Análise de ecoeficiência do consumo de água e energia na indústria de laticínios no licenciamento ambiental no estado da Bahia

Abstract

The dairy industry is an example of a system characterized by the association of different production systems: agriculture, livestock, dairy, industrial transformation and product distribution. Dairy products are the food group that includes milk, as well as its processed byproducts, having as main inputs, water and energy. These inputs are essential in the production processes of the dairy industry, as well as the assessment of eco-efficiency through the quantities of water and energy consumed. For this purpose, data from 23 dairy products registered at INEMA from 2006 to 2012 were used, and the average water consumption coefficient of 3.15 LL of processed milk and average effluent generation coefficient of 3.17 LL processed milk. Regarding the energy consumed indicator, the available data were unsatisfactory due to lack of data, which made it impossible to obtain reliable results on consumption. It was concluded that the dairy products licensed in the state of Bahia are less efficient in the use of water and energy inputs in relation to the national industry, as it is in relation to the international industry (benckmarking). It is pointed out that this type of approach is not yet an initiative of the Environmental Agency and that the concept of eco-efficiency is not incorporated in the analyzes of environmental licensing in Brazil.