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

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. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.