The Study of Environmental Impacts of Pistachio Production Using Life Cycle Assessment, (Case Study: Rafsanjan City)

Life Cycle Assessment method is an accepted approach for assessing the environmental impacts of a product's life cycle, which is calculated on the basis of two components: the amount of consuming resources and the release of pollutants to the environment. In this study, the environmental impact assessment of pistachio production from the beginning of planting to the field door was estimated using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method in Rafsanjan. Initial data were collected through questionnaire method and interview with local farmers. The collected data were analyzed using Ecoinvent®3.0 database and Simapro8.0.4.30 software. The system boundary, field and work unit were considered as a ton of pistachios in this study. The results of this study showed that the use of diesel and electricity as energy sources lead to the release of CO2, NOx, SOx and heavy metals into the environment. Analysis of the pistachio data showed that emissions from fertilizers in the layers had the highest role in source reduction, global warming, toxicity to humans, toxicity to marine aquatics and chemical photooxidation. Emissions from fuel consumption had the greatest effect on ozone layer depletion.