An environmental impact assessment of the management of cassava waste: a case study in Thailand

In Thailand, cassava waste is one of the main biomass residues and has the potential to be used   as a biomass fuel. However, currently most cassava waste in Thailand is left in agricultural fields or burnt on site and is not utilised for any energy-related purposes.  This research investigates the environmental impacts associated with three cassava waste management practices including (i)- ploughing the waste to the soil (ii)-burning the waste in the field (iii)- collecting and using the waste in cassava-based bioethanol plant. The environmental impact assessment and material flow analysis associated with these management practices were conducted using the Global Emissions Model for Integrated Systems (GEMIS) package [1]. The outcomes of this study reveal that the CO2 emissions associated with these waste management practices are about 0.195, 0.243 and 0.361 kg CO2-eq/kg of as received (wet) cassava waste, respectively. Compared to other cassava waste disposal methods such as ploughing and burning, cassava waste collection would result in the biggest environmental impact, emitting nearly 85% more GHGs than ploughing and 48% more than burning. Keywords: Cassava waste, environmental impact, Thailand,