Life cycle assessment of diuron from cradle to grave: case study in agave farm

Abstract

Diuron is a herbicide commonly used in agriculture to control and kill pre-emergent weeds. Extensive use of the chemical nonetheless harms the environment and human health. This research thus investigates the cradle-to-grave environmental impacts and risks to human health and ecosystem of diuron production, consumption, and disposal using life cycle assessment. The research focused on five production schemes (schemes A–E) of varying origins of raw materials and countries. Simapro 8.5 was used to simulate the environmental impacts (midpoint impacts) and risks to human health and ecosystem (endpoint impacts). The results revealed a positive correlation between overall environmental impact and transportation distance, rendering scheme C the most environmentally-friendly option due to the shortest transportation distance. Likewise, the endpoint-impact results indicated scheme C as the most favorable scheme, given the lowest overall human health risk and ecosystem damage.