Life cycle assessment of energy saving techniques for wastewater treatment processes

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a comprehensive and effective tool in environmental management, based on the quantitative analysis of the environmental impacts for products or processes. This paper applied the LCA method to analyze the impacts of a case wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Beijing of China, and the control of impacts by adaption of energy-consumption saving techniques. Suggestions to optimize the process and minimize the environmental impacts were proposed according to the LCA results. The midpoint impact assessment and damage assessment by IMPACT 2002+ methods implied that the WWTP had impacts on ecosystem quality, followed by human health, climate change and resources. After the application of energy saving techniques, the impacts of non-renewable energy and global warming categories are effectively reduced.