Life cycle assessment of iron ore in Brazil: The importance of system boundaries

This study adopts life cycle analysis tools to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Brazil's iron ore sector. It is based on the assumption that when commodities are extracted strictly for export, ignoring the impacts of logistics might undervalue these products’ contribution to climate change. Therefore, we calculate the emissions associated with land use change, mining, ore processing, pelletisation, land transport, and international shipping. Iron ore is used as the case study because it is the most traded metal in the global market. This research is grounded in secondary data obtained from public databases of Brazilian agencies for the 2016–2020 period. When reliable information is unavailable, the Ecoinvent database is used and adjusted for the Brazilian context. This study evaluates the emissions of one tonne of iron ore and pellets. Estimates indicate that deforestation/land use, mining and processing, domestic transport, pellet production, and international shipping represent 9 %, 38 %, 11 %, 13 %, and 29 % of the GHG emissions of Brazil's iron ore sector, respectively.