Abstract
Economic and environmental impacts of different amounts of calcium soaps of linseed oil fatty acids (LOFA) supplementation on beef fattening systems were evaluated based on a life cycle assessment and a linear programming method. Optimization for 7 types of rations containing 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0% of LOFA at a dry matter basis were conducted using linear programming. The amounts of emitted pollutants and energy consumption from fossil fuel combustion and volatilization in feed preparation, feed transport, barn, animal, and composting were calculated through late fattening period. Environmental impacts of global warming, acidification, eutrophication, and energy consumption were estimated based on weighed amounts of emitted pollutants. Functional unit was 1 animal in the period analyzed. In ration optimization, the amount of concentrate was reduced with increasing levels of LOFA content. When 3.0% of LOFA were supplemented, the amount of reduction of concentrate was 1.6 times as much as of the added amount of LOFA. Feed costs were increased but environmental impacts for global warming, acidification, and eutrophication were reduced with increasing levels of LOFA content. Global warming potential was decreased by 8.9% with 3.0% addition of LOFA. Reduction of the environmental potentials was caused by decreases in methane emission from rumination and the amount of concentrate.
