Environmental Impact Assessment With Life Cycle Analysis in Meat Integrated Plant and Improving Sustainability

In this thesis study, the environmental impacts of a meat integrated facility located in Afyonkarahisar Organized Industrial Zone within the scope of fermented sausage production were evaluated and the sustainability of the facility was improved. The functional unit for the life cycle analysis (LCA) was 1 pieces of sausage (0,5 kg) produced. Transportation of the live cattle from the livestock producer with diesel fueled vehicles, production stages, packaging and market distribution processes are inside the system boundary. In the study, the impact categories which included abiotic depletion potential (ADP), abiotic depletion potential-fossil fuels (ADP-fuels), global warming potential (GWP), ozone layer depletion potential (ODP), human toxicity potential (HTP), ecotoxicity potential to freshwater organisms (FAETP), ecotoxicity potential to marine organisms (MAETP), ecotoxicity potential to terrestrial organisms (TETP), photochemical oxidant formation potential (PhOP), acidification potential (AP) and eutrophication potential (EP) were evaluated using by SimaPro software and CML-IA method. In 10 of the 11 categories, the raw material stage with the highest contribution and entering the animal at this stage was created. Only the factor that caused the highest contribution in the ATP-fossil impact category was different, and the cooling process carried out 24/7 using grid electricity was effective in this. To reduce environmental impacts, 5 energy scenarios (geothermal energy, wind energy, solar energy, biogas energy and photovoltaic solar panels) and 2 transfer scenarios (Euro-6 vehicle type and rail transportation) were created and compared with the current situation. As a result of the study, it was seen that geothermal energy is a good alternative because it is a local energy source. Modeling results have revealed the importance of investing in rail transportation as an alternative to road transportation. When all factors are evaluated together, it is thought that sustainability will be improved by using geothermal energy in the existing facility, while environmental impacts will be reduced by using the Euro-6 transfer vehicle, which has lower environmental emissions.