Life cycle assessment applied to wastewater treatment plants: how the choice of background processes can affect the studies’ reliability

2021 ◽  
Vol 210 ◽  
pp. 170-179
Author(s):  
Thaís A.S. Lopes ◽  
Lindolfo S. Braga ◽  
Luciano M. Queiroz ◽  
Asher Kiperstok ◽  
Ednildo A. Torres
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants

scholarly journals Life cycle assessment of urban wastewater treatment plants: a critical analysis and guideline proposal

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thais Ayres Rebello ◽  
Regiane Pereira Roque ◽  
Ricardo Franci Gonçalves ◽  
João Luiz Calmon ◽  
Luciano Matos Queiroz
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Guideline Development ◽  
Social Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Allocation Process

Abstract In its 30 years of existence, there are still many improvement possibilities in studies performing the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP). Hence, this paper aims to start a guideline development for LCA of urban WWTP based on the information available in the scientific literature on the topic. The authors used the Proknow-C systematic review methodology for paper selection and 111 studies were analyzed. The most significant points that can be improved are caused by missing essential information (e.g. functional unity and input data). Other important methodological aspects are covered: allocation process, functional unit choice, sensitivity analysis, and important fluxes to be considered. Many opportunities within the LCA on WWTP were identified, such as optimization of WWTP operational aspects and resource recovery. Furthermore, LCA should be combined with other methodologies such as Big Data, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), Life Cycle Cost Assessment, and Social Life Cycle Assessment. To achieve this potential, it is clear that the scientific and technical community needs to converge into a new protocol to ensure that LCA application becomes more reliable and transparent.

scholarly journals Multi-objective performance assessment of wastewater treatment plants combining plant-wide process models and life cycle assessment

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 715-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Arnell ◽  
Magnus Rahmberg ◽  
Felipe Oliveira ◽  
Ulf Jeppsson
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Methane Production ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Operational Cost ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Objective Performance

Abstract Multi-objective performance assessment of operational strategies at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is a challenging task. The holistic perspective applied to evaluation of modern WWTPs, including not only effluent quality but also resource efficiency and recovery, global environmental impact and operational cost calls for assessment methods including both on- and off-site effects. In this study, a method combining dynamic process models – including greenhouse gas (GHG), detailed energy models and operational cost – and life cycle assessment (LCA) was developed. The method was applied and calibrated to a large Swedish WWTP. In a performance assessment study, changing the operational strategy to chemically enhanced primary treatment was evaluated. The results show that the primary objectives, to enhance bio-methane production and reduce GHG emissions were reached. Bio-methane production increased by 14% and the global warming potential decreased by 28%. However, due to increased consumption of chemicals, the operational cost increased by 87% and the LCA revealed that the abiotic depletion of elements and fossil resources increased by 77 and 305%, respectively. The results emphasize the importance of using plant-wide mechanistic models and life cycle analysis to capture both the dynamics of the plant and the potential environmental impacts.

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