Life Cycle Analysis for Agricultural Residues and Related Products

Agricultural residues represent an abundant and underutilized resource that can be redirected from disposal pathways toward value-added applications such as composting, mulching, bioenergy, land amendment, and bioplastics. This chapter examines these pathways through the perspective of life cycle assessment (LCA), highlighting how agricultural residues can contribute to waste reduction, soil improvement, greenhouse gas mitigation, and circular resource use. Across the reviewed case studies, environmental outcomes are shown to depend not only on the residue itself, but also on the selected conversion pathway, management practice, system boundary, and local implementation context. Composting and mulching can reduce environmental burdens, although benefits remain sensitive to process modifications, additive use, and field conditions. Energy recovery from residues can offer substantial gains when carbon-intensive reference systems are displaced, but performance varies with logistics and conversion efficiency. Land application may improve soil quality and carbon retention while also shifting greenhouse gas fluxes depending on amendment type and site conditions. Likewise, residue-derived bioplastics can lower impacts relative to fossil-based plastics under favorable feedstock and end-of-life scenarios, but these benefits are not universal. Overall, the chapter shows that LCA is a valuable tool for comparing residue management options while also emphasizing the need for integrated assessment frameworks that account for environmental, technical, and implementation-related factors when selecting sustainable valorization strategies.