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Purpose <p>African countries are increasingly exploring anaerobic digestion (AD) for biogas production to improve waste management and reduce environmental impact. However, AD adoption, utilization, and long-term environmental implications remain largely unassessed in the region. This study presents the first comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of its kind in West Africa, evaluating the environmental footprint of disposing 15 tons of agricultural fruit waste via AD versus open-dump landfill. Additionally, we conducted the first prospective LCA (pLCA) to provide future-oriented insights into the long-term environmental impacts of AD in the region.</p> Methods <p>Following ISO 14040 and 14,044 standards, we quantified five key impact categories, global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), smog potential (SP), and freshwater ecotoxicity (EF), using the Ecoinvent database 3.9.1 cutoff, TRACI 2.1 assessment method, and OpenLCA software. For the pLCA, we use <i>premise</i>, based on different SSPs generated by IMAGE, an integrated assessment model (IAM).</p> Results and discussion <p>The result reveals that AD significantly outperforms open-dump landfilling, achieving a net-negative GWP of –100.25&#xa0;kg CO₂-eq due to avoided emissions from co-product benefits from biogas and digestate, compared to 3,794.8&#xa0;kg CO₂-eq from landfill disposal. Across all impact categories, open-dump landfills impose over 98% higher environmental burdens than AD. The pLCA under future electricity grid scenarios reveals divergent trajectories. Excluding co-product benefits, AD’s GWP declines by up to 60% by 2050 under the SSP1 sustainability pathway, driven by energy grid decarbonization. AP and SP also decline steadily. Under SSP2, however, GWP increases in 2030 and 2050, reflecting slower energy transitions, with only a temporary decline in 2040. While AP and SP still trend downward, EP, EF, and ODP rise under both scenarios, more sharply under SSP2, due to continued fossil fuel use and limited policy progress. Comparative scenario analysis of different waste treatment options for the fruit waste shows that landfills generate the highest GWP, EP, and EF; composting contributes most to AP and ODP; incineration leads in SP; and AD performs best in EF and EP. These results highlight the critical need to evaluate multiple environmental indicators when selecting sustainable waste management strategies.</p> Conclusions <p>We conducted a case study based on primary data that offers regional- and continent-specific insights into the potential of anaerobic digestion as a sustainable waste management strategy. The results provide practical guidance for policymakers seeking to promote AD for both waste treatment and renewable energy production.</p>

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A comparative and prospective life cycle assessment of agricultural fruit wastes disposal: A case study

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月16日

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  • Muzan Williams Ijeoma,
  • Benjamin Nnamdi Chukwu,
  • Rahimat Oyiza Yakubu,
  • Hao Chen,
  • Michael Carbajales-Dale

摘要

Purpose

African countries are increasingly exploring anaerobic digestion (AD) for biogas production to improve waste management and reduce environmental impact. However, AD adoption, utilization, and long-term environmental implications remain largely unassessed in the region. This study presents the first comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of its kind in West Africa, evaluating the environmental footprint of disposing 15 tons of agricultural fruit waste via AD versus open-dump landfill. Additionally, we conducted the first prospective LCA (pLCA) to provide future-oriented insights into the long-term environmental impacts of AD in the region.

Methods

Following ISO 14040 and 14,044 standards, we quantified five key impact categories, global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), smog potential (SP), and freshwater ecotoxicity (EF), using the Ecoinvent database 3.9.1 cutoff, TRACI 2.1 assessment method, and OpenLCA software. For the pLCA, we use premise, based on different SSPs generated by IMAGE, an integrated assessment model (IAM).

Results and discussion

The result reveals that AD significantly outperforms open-dump landfilling, achieving a net-negative GWP of –100.25 kg CO₂-eq due to avoided emissions from co-product benefits from biogas and digestate, compared to 3,794.8 kg CO₂-eq from landfill disposal. Across all impact categories, open-dump landfills impose over 98% higher environmental burdens than AD. The pLCA under future electricity grid scenarios reveals divergent trajectories. Excluding co-product benefits, AD’s GWP declines by up to 60% by 2050 under the SSP1 sustainability pathway, driven by energy grid decarbonization. AP and SP also decline steadily. Under SSP2, however, GWP increases in 2030 and 2050, reflecting slower energy transitions, with only a temporary decline in 2040. While AP and SP still trend downward, EP, EF, and ODP rise under both scenarios, more sharply under SSP2, due to continued fossil fuel use and limited policy progress. Comparative scenario analysis of different waste treatment options for the fruit waste shows that landfills generate the highest GWP, EP, and EF; composting contributes most to AP and ODP; incineration leads in SP; and AD performs best in EF and EP. These results highlight the critical need to evaluate multiple environmental indicators when selecting sustainable waste management strategies.

Conclusions

We conducted a case study based on primary data that offers regional- and continent-specific insights into the potential of anaerobic digestion as a sustainable waste management strategy. The results provide practical guidance for policymakers seeking to promote AD for both waste treatment and renewable energy production.