A life cycle approach to environmental assessment of wastewater and sludge treatment processes

Patel, Kulvendra; Singh, Santosh Kumar

doi:10.1111/wej.12774

Cited by 23 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…However, it is against the efect of power. Te reason for this diference was the self-consumption of electric energy in the southern Tehran refnery, which has a reduced efect on the environment [35,36].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact Evaluation of Wastewater Treatment Based on the Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge Using the Life Cycle Assessment Method

Rahmati,

Rasouli,

Haji Agha Alizadeh

et al. 2024

International Journal of Chemical Engineering

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All the inputs and outputs of a technical system can be interpreted from an environmental point of view. Using the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, some changes that are less harmful to the environment can be included in the system. This research aims to evaluate the environmental effects of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in South Tehran, and the LCA method was used in this study. Based on the data of qualitative parameters obtained from the measurement of Tehran province’s water and sewage company, the environmental emissions were calculated and analyzed using SimaPro software (9.0.0) and the standards defined under the ReCiPe 2016-midpoint method. In the ReCiPe 2016 method, the results were expressed in two intermediate levels (including three classes of influence) and final (including 18). The results showed that the treated wastewater and chlorine factors had the most adverse environmental effects. Among the 18 effect classes, the treated wastewater in the class of marine environmental toxicity with the amount of 101.1531 kg 1,4-DCB had the most environmental impacts among other classes. The power consumed by the biogas-burning combined heat and power (CHP) unit in the wastewater treatment (WWT) process reduced the environmental effects in most impact classes. The most adverse environmental effects of the WWT process are related to damage to human health and the ecosystem. According to the findings, the use of CHP systems is suggested for energy saving and also for reducing harmful effects on the environment.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact Evaluation of Wastewater Treatment Based on the Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge Using the Life Cycle Assessment Method

Rahmati,

Rasouli,

Haji Agha Alizadeh

et al. 2024

International Journal of Chemical Engineering

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“…Life Cycle Assessment has several applications and makes it possible to compare products with the same function, compare the environmental impact of a product with a referenced standard, identify the process that results in the greatest environmental impact over the life cycle of a system or a product, design new production processes or new products in general, and evaluate different scenario comparisons and thus, is a planning support tool for decision-makers or stakeholders [2].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wastewater treatment plants can play an important role within this pathway, as they are energy-intensive systems, thus leading to significant environmental impacts [2]. Suffice it to say that about 4% of global energy is used to treat, pump, and distribute water [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Cycle Assessment Methodology Applied to a Wastewater Treatment Plant

Viotti,

Tatti,

Bongirolami

et al. 2024

Water

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Wastewater treatment plants are highly energy-intensive systems. This research uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to determine the impacts generated during the operation of a wastewater treatment plant. Three different scenarios are analyzed: a baseline scenario that considers a conventional activated sludge treatment technology exploiting data from an existing plant located in central Italy, a second scenario that involves the implementation of MBR technology applied to the baseline scenario, and finally a third scenario that consists of the addition of an anaerobic digester that allows energy recovery from biogas production, followed by a photovoltaic plant capable of supplying the plant energy demand. Global warming potential, eutrophication, and acidification are the environmental categories considered most relevant to emissions. The results showed that the effluent had the highest impact in terms of CO2 equivalent in all three situations due to the presence of N2O. Since emissions from biological processes, transportation, and wastewater are almost similar in all three scenarios, it is preferable to focus on the environmental impacts associated with energy consumption. The third scenario involves careful resource management and the use of treatment technologies that allow for a reduction in the use of nonrenewable energy sources in favor of renewable ones.

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“…Various methods are designed for translating the life cycle inventory flows into environmental impact categories [52][53][54][55][56]. Because each method has specific characterization factors, the end results may vary based on the method selected [57].…”

Section: Life Cycle Impact Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lifecycle Assessment of Two Urban Water Treatment Plants of Pakistan

Jamil,

Pervez,

Sarwar

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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Water treatment technologies are striving to retain their ecological and economic viability despite the rising demand, conventional infrastructure, financial constraints, fluctuating climatic patterns, and highly stringent regulations. This study evaluates the lifecycle environmental impact of urban water treatment systems within the two densely populated South Asian municipalities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The scope of this study includes a process-based Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the entire water treatment system, particularly the resources and materials consumed during the operation of the treatment plant. The individual and cumulative environmental impact was assessed based on the treatment system data and an in-depth lifecycle inventory analysis. Other than the direct emissions to the environment, the electricity used for service and distribution pumping, coagulant use for floc formation, chlorine gas used for disinfection, and caustic soda used for pH stabilization were the processes identified as the most significant sources of emissions to air and water. The water distribution consumed up to 98% of energy resources. The highest global warming impacts (from 0.3 to 0.6 kg CO2 eq./m3) were assessed as being from the coagulation and distribution processes due to extensive electricity consumption. Direct discharge of the wash and wastewater to the open environment contributed approximately 0.08% of kg-N and 0.002% of kg-P to the eutrophication potential. The outcome of this study resulted in a thorough lifecycle inventory development, including possible alternatives to enhance system sustainability. A definite gap was identified in intermittent sampling at the treatment systems. However, more stringent sampling including the emissions to air can provide a better sustainability score for each unit process.

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A life cycle approach to environmental assessment of wastewater and sludge treatment processes

Cited by 23 publications

References 50 publications

Impact Evaluation of Wastewater Treatment Based on the Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge Using the Life Cycle Assessment Method

Impact Evaluation of Wastewater Treatment Based on the Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge Using the Life Cycle Assessment Method

Life Cycle Assessment Methodology Applied to a Wastewater Treatment Plant

Lifecycle Assessment of Two Urban Water Treatment Plants of Pakistan

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