An environmental impact assessment of the management of cassava waste: A case study in Thailand

Abstract

In Thailand, cassava waste is one of the main biomass residues and has the potential to be used as a biomass fuel. However, currently,  most cassava waste in Thailand is left in the agricultural fields or burnt on site and is not utilised for any energy-related purposes. This  research investigates the environmental impacts associated with three Cassava Waste Management practices which include: i)  ploughing the waste to the soil, ii) burning the waste in the field, iii) collecting and using the waste in cassava-based bioethanol plant.  The environmental impact assessment and material flow analysis associated with these management practices were conducted using  the Global Emissions Model for Integrated Systems (GEMIS) package. The outcomes of this study reveal that the CO2 emissions associated  with these waste management practices are about 0.195, 0.243 and 0.361 kg CO2-eq/kg of as received (wet) cassava waste, respectively.  Compared to other cassava waste disposal methods such as ploughing and burning, cassava waste collection would result in the most  significant environmental impact, emitting nearly 85% more GHGs than ploughing and 48% more than burning.