Consequential Life Cycle Assessment of Cottonseed as a By- product of Cotton Fibre Production in India with Energy and Carbon Offset Evaluation

Aslesha Ravindranath Bhargava* and Selvadass M

Department of Fashion and Apparel Design, School of Professional Studies, Garden City University, Bengaluru, India

Corresponding author. Email: ashleshabhargav@gmail.com

Abstract:

Cotton is a major crop in India, and its production yields large volumes of cottonseed as a byproduct with considerable feed and energy potential; however, allocation bias in conventional attributional life cycle assessments (LCAs) often leads to systematic undervaluation of cottonseed. This work evaluates the energy and environmental impacts of cottonseed valorization in India using a consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) with system extension. One ton of seed cotton at the gin gate and one ton of processed cottonseed were the two functional units that were considered. Secondary Indian data was used to predict cotton cultivation, ginning, seed processing, and replacement pathways. Cottonseed oil for biodiesel production, hulls for biomass-based energy, and meal for soybean meal's protein equivalent were all assessed. According to the findings, cottonseed valorization can recover up to 10.5 GJ t⁻¹ of renewable energy and reduce the cradle-to-gate global warming potential of cotton production by 20–35%, allowing for a near or net-positive energy balance. The results show that cottonseed valorization is a practical technique to turn cotton into a multipurpose bioresource that will help India's circular bioeconomy.

Keywords:

Bioenergy potential; Carbon offset; Cottonseed valorisation; Consequential life cycle assessment; System expansion; Sustainable agriculture

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