A new model to address Nitrogen related impacts in a life cycle perspective: the case of Sammontana SpA

The disruption of the nitrogen cycle by anthropogenic sources has become an increasingly serious threat in recent years. Various methodologies have been developed to evaluate the impact of human activities on the natural balance of nitrogen substances exchanged within the environment. One such methodology is the concept of Nitrogen Footprint, which refers to the total amount of reactive nitrogen released to the environment due to resource consumption, expressed in total units of reactive nitrogen. A research group at the University of Padova has developed a model that integrates the current definition of nitrogen footprint in the literature with an identification of the environmental impacts related to the nitrogen cycle for a product system following a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. The application of the method also allows the quantification of the contribution of different processes and activities in their life cycle. The focus of this thesis work is on a case study in which the proposed method is applied. The method proposed assesses the impact of four products from Sammontana S.p.A., one of the leading firms in the Italian industry of ice cream and pastry products. The proposed method has been successfully tested in evaluating the impacts related to the nitrogen cycle alteration generated by the product systems in their life cycles, identifying critical issues, and assessing associated risks and opportunities. A comparison has also been carried out with results obtained from Sammontana's Carbon Footprint analysis developed on these products