Comparative life cycle assessment of water treatment plants Original Research Article

The production of drinking water from fresh surface water involves several processes, energy consumption and chemical dosing, all having global environmental impacts. These should be considered in the choice of water treatment processes. The objective of the present study was to conduct a comparative life cycle assessment of two water treatment plants: one enhanced conventional plant and one nanofiltration plant. One existing nanofiltration plant was chosen and investigated in great detail, including its operation and construction phases. This plant is located in the northern part of the Province of Quebec and has been in operation for over 10 years. A virtual conventional plant was designed for comparative purposes. The comparative life cycle assessment was performed using SimaPro software for inventory and impact assessment phases. The study revealed very different impacts for the two plants, drawing attention to the importance of the choice of water treatment chemicals and energy source.