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Life Cycle Assessment of a Wastewater Treatment Plant Focused on Material and Energy Flows

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Abstract

Life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied to analyze a food-processing wastewater treatment plant and investigate the economic and environmental effects of the plant. With the long-term operational data of this plant, an inventory of relative inputs, e.g., flow rate, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and suspended solids, etc., and outputs of the plant, e.g., effluent COD and suspended solids, methane production, etc., was compiled. The potential environmental effects associated with those inputs and outputs were evaluated, and the results of the inventory analysis and impact assessment phases of the plant were interpreted. One feature of this study was the assessment of the treatment plant based on both energy and material flows. Another feature was the establishment of an assessment model with an integration of plant operating parameters, system recognition and grey relation. The analytical results are helpful for the design and operation of wastewater treatment plants.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the National Key Project for Water Pollution Control (2008ZX07103-001 and 2008ZX07316-002) for the partial support of this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Science & Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China

    Jian-Guang Wu, Xiao-Meng Liu, Xian-Wei Liu, Guo-Ping Sheng & Han-Qing Yu

  2. School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, 230092, Hefei, China

    Xiang-Yu Meng & De-Qian Xu

  3. Anhui Academy of Environmental Science Research, 230061, Hefei, China

    Jian-Guang Wu, Xiao-Meng Liu & Zhi-Xia Zheng

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  1. Jian-Guang Wu
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  2. Xiang-Yu Meng
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  3. Xiao-Meng Liu
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  4. Xian-Wei Liu
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  5. Zhi-Xia Zheng
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  6. De-Qian Xu
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  7. Guo-Ping Sheng
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  8. Han-Qing Yu
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Correspondence to Han-Qing Yu.

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Wu, JG., Meng, XY., Liu, XM. et al. Life Cycle Assessment of a Wastewater Treatment Plant Focused on Material and Energy Flows. Environmental Management 46, 610–617 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9497-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9497-z

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