LCA for Membrane Processes
This chapter presents an overview of the current state of the art concerning the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess and improve the environmental performance and sustainability of processes that use or are based on membrane technologies.
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LCA for Membrane Processes António A. Martins, Nídia S. Caetano and Teresa M. Mata
Abstract This chapter presents an overview of the current state of the art concerning the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess and improve the environmental performance and sustainability of processes that use or are based on membrane technologies. A presentation of the LCA methodology is made, based on the current framework defined by the ISO Standard, focusing on the main aspects and how LCA can be applied to a given product or process system. A review of the available studies was done for membrane based or systems in which membranes have an important role, focusing in water treatment process, either for human and industrial application or wastewater treatment. The analysis shows that the application of LCA is still limited in membrane process, and more work still needs to be done, for example, taking into account the manufacture and final disposal/recycling of the membranes and their corresponding process modules, and to properly asses how membranes may increase the sustainability of existing processes by replacing existing technologies with larger environmental impact. As the need to evaluate the environmental impact and sustainability of new processes increases, the application of the LCA methodology will become more common both in process design and/or process operation.
Keywords Membrane technologies Life cycle assessment Sustainability evaluation Environmental impact Water and wastewater treatment
A.A. Martins (&) N.S. Caetano T.M. Mata LEPABE—Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP), R. Dr. Roberto Frias S/N, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal e-mail: [email protected] N.S. Caetano CIETI, Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering (ISEP), Polytechnic Institute of Porto (IPP), R. Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida S/N, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017 A. Figoli and A. Criscuoli (eds.), Sustainable Membrane Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment, Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-5623-9_2
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Introduction
It is increasingly consensual that human development, coupled with the current patterns of production and human consumption, has resulted in significant environmental impacts. They can be of a local nature, for example, water and air pollution, or global, for example, global warming mainly due to burning of fossil fuels for energy generation. Recognizing that a course of change is needed at all levels, national, regional and city level, international organizations and governments have proposed and are implementing strategies to tackle the challenges of a more sustainable development [1–3]. Although the problems are global, the answer strongly depends on the context, in particular, on the local conditions and the stakeholders involved. For instance, industry tries to be increasingly more environmentally
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