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Effects of Alternative Uses of Distillery By-Products on the Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Scottish Malt Whisky Production: A System Expansion Approach

Author

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  • Ilkka Leinonen

    (Land Economy, Environment and Society Research Group, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Peter Wilson Building, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK)

  • Michael MacLeod

    (Land Economy, Environment and Society Research Group, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Peter Wilson Building, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK)

  • Julian Bell

    (Rural Business Unit, SAC Consulting, 2 Technopole, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0PJ, UK)

Abstract

Agricultural by-products are an important component of livestock feed. In Scotland, distillery by-products are protein rich and traditionally cost competitive feed ingredients in cattle production. However, during recent years, distilleries in the UK (including Scotch whisky producers) have started to use the by-products also as a source of renewable energy, in order to reduce the carbon footprint of alcohol production. In this study, a systems-based material and energy flow analysis was performed to calculate the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of whisky production for two scenarios where distillery by-products were used either (1) as beef cattle feed to replace other protein sources (namely soya bean meal and rapeseed meal); or (2) as anaerobic digester (AD) feedstock in order to generate renewable energy (heat and electricity). System expansion was used to quantitatively handle the by-products in the analysis. The results show that considerable reductions in GHG emissions could be achieved by either replacing feed crops with by-products or by using the by-products in AD plants to generate bio-energy. The biggest reductions in the GHG emissions were achieved when by-products were used to replace soya meal in animal feed. However, the results are highly sensitive to methodological choices, including the accounting method of the land use change emissions arising from soya production.

Suggested Citation

  • Ilkka Leinonen & Michael MacLeod & Julian Bell, 2018. "Effects of Alternative Uses of Distillery By-Products on the Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Scottish Malt Whisky Production: A System Expansion Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-18, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:5:p:1473-:d:145119
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fulvio Ardente & Maurizio Cellura, 2012. "Economic Allocation in Life Cycle Assessment," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 16(3), pages 387-398, June.
    2. Nonhebel, Sanderine, 2007. "Energy from agricultural residues and consequences for land requirements for food production," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 586-592, May.
    3. Leinonen, Ilkka & Williams, Adrian G. & Waller, Anthony H. & Kyriazakis, Ilias, 2013. "Comparing the environmental impacts of alternative protein crops in poultry diets: The consequences of uncertainty," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 33-42.
    4. Eory, Vera, 2015. "Evaluating the use of marginal abatement cost curves applied to greenhouse gas abatement in agriculture," Working Papers 199777, Scotland's Rural College (formerly Scottish Agricultural College), Land Economy & Environment Research Group.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ilkka Leinonen, 2019. "Achieving Environmentally Sustainable Livestock Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-5, January.
    2. Silvia Grossi & Valentina Massa & Andrea Giorgino & Luciana Rossi & Matteo Dell’Anno & Luciano Pinotti & Filippo Avidano & Riccardo Compiani & Carlo Angelo Sgoifo Rossi, 2022. "Feeding Bakery Former Foodstuffs and Wheat Distiller’s as Partial Replacement for Corn and Soybean Enhances the Environmental Sustainability and Circularity of Beef Cattle Farming," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-15, April.
    3. Carlos Ferreira & José Ribeiro & Roland Clift & Fausto Freire, 2019. "A Circular Economy Approach to Military Munitions: Valorization of Energetic Material from Ammunition Disposal through Incorporation in Civil Explosives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-14, January.
    4. O'Shea, Richard & Lin, Richen & Wall, David M. & Browne, James D. & Murphy, Jerry D, 2020. "Using biogas to reduce natural gas consumption and greenhouse gas emissions at a large distillery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).

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