(587b) Aspects of Sustainable Production of Palm Oil in the Municipality of Teapa in Tabasco, Mexico: Evaluating the Current and Future Use of Palm Oil

Palm has been considered an advantageous food and bioenergy crop, due to its high fruit yields and the fruit bunches’ high oil content, approximately 40% by mass. Currently in the municipality of Teapa in the state of Tabasco, Mexico several palm plantations exist and are being expanded to accommodate the growing demand for vegetable oil markets and potential biodiesel market. This study site evaluates several different aspects of sustainability when considering palm as a feedstock as a food crop along with the future use of producing palm biodiesel. Social, economic and environmental indicators were used to evaluate the multidimensional understanding of sustainability. 55 palm plantations were evaluated and the data aggregated to evaluate the overall sustainability of palm cultivation. Data such as soil C, wild pollinator count, fertilizers and insecticides use, palm fruit yield, etc., were collected from a questionnaire of local plantation owners along with measurements from field ecologists. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to evaluate overall greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and releases and air quality of the current production of edible palm oil along with the future use of palm as a renewable energy feedstock. The LCA includes direct soil C land use change, land preparation and plantation, fruit harvest and transportation and oil extraction when evaluating the current use of palm oil. When looking to future use, the LCA includes processing of the palm oil into biodiesel and final combustion within vehicles. Socioeconomic conditions were evaluated within the state of Tabasco to look at social and economic impacts of expanded palm production for palm oil and/or palm biodiesel. Indicators such as working conditions, income, and employment were evaluated within the current use of the palm oil and were extrapolated to evaluate future production of palm biodiesel. This study takes a multidimensional approach to sustainability and recommends best practices for the continued expansion of palm oil and/or palm biodiesel production.