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Application of Emergy Analysis to the Sustainability Evaluation of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants

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  • Shuai Shao

    (Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Linggong Road 2, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China
    School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Dalian University of Technology, Linggong Road 2, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China
    School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Linggong Road 2, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China)

  • Hailin Mu

    (Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Linggong Road 2, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China)

  • Fenglin Yang

    (School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Linggong Road 2, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China)

  • Yun Zhang

    (School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Linggong Road 2, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China)

  • Jinhua Li

    (School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Linggong Road 2, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China)

Abstract

Municipal wastewater treatment plants consume much energy and manpower, are expensive to run, and generate sludge and treated wastewater whilst removing pollutants through specific treatment regimes. The sustainable development of the wastewater treatment industry is therefore challenging, and a comprehensive evaluation method is needed for assessing the sustainability of different wastewater treatment processes, for identifying the improvement potential of treatment plants, and for directing policymakers, management measures and development strategies. This study established improved evaluation indicators based on Emergy Analysis that place total wastewater, resources, energy, economic input and emission of pollutants on the same scale compared to the traditional indicators. The sustainability of four wastewater treatment plants and their associated Anaerobic-Anoxic-Oxic (A2O), Constant Waterlevel Sequencing Batch Reactor (CWSBR), Cyclic Activated Sludge Technology (CAST) and Biological Aerated Filter (BAF) treatment processes were assessed in a city in northeast China. Results show that the CWSBR process was the most sustainable wastewater treatment process according to its largest calculated value of Improved Emergy Sustainable Index (2.53 × 10 0 ), followed by BAF (1.60 × 10 0 ), A2O (9.78 × 10 −1 ) and CAST (5.77 × 10 −1 ). Emergy Analysis provided improved indicators that are suitable for comparing different wastewater treatment processes.

Suggested Citation

  • Shuai Shao & Hailin Mu & Fenglin Yang & Yun Zhang & Jinhua Li, 2016. "Application of Emergy Analysis to the Sustainability Evaluation of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2016:i:1:p:8-:d:86064
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Xiaoxian Zhang & Fang Ma, 2015. "Emergy Evaluation of Different Straw Reuse Technologies in Northeast China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(9), pages 1-18, August.
    2. Chang Liu & Xueyi Shi & Lulu Qu & Bingyi Li, 2016. "Comparative Analysis for the Urban Metabolic Differences of Two Types of Cities in the Resource-Dependent Region Based on Emergy Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-11, July.
    3. Vincenzo Torretta & Marco Ragazzi & Ettore Trulli & Giovanni De Feo & Giordano Urbini & Massimo Raboni & Elena Cristina Rada, 2014. "Assessment of Biological Kinetics in a Conventional Municipal WWTP by Means of the Oxygen Uptake Rate Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-15, April.
    4. Brown, M. T. & Herendeen, R. A., 1996. "Embodied energy analysis and EMERGY analysis: a comparative view," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 219-235, December.
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    1. Alizadeh, Sadegh & Avami, Akram, 2021. "Development of a framework for the sustainability evaluation of renewable and fossil fuel power plants using integrated LCA-emergy analysis: A case study in Iran," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 1548-1564.
    2. Ramona Ciobanu & Carmen Teodosiu & Cecilia M. V. B. Almeida & Feni Agostinho & Biagio Fernando Giannetti, 2022. "Sustainability Analysis of a Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant through Emergy Evaluation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-19, May.

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