Corn growing is an important cultural and traditional system in the Iran that has considerable environmental impacts. This study was conducted to determine the environmental effects of corn production using life cycle assessment methodology. In the present study, the data have been collected from face-to-face interviews and completing a questionnaire among corn farmers in Ilam province of Iran, in 2021. The functional unit for analysis was defined as one ton of corn produced in the region. As a result, energy efficiency, energy productivity, net energy and specific energy were equal to 4.41, 0.20 kg MJ⁻¹, 675,379.84 MJ ha⁻¹ and 4.88 MJ kg⁻¹ respectively. Direct, indirect, renewable and non-renewable energies was 61.59, 38.41, 16.03 and 83.97%, respectively. In this study, the amount of global warming potential per ton of product produced is estimated to be 4747,505 kg CO₂ equivalent. After normalization and weighting, the highest environmental pollutants are related to the marine aquatic ecotoxicity index with 225,273 kg 1,4-dichlorobenzene equivalent and the lowest pollutants are related to the depletion of ozone layer 1,19 × 10^–5 kg CFC-11 equivalent. Result showed that chemical fertilizers and electricity led to the highest contaminating emissions.

Finding sustainable solutions for biofuel production from agricultural waste is crucial for reducing pollution and enhancing waste management. Agricultural residues—including crop waste, livestock manure and other organic materials—can be effectively converted into biofuels. Given the substantial volume of agricultural residues and their inadequate management in Iran, evaluating the potential for bioenergy production and determining the distribution of this renewable resource, is essential. This study assessed the bioenergy production potential from agricultural residues in Khuzestan Province, Iran. Data were collected from library resources and crop statistics for the agricultural year 2023–2024. The results indicated that the annual production of field and horticultural crops totaled 13,907,333.42 tons. The Theoretical Biomass Potential (TBP), Theoretical Energy Potential (TEP) and Available Energy Potential (AEP) were calculated as 5,496,297 tons, 92,283,088 GJ and 14,582,753 GJ, respectively. The potential electrical energy and power output from the total residues of the studied crops in a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system were estimated at 1,364,122 MWh and 194.8745769 MWh, respectively. Additionally, the thermal energy potential was found to be 1,562,555.5 MWh, with a power capacity of 223.22 MWh. Environmental analysis indicated that the Global Warming Potential (GWP) was estimated at 774,334.45 tons of CO₂-equivalent.

Pomegranate production in Siab (Lorestan), Iran, faces significant challenges related to high energy consumption and environmental degradation, particularly due to inefficient use of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, water and machinery. These inefficiencies contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions and higher production costs, making optimization efforts essential for sustainable development. This study investigated the optimization of energy consumption and the reduction of environmental impacts in pomegranate production using a combination of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Data were collected through interviews with farmers and agricultural experts in the region, supported by structured questionnaires. The research evaluated several energy indicators, including an energy ratio of 2.14, which indicates that every unit of energy input yields more than double in output—comparable to other fruit crops like apple or citrus, which typically range between 1.5 and 3.0. Energy productivity was found to be 1.12 kgMJ^-1, meaning 1.12 kilograms of pomegranate are produced per megajoule of energy consumed, while specific energy was calculated at 0.89 MJkg ⁻ ¹, showing relatively efficient energy use compared to similar horticultural crops. Net energy gain was 17,142.33 MJha ⁻ ¹, with total energy consumption at 15,211.04 MJha ⁻ ¹ and an energy output of 32,353.38 MJha ⁻ ¹. Economic analysis revealed a gross value of 9,081.64 USDha ⁻ ¹, fixed costs of 204.44 USDha ⁻ ¹, and gross revenue of 8,059.42 USDha ⁻ ¹, resulting in a benefit-to-cost ratio of 0.83. LCA results showed that optimized practices significantly reduced environmental impacts across most of the 15 intermediate environmental indicators analyzed. For instance, global warming potential was reduced from 40.563 kg CO₂ eq per ton of pomegranate under conventional methods to 35.975 kg CO₂ eq with optimized practices. DEA under the Variable Returns to Scale (VRS) model revealed that 66.68% of the surveyed orchards operated at 100% technical efficiency. The average technical efficiency across all units was estimated at 98.96%. The remaining 33.32% of orchards were identified as technically inefficient. Scale efficiency averaged at 99.39%, suggesting that most farms operate near optimal size.