Greenhouse Gases Emission of Organic Car Wax Processing from Rice Bran Oil

Abstract

In this research, an analysis of the greenhouse gases (GHG) emission of the organic car wax processing from rice bran oil was experimented. By considering the life cycle of the car wax products, the extent of the GHG emissions (during the rice cultivation, rice milling and transportation, refinery of rice bran oil) was examined and studied. To do this, a functional unit (FU) of 100 grams of a car wax product was used. Accordingly, the emission of greenhouse gases from rice cultivation following a conventional cultivation method (i.e., with chemical fertilizer) was compared with rice cultivation with organic fertilizer. The results showed that the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, expressed in g CO₂ equivalents, were 20-21 kgCO₂-eq/FU for rice cultivation based on the conventional cultivation, whereas the extent of the greenhouse gas emission of the rice cultivation (with organic fertilizer) was found to be 21-22 kgCO₂-eq/FU, respectively. Furthermore, in this study the influence of the rice cultivation (with organic fertilizer and chemical fertilizer) on emission of GHG was discussed comparatively. The findings showed that a major share (i.e., more than 98%) of the GHG through rice cultivation was found in both systems. However, the extents of the energy consumption during the rice milling, refinery of rice bran oil, and car wax formulation and transportation were led to emission of a minor share of the GHG. Consequently, new cultivation technology should be employed (and highly recommended) in order to decrease the potential threats of the global warming associated with the car wax production.