Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publications
Campus Units
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Biorenewable Resources and Technology, Environmental Science, Sustainable Agriculture, Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites, Center for Crops Utilization Research
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
7-2019
Journal or Book Title
Agricultural Engineering International: CIGR journal
Volume
21
Issue
2
First Page
135
Last Page
142
Research Focus Area(s)
Biological and Process Engineering and Technology
Abstract
Maize is the most widely cultivated cereal crop worldwide, currently ranked the third most important crop globally after wheat and rice. It is a key staple food in many developing countries. However, maize is produced on a seasonal basis, usually harvest once per year. To maintain a constant supply throughout the year, maize should be properly stored. But this may entail high cost and high-energy consumption, which can contribute significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, three storage capacities (25,000 bu, 250,000 bu and 2,500,000 bu) of maize were evaluated for economic analysis and environmental impact. The results show that the total storage cost per bushel decreased as storage capacity increased (3.68$/bu, 1.89$/bu, and 0.40$/bu). Likewise, energy consumption (electricity, diesel and liquid propane) increased as storage capacity increased. Consequently, more greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4, and NOX) were emitted to the environment as storage scale increased. Thus, to obtain an optimal balance between economics and the environment, it is important for small and middle-sized farms to understand the concepts of techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA).
Access
Open
Copyright Owner
The Authors
Copyright Date
2019
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Suleiman, Rashid and Rosentrater, Kurt A., "Techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of maize storage for small and middle sized farmers" (2019). Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publications. 1049.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/abe_eng_pubs/1049
Included in
Agricultural Economics Commons, Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons, Food Science Commons, Sustainability Commons
Comments
This article is published as Suleiman, Rashid and Kurt A. Rosentrater and "Techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of maize storage for small and middle sized farmers." Agricultural Engineering International: CIGR Journal 21, no. 2 (2019): 135-142. Posted with permission.