Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWARE
Volume 56, Issue -, Pages 74-82Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.envsoft.2013.11.008
Keywords
Decision support system (DSS); Decision-making process; Eutrophication; Global Warming; Life Cycle Assessment (LCA); Wastewater treatment
Categories
Funding
- Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (Consolider Project-NOVEDAR) [CSD2007-00055]
- Xunta de Galicia [09MDS010262PR]
- European Commission [LIFE 10 ENV/ES 000520]
- Generalitat Valenciana [APOSTD/2013/110]
- Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO)
- European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the ERDF Operational Programme in Catalonia
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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology to generate environmental impact estimates associated with the life cycle stages of a product or process. The approach facilitates a more comprehensive outlook of the end-of-pipe process impacts, in which wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are included. Here we describe the implementation of the LCA methodology within a knowledge-based Decision support system (DSS) in order to include the environmental criteria to the decision making process when selecting the most appropriate process flow diagrams for specific scenarios. A sample group of 22 actual operating facilities in Spain, corresponding to five different typologies were assessed by two relevant impact categories within the system: Eutrophication Potential (EP) and Global Warming Potential (GWP). DSS includes useful tools that support a user in choosing a consistent, near optimum solution for an environmental impact specific problem in a reduced time frame. The synergistic combination of the two methodologies to address the design and assessment of treatment facilities can serve to identify the most sustainable options, embracing simultaneously a wide variety of analysis criteria, and enhancing the calculation of environmental savings. Results of averaged paired-comparison ratios between DSS estimates and facilities operations empirical data showed up to 70% and 95% EP and GWP, respectively. Interestingly, when unbiased operational efficiencies for existing facilities were discarded, the matching ratios increased substantially, up to 99% in both cases. The in-depth analysis of different output data gathered during the conceptual design and simulation of operating facilities using DSS identified the best performing facilities; and was used to improve the environmental performance of WWTPs, even during preliminary design of new facilities. Results demonstrated that combined LCA and DSS implementation is a suitable tool to assess WWTP design during the decision-making process. Following this procedure, a reliable interpretation and discussion of the results can be performed. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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