Exploring the Environmental and Economic Performance of Fluorinated Intermediates in Pesticide Manufacturing: Life Cycle Assessment Perspective

Abstract

Fluorinated intermediates have become critical components in modern pesticide manufacturing, with fluorinated varieties accounting for more than half of recent pesticide approvals amid 70% global consumption growth. However, systematic quantification of the environmental impacts and economic costs of fluorinated intermediate production remains critically lacking, hindering sustainable chemical manufacturing transitions. An integrated environmental–economic life cycle assessment framework was established using localized Chinese parameters. Three key fluorinated intermediates (C7H7F, C7H5F3O, KFSI), were analyzed. Results showed freshwater ecotoxicity (65.1%–85.9%) and fossil resource depletion (11.6%–26.1%) as predominant burdens, dominated by raw material preparation processes: aniline preparation for C7H7F (90.3%), dimethyl sulfate preparation for C7H5F3O (56.5%), and thionyl chloride preparation for KFSI (61.9%). The economic findings revealed the external costs exceeded the internal production costs by factors of 4.5–10.7, with steam preparation processes controlling the economic burdens for C7H5F3O (47.0%) and KFSI (34%). Environmental–economic integration revealed high coupling in C6H7N synthesis (89.4% environmental impacts, 38.7% economic costs), enabling synergistic optimization requiring only 5.08%–5.97% feedstock reduction. Future scenario analyses revealed complex tradeoffs: electricity decarbonization reduced fossil fuel impacts (8.5%–16.8%) while intensifying freshwater ecotoxicity, and coal–to–gas substitution decreased resource depletion costs by 1902.0–1547.6 $/t but increased internal production costs by 778.2–1655.9 $/t. This study established first systematic LCA database for fluorinated intermediate production in China, demonstrating that sustainable fluorochemical manufacturing requires systematic tradeoffs among clean energy alternatives, technological readiness, and life–cycle environmental benefits, providing scientific foundations for circular economy frameworks and coordinated supply chain management.