Driving sustainability in the sugarcane industry: Life Cycle Assessment of conventional and emerging spraying...

Sugarcane dominates global sugar and bioethanol production, involving extensive cultivation and supply chain activities. The sugarcane development encounters challenges, such as climate change, diseases, pests, and water scarcity, affecting growth and yields. Sugarcane management often involves the use of pesticides, which risk soil and water contamination. It also leads to biodiversity loss, high water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy consumption. This study conducted a life cycle assessment to compare the environmental impacts of cropdusters and drones in ripener application for sugarcane farming. The life cycle assessment enables informed decisions on sustainable practices by providing a holistic view of environmental impacts, facilitating comparisons, and identifies hotspots. The analysis examined the impacts of machinery, ripener compounds, and spraying operations. It explored using sugarcane waste (bagasse) as bioenergy for drone batteries or cropdusters. Results show that drones minimize environmental impacts by 11,557 kgCO₂eq, 128,079 MJ, and 103 m³ for 40 ha farm compared to using cropdusters. Also, bagasse from a 40-ha farm can generate 1.93E+09 Wh of bioenergy, enough to charge drone batteries for spraying over approximately 4.9 million ha or to fuel cropdusters for 0.04 million ha of sugarcane. Conclusively, emerging technologies help to reduce environmental impacts and align with sustainable development goals, SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). These goals promote renewable energy, enhance agricultural efficiency, and ensure sustainable resource management, fostering a global transition to sustainable practices.