Energy Use and Carbon Emissions of Dried Apricot Production in Türkiye

This study examines the energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of dried apricot production in T & uuml;rkiye. Using data collected from 285 dried apricot producers during the 2019-2020 production season, energy inputs and outputs, net energy, and carbon emissions were analyzed. The findings show that the energy output is 16,103.4 MJ ha(-)1, and dried apricots account for 86.8% of the energy output with an energy value of 13,972.1 MJ ha(-)1, while the apricot kernels obtained as a by-product have an energy value of 2131.3 MJ ha(-)1 and account for 13.2%. The Energy Use Efficiency (EUE) of dried apricot production was calculated as 0.63. For dried apricot production, 1 MJ of energy consumption corresponds to 0.63 MJ of energy, indicating a relatively high energy input compared to the output. The primary energy inputs required for production are electricity (59.62%) and manpower (12.38%). In dried apricot production, non-renewable energy (NRE) (86.54%) energy inputs are significantly higher than renewable energy (RE) (13.45%). Total greenhouse gas emissions from dried apricot production were determined to be 3034.2 kg CO2-eq ha(-)1. Energy-efficient technologies must be used in dried apricot production.