Water footprint of drinking water: The consumptive and degradative use

Leão, Adriano Souza; Sipert, Samuel; Medeiros, Diego Lima; Cohim, Eduardo

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131731

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Water treatment using aluminum sulfate as a coagulating agent for industrial use is quite widespread among companies. If there is no adequate disposal for sludge generated from this process, the risk of contamination of nearby water sources is quite high [10]. The WTP analyzed does not have water source conservation programs, does not fully treat the sludge, and also does not have full control over the amount of waste generated.…”

Section: Life Cycle Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The improper disposal of these sludges into bodies of water can impact water quality by introducing aluminum residues and other components that may alter the chemical composition of the water, harming aquatic fauna and flora [10]. Additionally, the aluminum released into the water can be toxic to aquatic organisms, having adverse effects on the life cycles of different species and impacting aquatic biodiversity [4].…”

Section: Introduction 1industrial Water Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Water Treatment with Aluminum Sulfate and Tanin-Based Biocoagulant in an Oil Refinery: The Technical, Environmental, and Economic Performance

de Jesus,

Medeiros,

Esquerre

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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Water extracted from natural sources often requires treatment to meet the quality standards necessary for industrial use, involving physico-chemical processes such as coagulation, flocculation, and sedimentation. Inorganic coagulants, such as aluminum sulfate, are commonly used, although they generate a sludge with residual aluminum, classified as hazardous waste. Given this, biocoagulants, such as natural tannin-based polymers, have emerged as a promising alternative. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the environmental performance of water treatment and sludge disposal at an industrial water treatment plant (WTP) of an oil refinery located in Brazil using aluminum sulfate and biocoagulant. The WTP of this study is located in the state of Bahia, Brazil, and is supplied by a surface water body, the Paraguaçu River—Lago de Pedra do Cavalo—which comes from a semi-arid region, and a lake called Catu Korea. The environmental analysis was carried out using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method, using the methodological framework recommended in ISO 14044, followed by economic analysis and circular economy analysis. The inventory used in the analyses contains field data, company records, related literature, and ecoinvent database version 3.3. The impact assessment considered the ILCD 2011 Midpoint+ method package, the AWARE method, and the cumulative energy demand (CED) method in SimaPro 8.4 software. The comparative results showed the greatest impacts in the Energy Demand, Water Footprint, Eutrophication, and Land Use categories for the biocoagulant scenario, in contrast to the Human Toxicity, Acidification, Ecotoxicity, Particulate Matter, Carbon Footprint, and Abiotic Depletion categories for aluminum sulfate. The economic analysis showed that 65% of the operational costs for material and energy inputs in water treatment are due to the use of electricity, and the water pumping stage is the biggest contributor to this consumption. Even though the price of the biocoagulant was identified as eight times that of aluminum sulfate, the water treatment cost with the biocoagulant was 21% higher compared to that with aluminum sulphate. In this regard, circular economy propositions for sludge valorization are discussed for use, recycling, or proper disposal. Thus, the environmental and economic analysis in this study offers insights into eco-efficiency promotion in water treatment and sludge management.

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Section: Life Cycle Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction 1industrial Water Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Treatment with Aluminum Sulfate and Tanin-Based Biocoagulant in an Oil Refinery: The Technical, Environmental, and Economic Performance

de Jesus,

Medeiros,

Esquerre

et al. 2024

Sustainability

Self Cite

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“…The analysis of this cluster evidenced a strong focus on the environmental dimension, which is considered central to improving the overall sustainability of public services [75][76][77][78][79]. According to some scholars [80], the firms' level of internationalization positively and significantly impacts environmental sustainability, especially in developing countries; however, few studies have focused on social dimensions such as equity tariffs, security and constant distribution [81,82] or its integration with environmental issues [107].…”

Section: Practices For Sustainability: the Relevance Of The Circular ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

How Is the Utilities Sector Contributing to Building a Sustainable Future? A Systematic Literature Review of Sustainability Practices

D’Amore,

Testa,

Lepore

2023

Sustainability

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Utilities have a key role in the transition to a more economically and socially sustainable future. Driven by pressures from investors, regulators, government and society, companies across all sectors are setting bold ambitions for sustainability. However, they strongly depend on the utility industry meeting their own sustainability goals. Despite the relevance of their role, the determinants and obstacles to the adoption of sustainability practices by utility companies have been little investigated by scholars. This article aims to bridge this gap through a systematic literature review of 72 articles published from 1990 to 2023 in the accounting and management fields. After the analysis of bibliometric data and keywords used for science mapping, this study developed an in-depth review of the literature. Five different clusters, corresponding to the main research topics on which management and accounting literature has focused over the last 30 years, were identified. The results highlight that the expanding regulation and institutional pressures coming from governments, financial investors, consumers and society represent the primary factors that are driving utility companies toward sustainability. However, there are still several obstacles preventing utility companies from radically changing their business models, including the high costs associated with the technological and process innovations required. This study offers theoretical and practical contributions and policy implications. It contributes to systematizing literature on this topic, evidencing existing gaps and future research guidelines. It also outlines some managerial propositions that may be useful for practitioners, governments and policymakers.

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“… 1 Consumptive water use refers to the share of water that is removed from available supplies which does not return to a water resource system. The degradative use of water, instead, is regarded as the grey WF component, namely the freshwater that is needed to dilute a contaminant load based upon its concentration under natural conditions and environmental quality parameters [ 87 ]. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Water scarcity in agriculture: An overview of causes, impacts and approaches for reducing the risks

Ingrao,

Strippoli,

Lagioia

et al. 2023

Heliyon

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Water footprint of drinking water: The consumptive and degradative use

Cited by 9 publications

References 29 publications

Water Treatment with Aluminum Sulfate and Tanin-Based Biocoagulant in an Oil Refinery: The Technical, Environmental, and Economic Performance

Water Treatment with Aluminum Sulfate and Tanin-Based Biocoagulant in an Oil Refinery: The Technical, Environmental, and Economic Performance

How Is the Utilities Sector Contributing to Building a Sustainable Future? A Systematic Literature Review of Sustainability Practices

Water scarcity in agriculture: An overview of causes, impacts and approaches for reducing the risks

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