Life Cycle Assessment of Wastewater Treatment

Mu. Naushad

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781138055179
• eBook ISBN: 9781351678261
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Environmental Science
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Life Cycle Assessment of Wastewater Treatment addresses in detail the required in-depth life cycle assessment of wastewater treatment. This is to meet the special demands placed upon wastewater treatment processes, due to both the limited quantity and often low quality of water supplies. Wastewater management clearly plays a central role in achieving future water security in a world where water stress is expected to increase. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can be used as a tool to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with wastewater treatment and potential improvement options. This unique volume will focus on the analysis of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach.

Key Features:

• Focuses on the analysis of wastewater treatment plants using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach
• Discusses unconventional water sources such as recycled wastewater, brackish groundwater and desalinated seawater
• Explains life cycle assessment in detail, which has become one of the reference methods used to assess the environmental performance of processes over their complete life cycle, from raw material extraction, infrastructure construction and operation to final dismantling
• Explores a technique (LCA) that is becoming increasingly popular amongst researchers in the water treatment field nowadays because of its holistic approach
• Based on the real life experiences, the subject of wastewater is presented in simple terms and made accessible to anyone willing to learn and experiment

1	Environmental and Health Effects Due to the Usage of Wastewater

Ponnusamy Senthil Kumar and G. Janet Joshiba

CONTENTS

1.1Introduction

1.2Sources of Water Pollution

1.3Contaminants

1.3.1Toxic Heavy Metals

1.3.1.1Lead

1.3.1.2Mercury

1.3.1.3Nickel

1.3.1.4Cadmium

1.3.1.5Arsenic

1.3.1.6Chromium

1.3.1.7Zinc

1.3.1.8Copper

1.3.1.9Cobalt

1.3.1.10Antimony

1.3.2Dyes

1.3.3Microbial Contamination

1.3.4Agricultural Runoff

1.3.5Endocrine Disrupting Compounds

1.4Wastewater Characteristics

1.4.1Physical Characteristics

1.4.1.1Color

1.4.1.2Odor

1.4.1.3Temperature

1.4.1.4Solids

1.4.2Chemical Characteristics of Wastewater

1.4.3Biological Characteristics of Wastewater

1.5Impacts of Wastewater on Environment

1.5.1Water Scarcity

1.5.2Climatic Change

1.5.3Bioaccumulation

1.5.4Eutrophication

1.5.5Decrement of Dissolved Oxygen

1.5.6Persistent Organic Pollutants

1.6Impacts of Wastewater on Public Health

1.6.1Heavy Metal Poisoning

1.6.2Impacts of Microbes

1.6.2.1Diseases Caused by Bacteria

1.6.2.2Diseases Caused by Viruses

1.6.2.3Diseases Caused by Parasites

1.6.2.4Effects of Agricultural Chemicals

1.6.2.5Effects of Endocrine Disrupters

1.6.3Effects of Dyes

1.7Case Study on Wastewater Effects on Humans

1.8Future Perspectives

1.9Conclusion

References

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Water is one of the greatest gifts of nature, and it is the main source from which energy is derived. All living beings in this world depend on water for their survival. Life on earth would be impossible without water. Around 71% of the earth’s surface is covered by water; however, around 98% of this water is useless because of its salinity and cannot be used for drinking purposes. The rest of the earth’s water is fresh but is not easily accessible, because out of this 2% of fresh water, around 1.6% is trapped in polar ice caps and glaciers. In addition, 0.36% of fresh water resides in aquifers and wells. Thus, only 0.036% of water is available for drinking purposes from rivers and lakes. According to a study conducted by the World Health Organization/United Nations Children’s Fund (WHO/UNICEF), the collection of fresh water from nearby water resources for drinking purposes is the highest-priority household work of many women and children in nearly 45 developing countries. People in these countries spend most of their time collecting fresh water instead of attending school, going to work, or looking after their family. From this, we can clearly understand that water has become an unaffordable commodity in our lives today (Reddy and Lee, 2012).

Water scarcity and the quality of drinking water are among the most significant issues that humankind is confronting in the twenty-first century (Naushad et al., 2016; Alqadami et al., 2017). This water scarcity issue will be exacerbated by changing climatic conditions, which increase the temperature of water, leading to the melting of polar icecaps. As a result, an escalation of the hydrological cycle occurs, which causes flash floods and dry spells. Furthermore, many people globally are seriously affected through contaminated drinking water due to improper sanitary management. In addition to this, other sources such as manufacturing industries, farmlands, and municipal sources play a vital role in increasing water pollution. Water becomes contaminated for various reasons, but the pollution due to chemicals is a major threat globally because of its high toxicity; in many developing countries, nearly 1.1 billion individuals are in need of safe drinking water, and 2.6 billion individuals do not have appropriate sanitation. The unhygienic environment and consumption of contaminated drinking water becomes the primary reason for the 1.6 million deaths taking place every year throughout the world. The proper understanding of public hygiene and the quality of safe potable water varies between people living in agricultural and metropolitan territories, and the possibility of drinking clean and safe water becomes difficult for people living in provincial areas. According to the 2009 Gallup poll, the reports clearly proved that the contamination of potable water was seen to be a major concern in the United States (Schwarzenbach et al., 2010).

Nowadays, a major part of the economy has moved from agriculture to the industrial sector, and this tremendous development and advancement in the industrial sector has increased the origination of many new toxic and hazardous substances in industrial waste that is discharged during manufacturing and processing (Koolivand et al., 2017). As well as industry, increased population and urbanization also play a vital role in the inexorable exploitation of natural resources, the release of some new harmful toxic gases, changing climatic conditions, and an increased amount of waste generation (Vitorino de Souza Melarea et al., 2017). New innovations and technological advancement in industry, urbanization, and transportation have increased the discharge of large amounts of industrial wastewater into the fresh water zones, which remain the most precious source for agriculture. Nitrogen and phosphorus are a noteworthy mixture that contaminates fresh water sources. In addition to this, several harmful substances, such as excessive metals, synthetic toxins, pesticides, and washing liquids from industry released into fresh water sources, are the most frequent causes of increased eutrophication, which leads to the death of aquatic lives. This wastewater does not only affect the crop yield in agriculture; it also affects the livelihood of the poor farmers who depend on these water bodies, such as rivers and lakes, for agriculture (Rajasulochana and Preethy, 2016).

The rapid pace of industrialization, impromptu urbanization, and the population explosion are causing extreme damage to the surrounding water and land resources. The fundamental sources of fresh water contamination can be ascribed to the release of untreated waste from machinery, both clean and toxic, the dumping of modern effluents, and water discharge from agricultural land. Wastewater also leads to the contamination of ground water and causes a deficit of fresh water used for drinking purposes. People in many countries suffer due to this water scarcity. About 70%–80% of fatal diseases are due to contaminated water, and in many countries it affects women and children specifically (Bhatnagar and Sillanpaa, 2010).

The primary destination for wastewater disposal by enterprises is surface water. Most of the rivers in our country are polluted due to effluent discharge. Surface water contamination has increased 20 times due to the blending of industrial effluents in 22 regions of our country. The level of wastewater contamination varies from industry to industry depending on the type of procedure and the size of the enterprise. Rapid industrialization and globalization have prompted the acknowledgment and expanding comprehension of the interrelationship between contamination and general wellbeing. Almost 14,000 deaths take place per day due to this untreated industrial wastewater across developing countries. Because of this mixing of industrial waste into fresh water, a sudden decrease in dissolved oxygen takes place, and this leads to the death of the flora and fauna present in the fresh water. As a result of rapid industrialization, every year, 3.4 million individuals on the planet bite the dust due to waterborne sicknesses (Owa, 2013; Rana et al., 2017).

1.2 SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION

The majority of water pollution is caused by the generation of contaminants from industrial, commercial, and agricultural sources, transport, dumpsites, and other anthropogenic activities (). Industries such as electroplating, tanning, hydrometallurgical, textiles, fertilizers, pesticides, dyeing, electrochemical and motor industries, metallurgical, metal finishing, mine drainage, and battery manufacturing play a major role in the discharge of toxic chemical substances into fresh water (Olanipekun, 2015; Chen et al., 2015). Some of the anthropogenic activities that prevail as the cause of water pollution are population growth, increased numbers of dumpsites, leakage of sewage, deforestation, combustion, and littering (Owa, 2013). Thus, we human beings are one of the major reasons for water pollution, and the contaminants that are released from these industrial and commercial sources are explained in detail in the following section.

1.3 CONTAMINANTS

Contaminants are undesirable substances that alter the quality of the water resources. Contaminants originate from natural, industrial, and anthropogenic sources. Among these sources, industrial contaminants are highly toxic and are not easily degradable (Alqadami et al., 2016). The different types of contaminants present in wastewater are heavy metals, dyes, endocrine disrupting compounds, nutrients, and microbes.

1.3.1 TOXIC HEAVY METALS

Heavy metal contamination is one of the major environmental issues across the globe, because these heavy metals are highly toxic, and it also affects human health and other flora and fauna living on the earth (Sharma et al., 2017). The main sources of the production of heavy metals in the environment are the industrial and domestic sectors. These are not easily degradable, and heavy metals are capable of bioaccumulating in living organisms. They can also cause some fatal disorders, such as cancer and mutagenic disorders. The major heavy metals that affect the environment are lead, mercury, nickel, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, zinc, copper, cobalt, and antimony (Alqadami et al., 2017; Assadian and Beirami, 2014). Stringent regulations are constituted and applied across many developing countries to remove these toxic heavy metals from industrial effluents for the safety of the people (Ru-shan et al., 2011).

1.3.1.1 Lead

Lead is a unique, well-known industrial heavy metal. It is soft, ductile, and malleable in nature. It possesses poor conductivity and high resistance against corrosion. Lead is not easily biodegradable and is a hazardous heavy metal to human health (Abdelwahab, 2015). The wastewater from industries such as electroplating, metallurgy, paint, electronics, petroleum refining, and storage battery contains high concentrations of lead, and these industrial effluents, when released into nearby fresh water sources, contaminate the water. The admissible levels of lead prescribed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Bureau of Indian Standards in water and wastewater are 0.015 and 0.1 mg L⁻¹, respectively (Pandey et al., 2015).

1.3.1.2 Mercury

Mercury is one of the most life-threatening heavy metal ions. USEPA has indexed mercury as the most hazardous pollutant. It is highly lethal, and it is bioaccumula...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title
• Series
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Series Editor
• Editor
• Acknowledgements
• Contributors
• Chapter 1 Environmental and Health Effects Due to the Usage of Wastewater
• Chapter 2 Ecological Assessment: Use of Hydropower and Biogas Energy in Waste Water Treatment Plants
• Chapter 3 Life Cycle Assessment of Municipal Wastewater and Sewage Sludge Treatment
• Chapter 4 Life Cycle Assessment of Beneficial Reuse of Waste Streams for Energy in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants
• Chapter 5 A Life Cycle Evaluation of the Environmental Effects of a Hydrometallurgical Process for Alkaline Battery Waste Treatment: A Case Study
• Chapter 6 Textile Wastewater Treatment by Advanced Oxidation Processes: A Comparative Study
• Chapter 7 A Biological Approach for the Removal of Pharmaceutical Pollutants from Wastewater
• Chapter 8 Fungal Treatment of Pharmaceuticals in Effluents: Current State, Perspectives, Limitations, and Opportunities
• Chapter 9 Determination of Pharmaceutical Compounds in Sewage Sludge from Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants
• Chapter 10 Green and Eco-Friendly Materials for the Removal of Phosphorus from Wastewater
• Chapter 11 Technologies for the Treatment of Heavy Metal–Contaminated Groundwater
• Chapter 12 Life Cycle Assessment Applied to Support Sustainable Wastewater Treatment in Developing Countries
• Chapter 13 Life Cycle Analysis of Anaerobic Digestion of Wastewater Treatment Plants
• Index