Sustainability assessment of sludge and biogas management in wastewater treatment plants using the LCA technique

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors (UASBs) used in sewage treatment generate two useful byproducts: sludge and biogas. This study evaluated the sustainability of four different scenarios for the treatment and final destination of biological sludge and biogas in a medium-sized wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in South Brazil. At this plant, the sludge is sanitized by Prolonged Alkaline Stabilization and applied to agriculture (base scenario). Scenario 1 is about biogas use to dry sludge, which is taken to be used in agriculture. In Scenarios 2 and 3 the heat of the sludge burning is used for drying and sanitation. Finally, in Scenario 3 the ashes are destined to landfills. An environmental impact assessment was performed through life-cycle assessment using the ReCiPe 2016 evaluation method. Social life-cycle assessment indicators, adapted and developed for WWTPs, were used for social assessment. Economic assessment was performed through the analysis of life-cycle costs. The dashboard of sustainability (DoS) method was used for global assessment of sustainability. For overall sustainability assessment, Scenario 1 had the highest score (678 points) (best scenario) in the DoS. The environmental dimension was what facilitated this scenario. For this dimension, the following indicators presented the highest points when compared to the other scenarios: soil acidification, ozone formation, terrestrial ecosystem. The base scenario had the lowest score (worst case scenario) (375 points).

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Environmental performance of a full-scale wastewater treatment plant applying Life Cycle Assessment

Ambiente e Agua - An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Science ◽

10.4136/ambi-agua.2216 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Thaís Andrade de Sampaio Lopes ◽

Luciano Matos Queiroz ◽

Asher Kiperstok

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Full Scale ◽

Anaerobic Sludge ◽

Treated Effluent ◽

Useful Life

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was applied to estimate and analyze the environmental impacts from the construction and operation phases of a full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) located in the municipality of Lauro de Freitas, Bahia, Brazil. The WWTP process consists of the association of an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor followed by four constructed wetlands (CWL) and a disinfection step. The functional unit was defined as one cubic meter of treated effluent during the useful life of this WWTP (20 years). The LCA was carried out using SimaPro® software and the Centre of Environmental Science (CML) assessment method. The environmental impacts during construction phase were mainly from the wooden forms for concrete and the use of reinforcing steel. During the operation phase, the chlorine used as effluent disinfectant caused the greatest impacts in the abiotic depletion and acidification categories. Macronutrient concentrations present in the treated effluent and the methane generated also caused significant environmental impacts during the WWTP’s useful life. The results obtained highlight the importance of the application of a methodology like LCA to assist in decision-making with regard to the implementation, construction and operation of a WWTP.

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Social life cycle assessment of an innovative industrial wastewater treatment plant

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment ◽

10.1007/s11367-021-01942-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Monica Serreli ◽

Luigia Petti ◽

Andrea Raggi ◽

Alberto Simboli ◽

Guglielmo Iuliano

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Value Chain ◽

Social Life ◽

Industrial Wastewater ◽

Local Community ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Social Life Cycle Assessment ◽

The Social

Abstract Background The social impacts generated by industrial waste treatment processes have not been studied enough, as shown in the literature. Social life cycle assessment studies have mainly focused on the assessment of products and less on industrial waste, especially wastewater, although potentially relevant from an environmental point of view, and also from a social one for various stakeholders. Purpose This case study concerns the social assessment of an innovative technology to treat the wastewater of a microelectronics company. In order to produce electronic components and semiconductors, the company has to treat and dispose of relevant wastewater streams containing various toxic substances. The wastewater streams need to be treated in order to protect the eco-system, representing a high cost for the company and a potential impact on the environment. For this reason, the company developed a LIFE project to demonstrate the viability to decrease the burdens on water bodies. The positive outcome of the test on the pilot plant paved the way for the construction of the full-scale plant that will treat all the wastewater generated by the company. The objective of this paper is the socio-economic assessment of a full-scale plant designed to treat three different kinds of wastewater. Methods The assessment of socio-economic potential impacts of a new technology has been carried out through the PSILCA (Product Social Impact Life Cycle Assessment) database implementation to evaluate 65 social indicators of a wastewater treatment plant. Results The line with the highest impact is the one which treats tetramethylammonium hydroxide; this is because this wastewater flow is the most abundant (14 and 43 times greater than the other wastewaters, respectively). The most affected stakeholder is the Local Community, followed by the Actors of the Value Chain; in fact, the results referred to the functional unit considered exceed 300,000 medium risk hours in both cases. For the Local Community this result arises from the indicator “Contribution to environmental load,” which is understandable considering the object of the study since this indicator includes health effects. As far as the Value Chain Actors stakeholder is concerned, the two indicators most impacted are “Corruption” and “Social responsibility along the supply chain”. The analysis conducted has also shown that upstream has a fundamental relevance for the social risks detected. Conclusions Considering the current lack of studies on both environmental and social impacts of wastewater treatment, and the fact that Social Life Cycle Assessment has not been widely used in this field, as emerged from literature review, this work is the first use of the PSILCA database to assess an industrial wastewater plant. The use of a social life cycle assessment database allows the value chain of a product system to be considered: the results show that most of the overall social risk derives from upstream sectors.

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Sustainability Assessment with Integrated Circular Economy Principles: A Toy Case Study

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13073856 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 3856

Author(s):

Rebeka Kovačič Lukman ◽

Vasja Omahne ◽

Damjan Krajnc

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Social Life ◽

Product Life Cycle ◽

Sustainability Assessment ◽

Social Impacts ◽

Life Cycle Costing ◽

Social Life Cycle Assessment

When considering the sustainability of production processes, research studies usually emphasise environmental impacts and do not adequately address economic and social impacts. Toy production is no exception when it comes to assessing sustainability. Previous research on toys has focused solely on assessing environmental aspects and neglected social and economic aspects. This paper presents a sustainability assessment of a toy using environmental life cycle assessment, life cycle costing, and social life cycle assessment. We conducted an inventory analysis and sustainability impact assessment of the toy to identify the hotspots of the system. The main environmental impacts are eutrophication, followed by terrestrial eco-toxicity, acidification, and global warming. The life cycle costing approach examined the economic aspect of the proposed design options for toys, while the social assessment of the alternative designs revealed social impacts along the product life cycle. In addition, different options based on the principles of the circular economy were analysed and proposed in terms of substitution of materials and shortening of transport distances for the toy studied.

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Life Cycle Assessment of Urban Wastewater Treatment

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.535.346 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 535 ◽

pp. 346-349

Author(s):

Mei Wang ◽

Ming Yang ◽

Jun Liu ◽

Jian Fen Li

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽

Sewage Treatment ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Urban Wastewater ◽

Urban Sewage ◽

Urban Wastewater Treatment ◽

Whole Life Cycle

Effect and benefits of a product or service could be analyzed and evaluated by life cycle assessment during the whole life cycle. Urban sewage treatment plants could improve and control urban water pollution escalating, but it also had certain harm to environment. Effect and benefits of urban wastewater treatment plant A and B were analyzed and evaluated, 13 factors were selected, and comprehensive benefits were researched quantificationally using the method of analytic hierarchy process. It found that urban wastewater treatment plant A who applied A/O process had better benefits than urban wastewater treatment plant B who applied BIOLAK process.

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Use of life cycle assessment to evaluate environmental impacts associated with the management of sludge and biogas

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2018.146 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 77 (9) ◽

pp. 2292-2300 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Karina Cubas do Amaral ◽

Miguel Mansur Aisse ◽

Gustavo Rafael Collere Possetti ◽

Marcelo Real Prado

Keyword(s):

Global Warming ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Sewage Treatment ◽

Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket ◽

Anaerobic Sludge ◽

Baseline Scenario ◽

Low Efficiency ◽

By Products

Abstract Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors used in sewage treatment generate two by-products that can be reused: sludge and biogas. At the present time in Brazil, most of this resulting sludge is disposed of in sanitary landfills, while biogas is commonly burned off in low-efficiency flares. The aim of the present study was to use life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impacts from four different treatment and final destination scenarios for the main by-products of wastewater treatment plants. The baseline scenario, in which the sludge was sanitized using prolonged alkaline stabilization and, subsequently, directed toward agricultural applications and the biogas destroyed in open burners, had the most impact in the categories of global warming, terrestrial ecotoxicity, and human non-carcinogenic toxicity. The scenario in which heat resulting from biogas combustion is used to dry the sludge showed significant improvements over the baseline scenario in all the evaluated impact categories. The recovery of heat from biogas combustion decreased significantly the environmental impact associated with global warming. The combustion of dried sludge is another alternative to improve the sludge management. Despite the reduction of sludge volume to ash, there are environmental impacts inherent to ozone formation and terrestrial acidification.

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Evaluation of a domestic wastewater treatment plant at an intermediate city in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Water Practice & Technology ◽

10.2166/wpt.2019.071 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 908-920 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Oliver Saavedra ◽

Ramiro Escalera ◽

Gustavo Heredia ◽

Renato Montoya ◽

Ivette Echeverría ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Oxygen Demand ◽

Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket ◽

Uasb Reactor ◽

Annual Rainfall ◽

Medium Size ◽

Anaerobic Sludge

Abstract This study aims to determine the seasonal variability in the performance of a medium size population wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Bolivia. The semi-arid area where the WWTP is located is characterized as agricultural land, with an annual rainfall of 500 mm and a mean temperature of 17 °C. The WWTP is built up of five modules, each one comprising two treatment trains composed of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and horizontal gravel filter. The performance of the full process has been determined based on water quantity and quality. Seven monitoring campaigns of chemical and physical wastewater characteristics were performed from March to December 2017. The measured effluent showed average removal efficiencies of 83 ± 8% and 37 ± 60% for total chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS), respectively. The treatment system has proven to be efficient to remove organic matter and TSS, despite the occurrence of high COD and total solids (TS) influent concentrations, the accumulation of solids at all the processes and the variability of flow and temperature inside the UASB reactors. In order to improve further this efficiency, it is recommended to implement a primary sedimentation unit as a pretreatment for the UASB system that would help to homogenize both the flow and the quality of the influent.

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Comprehensive Evaluation of the Sustainable Development of Battery Electric Vehicles in China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11205635 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (20) ◽

pp. 5635 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Wang ◽

Zhou ◽

Li ◽

Wei

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Energy Consumption ◽

Electric Vehicles ◽

Social Life ◽

Sustainability Assessment ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Social Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Battery Electric Vehicles ◽

The Social

Due to the rapid growth in the total number of vehicles in China, energy consumption and environmental pollution are serious problems. The development of electric vehicles (EVs) has become one of the important measures for solving these problems. As EVs are in a period of rapid development, sustainability research on them is conducive to the timely discovery of—and solution to—problems in the development process, but current research on the sustainability of EVs is still scarce. Based on the strategic development direction of EVs in China, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were chosen as the research object of this study. The theory and method of the life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) were used to study the sustainability of BEVs. Specifically, the indicators of the life cycle assessment (LCA) were constructed, and the GaBi software was used to assess the environmental dimensions. The framework of life cycle costing (LCC) was used to assess the economic dimensions from the perspective of consumers. The indicators of the social life cycle assessment (SLCA) of stakeholders were constructed to assess the social dimension. Then, the method of the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) was selected for multicriteria decision-making in order to integrate the three dimensions. A specific conclusion was drawn from a comparison of BEVs and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). The study found that the life cycle sustainability of ICEVs in China was better than that of BEVs. This result might be unexpected, but there were reasons for it. Through sensitivity analysis, it was concluded that the current power structure and energy consumption in the operation phase of BEVs had a higher environmental impact, and the high cost of batteries and the government subsidy policy had a higher impact on the cost of BEVs. Corresponding suggestions are put forward at the end of the article.

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Case study on technical feasibility of galvanic wastewater treatment plant based on life cycle assessment and costing approach

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.jece.2020.104535 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 104535

Author(s):

Valentina Innocenzi ◽

Federica Cantarini ◽

Alessia Amato ◽

Barbara Morico ◽

Nicolò Maria Ippolito ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Technical Feasibility

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Energy Balance of WWTP Using LCA Analysis

International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/jera.47.119 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 119-125

Author(s):

Ivona Škultétyová ◽

Mária Dubcová ◽

Jaroslav Hrudka ◽

Réka Csicsaiová ◽

Ivana Marko

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Energy Balance ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Electricity Consumption ◽

Economic Optimization ◽

Energy Audit ◽

Study Case ◽

Specific Electricity Consumption

In connection with the optimization of operation at the selected Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), it is important to perform an energy audit with an assessment of the use of electricity and the subsequent economic optimization of the equipment of the WWTP. We can perform the energy balance through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis in relation to EN ISO 140 40 [1].The aim of this study case is the analysis of the energy balance of WWTP. The appraisal was performed on three different interpretation variants of specific electricity consumption. The conclusion is a comparison of variants of quantification of specific electricity consumption.

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