Carbon Footprint-Energy Detection for Desalination Small Plant Adaptation Response

Abstract

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) system, which can be used as a decision support tool for managing environmental sustainability, includes carbon footprint assessment as one of the available methodologies. In this study, a carbon footprint assessment was used to investigate seawater production systems of a desalination plant in Senok, Kelantan, Malaysia. Three stages of the desalination plant processing system were investigated and the inventory database was developed using the relevant model framework. Subsequently, measurements and interpretations were performed on several key indicators such as greenhouse gases, energy efficiency, acidic gases, smog, and toxic gases. Overall, the results of the study indicate that the Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology that is used in the desalination plant in the study area is one of the best options to meet the demands of the environmental sustainability agenda (SDGs). This is due to the lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, of about 3.5 × 10−2 kg of CO2 eq per m3/year, that was recorded for the entire operation of the system. However, several factors that influence important errors in carbon footprint decisions, such as the lack of EIA reporting data and the literature on carbon footprint in the Malaysian scenario, in addition to direct and indirect carbon input calculations, need to be identified in more detail in future research.

Investigation of Carbon Footprints of Three Desalination Technologies: Reverse Osmosis (RO), Multi-Stage Flash Distillation (MSF) and Multi-Effect Distillation (MED)

“…Indicators such as those based on Carbon Footprints provide decision-makers with a means of identifying hot spots of emissions and determining the best way to reduce those emissions. As a result, these Carbon Footprint indicators can be used to drive sustainable desalination projects [26].…”

Assessment Methodology for Calculating Environmental Indicators in the Production of Metal Parts based on the Wire and Arc Manufacturing Method (WAAM)

“…Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a management tool created to compute inputs and outputs of a production system, with the aim of evaluating the environmental performance of products during the various stages of their life cycle. LCA is used to identify which of these life cycle paths are most impactful on the environment and evaluates the cost of changes and the corresponding impact of changes in a computational simulation environment [1][2][3][4][5]. LCA is an internationally recognized methodology for modeling production systems.…”