Life cycle assessment for the upgrade of a wastewater treatment plant from secondary to tertiary treatment

Abstract

A life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied in a recent project of upgrading Tazmant wastewater treatment plant in Egypt from secondary to tertiary treatment, taking into the consideration construction phase of the project as well as operation phase of the tertiary treatment. The LCA studies were carried out using CML 2001 impact assessment methodology. It was revealed that the upgrading of Tazmant wastewater treatment plant reduces the environmental impact by 43% from the acidification potential, 60% from the eutrophication potential, 62.5% the ozone layer depletion potential, 42% of abiotic depletion elements point, and 62.5% of photochemical ozone creation potential viewpoints. In addition, the effect of toxicity potential resulting from the operation of tertiary treatment alone amounts to only 20% of that resulting from secondary treatment, which reflects the positive environmental impact of wastewater recycling in addition to the water-saving gained from water reuse.