Comparative Environmental Impact Assessment of Copper-Based Nanopesticides and Conventional Pesticides

To evaluate the environmental implications of nanopesticides (NPs) relative to conventional pesticides, we selected CuO NPs and conventional CuSO4 for tomato disease control as a case study and used life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate their environmental impacts. Data obtained from the Ecoinvent database and laboratory experiments (i.e., synthesis and characterization of CuO NPs) were processed by a theoretical scale-up framework to determine the collateral environmental impacts at an industrial production scale. The results were compared on the basis of mass (per unit mass) and antimicrobial performance (per unit efficacy), showing that CuO NPs exhibited over a 10-fold efficiency improvement than conventional CuSO4. Particularly, CuO NPs had obvious advantages in renewable energy (reduced 64.7%), human health (reduced 69.6%), ecosystem quality (reduced 53.2%), and overall environmental performance (reduced 67.8%) under per unit efficacy, compared to conventional CuSO4 pesticides. Additionally, ethanol, ethylene, and copper anode were found to be significant contributors to environmental impacts in the process of producing CuO NPs. Our work provides a holistic comparative assessment between nano- and conventional pesticides, which sheds light on the promising environmental potential of nanopesticides and contributes to agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability.