Purpose

This study presents information on the water footprint profile associated with lemon production and its derivatives in the province of Tucumán (Argentina). It follows a life cycle approach considering both water consumption and pollution. Our motivation is the prominent role of this activity in the economy of the region and in the world.

Methods

The scope of the study covers the agricultural and industrial stages through a “from cradle to gate” approach (from lemon cultivation until production of finished products). The system boundaries include both foreground and background processes involving production and transportation of all material and energy inputs. The functional unit is 1 t of each product considered in the study: fresh fruit, essential oil, concentrated juice, and dehydrated peel. The general system is divided into Agriculture, Preselection, Packing, and Industry. Most of the data used stems from local sources to ensure representativeness. For the impact assessment, water scarcity, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, acidification, and human toxicity midpoint indicators are calculated.

Results and discussion

The analysis shows that the annual production and processing of lemons have an impact on water scarcity of 1·10⁸ m³ world eq. The results for freshwater ecotoxicity, freshwater eutrophication, freshwater acidification, and human toxicity (non-cancer) are 3.60·10⁶ CTUe, 4.87·t P eq, 5.92·10⁻¹ kg SO₂ eq, and 2.05·10⁻³ CTUh, respectively. For all lemon-based products, the indicator of water scarcity strongly depends on the irrigation water in the orchards. For water degradation, the most influential processes are the use and production of agrochemicals. In all cases, the agricultural stage is crucial in the water footprint profile of the finished products.

Conclusions and recommendations

The processes identified as hotspots through the water footprint profile of the products are as follows: irrigation, use, and production of N fertilizers and pesticides (copper compounds, abamectin and glyphosate), manufacturing of packaging material for fresh fruit, and consumption of natural gas. These should be addressed by lemon growers and manufacturers with preferential attention. Being the first local water footprint profile of Argentine lemons, this work is expected to serve as a baseline to provide diagnostic and improvement opportunities in the citrus sector for public and private stakeholders.

中文翻译：

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阿根廷柠檬及其衍生物的水足迹评估：以图库曼省为例

目的

本研究提供了与图库曼省（阿根廷）柠檬生产及其衍生物相关的水足迹分布信息。它遵循考虑用水量和污染的生命周期方法。我们的动机是这项活动在该地区和世界经济中的突出作用。

方法

该研究的范围通过“从摇篮到大门”的方法（从柠檬种植到成品生产）涵盖了农业和工业阶段。系统边界包括涉及所有材料和能源输入的生产和运输的前台和后台过程。功能单位是研究中考虑的每种产品的 1 吨：新鲜水果、精油、浓缩汁和脱水果皮。一般系统分为农业、预选、包装和工业. 所使用的大部分数据均来自当地来源，以确保具有代表性。对于影响评估，计算了水资源短缺、生态毒性、富营养化、酸化和人类毒性中点指标。

结果和讨论

分析表明，柠檬的年生产加工对水资源短缺的影响为1·10 ⁸ m ³世界当量。淡水生态毒性、淡水富营养化、淡水酸化和人类毒性（非癌症）的结果为 3.60·10 ⁶ CTUe、4.87·t P eq、5.92·10 ^-1  kg SO ₂ eq 和 2.05·10 ^-3 CTUh ， 分别。对于所有基于柠檬的产品，缺水指标在很大程度上取决于果园中的灌溉水。对于水降解，最有影响的过程是农用化学品的使用和生产。在所有情况下，农业阶段对成品的水足迹分布至关重要。

结论和建议

通过产品的水足迹特征确定为热点的过程如下：灌溉、使用和生产氮肥和杀虫剂（铜化合物、阿维菌素和草甘膦）、制造新鲜水果的包装材料和消耗天然气. 柠檬种植者和制造商应优先解决这些问题。作为阿根廷柠檬的第一个当地水足迹概况，这项工作有望作为基线，为公共和私人利益相关者提供柑橘行业的诊断和改进机会。