Modeling Crop Rotations and Co-Products in Agricultural Life Cycle Assessments

Gerhard Brankatschk provides solutions for methodological limitations of agricultural Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs). The author solves challenges of attributing multifunctionality (co-products) and temporal system boundaries (crop rotations) of agricultural systems by establishing two new Life Cycle Inventory methodologies, which conform to ISO-standards on LCA. The new methods help to assess temporal, spatial, and multifunctional complexity of agricultural systems and to improve the reliability of life cycle based sustainability assessments of agriculture.

Gerhard Brankatschk holds a doctoral degree from Technische Universität Berlin, Germany, and is an engineer for land use and water resource management.