Life cycle cost assessment and economic analysis of a decentralized wastewater treatment to achieve water sustainability within the framework of circular economy

IF 7.6 1区经济学 Q1 ECONOMICS

Oeconomia Copernicana Pub Date : 2023-03-30 DOI:10.24136/oc.2023.003

María. J. López-Serrano, Fida Hussain Lakho, S. V. Van Hulle, A. Batlles-delaFuente

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引用次数: 4

Abstract

Research background: The increasing water demand together with an unceasing production of wastewater worldwide has resulted in a situation where the scarcity and pollution of water resources are jeopardizing and depleting such a vital asset. Purpose of the article: In this context, Nature Based Solutions (NBS) such as Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands (VFCWs) are key because of their capacity of channelling a waste into a resource. However, and notwithstanding their essential role, their financial benefits too often go unnoticed because of missing research that study them from an economic perspective and this article has covered this existing gap. The objective of this research is to analyse the economic consequences of using VFCW against its traditional alternative through a comprehensive economic assessment. Methods: After doing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a combination of two approaches has been carried out. This research has developed a holistic approach where a Life Cycle Cost Assessment (LCCA) based on a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) along with an economic evaluation of cleaning environmental costs have been calculated for two different scenarios. For this monetary analysis, the environmental externalities derived from the use of cleaning the pollution caused by a public water supply and sewerage system and the VFCW have been quantified. Findings & value added: Results conclude that VFCW apart of being a cost-effective and profitable alternative for an investor, it has also valuable benefits for the society in general because of its meaningful and positive externalities and the high removal cost of the environmental pollutants of the traditional water supply and sewage system both contributing directly to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, 4/5 environmental impacts derived from the use of traditional alternative pollute more than twice as much as the VFCW does. Lastly, the cleaning costs difference between both alternatives is 1,984,335?.

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在循环经济框架内实现水可持续性的分散式废水处理的生命周期成本评估和经济分析

研究背景：全球对水的需求不断增加，废水不断产生，导致水资源的稀缺和污染正在危及和消耗这一重要资产。本文的目的：在这种情况下，基于自然的解决方案（NBS），如垂直流人工湿地（VFCW）是关键，因为它们能够将废物引导到资源中。然而，尽管它们发挥着重要作用，但由于缺乏从经济角度研究它们的研究，它们的经济效益往往被忽视，而本文已经涵盖了这一现有差距。本研究的目的是通过全面的经济评估，分析使用VFCW与其传统替代方案的经济后果。方法：在进行生命周期评估（LCA）后，将两种方法相结合。这项研究开发了一种整体方法，其中基于成本效益分析（CBA）的生命周期成本评估（LCCA）以及清洁环境成本的经济评估针对两种不同的场景进行了计算。在本货币分析中，对使用清洁公共供水和污水处理系统以及VFCW造成的污染所产生的环境外部性进行了量化。研究结果和附加值：研究结果表明，VFCW除了对投资者来说是一种具有成本效益和盈利的替代方案外，它也为整个社会带来了宝贵的利益，因为它具有有意义的正外部性，传统供水和污水系统的环境污染物去除成本很高，这两者都直接有助于实现可持续发展目标。此外，使用传统替代品产生的4/5环境影响的污染是VFCW的两倍多。最后，两种方案的清洁成本相差1984335？。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Oeconomia Copernicana ECONOMICS-

CiteScore

13.70

自引率

5.90%

发文量

审稿时长

24 weeks

期刊介绍： The Oeconomia Copernicana is an academic quarterly journal aimed at academicians, economic policymakers, and students studying finance, accounting, management, and economics. It publishes academic articles on contemporary issues in economics, finance, banking, accounting, and management from various research perspectives. The journal's mission is to publish advanced theoretical and empirical research that contributes to the development of these disciplines and has practical relevance. The journal encourages the use of various research methods, including falsification of conventional understanding, theory building through inductive or qualitative research, first empirical testing of theories, meta-analysis with theoretical implications, constructive replication, and a combination of qualitative, quantitative, field, laboratory, and meta-analytic approaches. While the journal prioritizes comprehensive manuscripts that include methodological-based theoretical and empirical research with implications for policymaking, it also welcomes submissions focused solely on theory or methodology.