EFFECT OF SOIL REMINERALIZATION ON THE CARBON BALANCE IN THE SUGARCANE LIFE CYCLE

Abstract

This study assessed the life cycle (LCA) of sugarcane agricultural production at the BP Bunge plant in Pedro Afonso - TO (2023/24 harvest), comparing conventional management (NPK fertilizer) with an alternative management using soil remineralization instead of soluble fertilizer. GHG emissions were estimated using IPCC/Ecoinvent factors and processed in OpenLCA software. Results show conventional management emitted 15% more CO₂eq than the alternative, with fuel consumption as the main impact source in both systems. Considering the remineralizer's carbon removal potential (0,234 t CO₂eq t⁻¹), the alternative management achieved a 46,8% net emission reduction per hectare. Scaled to the total cultivated area (35.000 ha), the removal potential could reach approximately 32.000 carbon credits per year. The findings indicate that soil remineralization is an effective greenhouse gas removal technology for mitigating sugarcane production emissions.