Water quality index and life cycle assessment of wastewater treatment plant: Feasibility of effluent reuse

IF 6.3 2区工程技术 Q1 ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL

Journal of water process engineering Pub Date : 2025-05-17 DOI:10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.107949

Hajar Abyar, Nahid Mahmoodi Mahpash, Hassan Rezaei

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The overexploitation of water resources in Iran has intensified water scarcity and reduced the availability of clean water. Reusing effluent from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is a practical approach to addressing this challenge. Therefore, this study was conducted to comprehensively evaluate the feasibility of effluent reuse in municipal WWTPs in northern Iran. The integrated Canadian Water Quality Index (CWQI) and life cycle assessment were applied to determine the most suitable effluent applications. The influent and effluent characteristics, as well as their environmental impacts at both the midpoint and endpoint levels, were monitored based on 1 m³ wastewater treatment using the ReCiPe method. The results showed that copper (0.641 mg/L) and chromium (0.88 mg/L) concentrations hindered the use of effluent for discharge into surface water as well as agricultural and irrigation applications. CWQI values indicated that the effluent quality was excellent for recreational use (100) and marginal for livestock use (46). The environmental burdens of effluent discharge were primarily related to the marine and freshwater ecotoxicity (0.14–0.15 kg 1,4-dibromobenzene (DB) eq) with the lowest uncertainty (<9 %). This was mostly relevant to the quality of treated wastewater (84 %) and sodium and chemical oxygen demand (COD) contents with 3.5–8 % contributions. In addition, the endpoint approach illustrated that the most environmental impacts were on resources (66.12 %). The total CO₂ release was 1.06 kg CO₂ due to fossil fuel consumption. Overall, this solution-oriented study highlights the utmost significance of environmental indicators in decision-making and supports the adoption of applicable and promising strategies in WWTP management.

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污水处理厂水质指标及生命周期评价：出水回用的可行性

伊朗对水资源的过度开发加剧了水资源短缺，减少了清洁水的供应。废水处理厂（WWTPs）的废水回用是解决这一挑战的实用方法。因此，本研究旨在综合评价伊朗北部城市污水处理厂污水回用的可行性。综合加拿大水质指数（CWQI）和生命周期评估被用于确定最合适的废水应用。采用配方法对1立方米废水进行处理，监测了进水和出水特征及其在中点和终点水平的环境影响。结果表明，铜（0.641 mg/L）和铬（0.88 mg/L）浓度阻碍了废水排入地表水以及农业和灌溉应用。CWQI值表明，用于娱乐用途的污水水质良好（100），用于牲畜用途的污水水质较差（46）。污水排放的环境负担主要与海洋和淡水生态毒性有关（0.14 ~ 0.15 kg 1,4-二溴苯（DB） eq），不确定度最低（< 9%）。这主要与处理后废水的质量（84%）和钠和化学需氧量（COD）含量有关，贡献为3.5 - 8%。此外，终点法表明，环境影响最大的是资源（66.12%）。由于化石燃料的消耗，总二氧化碳排放量为1.06千克。总的来说，这项以解决方案为导向的研究强调了环境指标在决策中的最大意义，并支持在污水处理厂管理中采用适用的和有前途的战略。

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来源期刊

Journal of water process engineering Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-Biotechnology

CiteScore

10.70

自引率

8.60%

发文量

846

审稿时长

24 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Water Process Engineering aims to publish refereed, high-quality research papers with significant novelty and impact in all areas of the engineering of water and wastewater processing . Papers on advanced and novel treatment processes and technologies are particularly welcome. The Journal considers papers in areas such as nanotechnology and biotechnology applications in water, novel oxidation and separation processes, membrane processes (except those for desalination) , catalytic processes for the removal of water contaminants, sustainable processes, water reuse and recycling, water use and wastewater minimization, integrated/hybrid technology, process modeling of water treatment and novel treatment processes. Submissions on the subject of adsorbents, including standard measurements of adsorption kinetics and equilibrium will only be considered if there is a genuine case for novelty and contribution, for example highly novel, sustainable adsorbents and their use: papers on activated carbon-type materials derived from natural matter, or surfactant-modified clays and related minerals, would not fulfil this criterion. The Journal particularly welcomes contributions involving environmentally, economically and socially sustainable technology for water treatment, including those which are energy-efficient, with minimal or no chemical consumption, and capable of water recycling and reuse that minimizes the direct disposal of wastewater to the aquatic environment. Papers that describe novel ideas for solving issues related to water quality and availability are also welcome, as are those that show the transfer of techniques from other disciplines. The Journal will consider papers dealing with processes for various water matrices including drinking water (except desalination), domestic, urban and industrial wastewaters, in addition to their residues. It is expected that the journal will be of particular relevance to chemical and process engineers working in the field. The Journal welcomes Full Text papers, Short Communications, State-of-the-Art Reviews and Letters to Editors and Case Studies