Environmental Impacts of Sugar Production

Pressure from conservationists and increasing regulation, means that environmental considerations are increasingly important for the sugar industry. This book examines the environmental impacts of the sugar industry in relation to the cultivation of sugar crops (cane and beet) and the processing of the raw materials that they yield. These include soil erosion, loss of natural habits leading to a reduction in biodiversity, excessive water consumption, water and air pollution, and runoff and leaching of nutrients. Whilst some of these impacts are essentially generic impacts of agriculture, others, such as those relating to irrigation, are more specific to the cultivation of sugar crops. The book also investigates the utilization of waste materials from sugar production, and explores methods of reducing the environmental impacts of sugar production and processing.