Life cycle cost analysis of wastewater treatment technologies

Abstract

With the ever-increasing population, volumes of wastewater treatment are a major concern in our country. The Activated Sludge Process (ASP), Biological Filtration and Oxygenated Reactor (BIOFOR), Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB), and Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR) are all monetarily investigated in the present study using the Life Cycle Cost Assessment (LCCA) tool. In this study, life cycle costing is done using the present value method, which involves discounting the costs for a 20-year economic life. The costs of treating wastewater per million litres per day (MLD) of wastewater treatment technology are obtained from the literature. Moreover, this study takes into account the capital, annual operation, energy, salvage, and replacement costs to compare the life cycle costs of ASP, UASB, BIOFOR, and MBBR to make the best guess of an economical technology. The LCCA demonstrates that the MBBR has the highest costs of treatment, resulting in the highest Life Cycle Cost (LCC). BIOFOR has the largest energy requirement making LCC the second-highest among the technologies. In India, ASP is one of the most widely used technologies, whose LCC is the third most advanced of the four technologies. Because of its lower energy and operating costs, UASB has the lowest LCC.

Wastewater Quality Determines the Quantity of Offsite Sanitation Based on Downstream Standards

“…Calculate the total cost over the entire lifespan of the technology (Rathore et al, 2022). The cost involves the initial capital and operating costs and replacement or refurbishment costs over time.…”

“…Calculate the expected ROI by estimating the cost savings or revenue generation potential from using the technology (Rathore et al, 2022). Consider the payback period.…”

“…Perform a comprehensive lifecycle analysis to account for all costs, including externalities such as social and environmental impacts (Rathore et al, 2022).…”

“…Explore potential revenue sources (Rathore et al, 2022), such as the sale of treated water or by-products like biosolids, to offset operating and maintenance costs.…”

The Biofactory: Quantifying Life Cycle Sustainability Impacts of the Wastewater Circular Economy in Chile

“…All inventory inputs and outputs were normalized to the FU reference flow. LCC integrated capital investment, maintenance costs, operational costs and income with normalized LCA inventories [34]. The data were compiled from operational data, internal reports, and literature sources (Tables S4 and S5).…”