Print Email Facebook Twitter Assessing the life-cycle sustainability of algae and bacteria-based wastewater treatment systems Title Assessing the life-cycle sustainability of algae and bacteria-based wastewater treatment systems: High-rate algae pond and sequencing batch reactor Author Kohlheb, Norbert (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ) van Afferden, Manfred (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ) Lara, Enrique (FCC Servicios Ciudadanos, Madrid) Arbib, Zouhayr (FCC Servicios Ciudadanos, Madrid) Conthe Calvo, M. (TU Delft Environmental Technology and Design; TU Delft BT/Environmental Biotechnology) Poitzsch, Christoph (Abwasserzweckverband “Obere Röder”, Radeberg) Marquardt, Thomas (Abwasserzweckverband “Obere Röder”, Radeberg) Becker, Mi Yong (Bochum University of Applied Sciences) Date 2020 Abstract High Rate Algae Ponds (HRAPs) are a promising technology for the treatment of municipal wastewater in locations with sufficient space and solar radiation. Algae-based processes do not require aeration, and thus have the potential to be less energy-intensive than activated sludge processes. We used a combination of LCA and LCCA analysis to evaluate the sustainability of HRAP systems, using data from the construction and operation of two demonstration-scale systems in Almería and Cádiz, Spain. As a reference for comparison, we used data from an activated sludge-based Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) treatment system in operation in Leppersdorf, Germany, which has comparable removal rates for a similar inflow. We focused solely on the actual wastewater treatment aspect of these technologies, excluding sludge treatment from this analysis. Based on our analysis, the current HRAP technology is more energy-efficient than activated sludge-based SBRs and requires only 22% of its electricity consumption. In addition, HRAP is more advantageous both economically (0.18 €/m3 versus 0.26 €/m3) and environmentally, with both lower global warming and eutrophication potentials (146.27 vs. 458.27 × 10−3 kg CO2 equiv./m3; 126.14 vs. 158.01 × 10−6 kg PO4 equiv./m3). However, the Net Environmental Benefit of SBR was slightly more favorable than of HRAP because of the higher removal rate for nutrients of SBR. Subject High rate algae pondLife cycle assessmentLife cycle costingSequencing batch reactor To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d37165eb-11f3-4847-b7d6-70d083678b3b DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110459 Embargo date 2022-03-30 ISSN 0301-4797 Source Journal of Environmental Management, 264 Bibliographical note Accepted Author Manuscript Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2020 Norbert Kohlheb, Manfred van Afferden, Enrique Lara, Zouhayr Arbib, M. Conthe Calvo, Christoph Poitzsch, Thomas Marquardt, Mi Yong Becker Files PDF JEMA_D_19_01583R1.pdf 1.96 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:d37165eb-11f3-4847-b7d6-70d083678b3b/datastream/OBJ/view