analysis in the case of reused water.…”

“…These studies [9,[11][12][13][14][15][16] provided important outcomes that allow a better understanding of the potential benefits and main sources of environmental damage from reuse of treated water in agriculture. However, the results depend on the location and characteristics of the experimental field.…”

Reclaimed Water for Vineyard Irrigation in a Mediterranean Context: Life Cycle Environmental Impacts, Life Cycle Costs, and Eco-Efficiency

“…Romeiko [3] compared nine LCA-based impacts of maize, soybean, and wheat systems irrigated with groundwater and treated water in Northern China, demonstrating that there are environmental trade-offs between water supply options. Azeb et al [9] demonstrated that the use of treated water in greenhouse cucumber production in Tipaza (Algeria) has greater environmental consequences than the use of groundwater, owing to over-fertilization.…”