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Life Cycle and Economic Analyses of the Removal of Pesticides and Pharmaceuticals from Municipal Wastewater by Anodic Oxidation

Author

Listed:
  • Elena Surra

    (REQUIMTE/LAQV, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal)

  • Manuela Correia

    (REQUIMTE/LAQV, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal)

  • Sónia Figueiredo

    (REQUIMTE/LAQV, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal)

  • Jaime Gabriel Silva

    (Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal)

  • Joana Vieira

    (Águas do Centro Litoral, SA, Grupo Águas de Portugal, ETA da Boavista, 3030-410 Coimbra, Portugal)

  • Sandra Jorge

    (Águas do Centro Litoral, SA, Grupo Águas de Portugal, ETA da Boavista, 3030-410 Coimbra, Portugal)

  • Marta Pazos

    (CINTECX, Grupo de Bioingeniería y Procesos Sostenibles, Departamento de Ingeniería Química Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain)

  • Maria Ángeles Sanromán

    (CINTECX, Grupo de Bioingeniería y Procesos Sostenibles, Departamento de Ingeniería Química Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain)

  • Nuno Lapa

    (REQUIMTE/LAQV, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal)

  • Cristina Delerue-Matos

    (REQUIMTE/LAQV, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal)

Abstract

Several pesticides and pharmaceuticals (PP) have been detected in the effluent of a full-scale Portuguese Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). Their presence contributed to the environmental burdens associated with the existing treatment of the Municipal Wastewater (MWW) in the impact categories of Human Carcinogenicity, Non-Carcinogenicity, and Freshwater toxicities on average by 85%, 60%, and 90%, respectively (ReciPe2016 and USEtox methods). The environmental and economic assessment of the installation of an Anodic Oxidation (AO) unit for PPs’ removal was performed through Life Cycle and Economic Analysis, considering two types of anodes, the Boron-Doped Diamond (BDD) and the Mixed Metal Oxides (MMO). The operation of the AO unit increased the environmental burdens of the system by 95% on average (USEtox), but these impacts can be partially compensated by the avoided the production of non-renewable energy in the Portuguese electricity mix by biogas cogeneration at the WWTP. If the construction of the AO unit and the manufacturing of the electrodes are considered, the Human and Freshwater Toxicities are often higher than the environmental benefits derived from the PPs’ removal. On the economic side, the MMO configuration is clearly more advantageous, whereas BDD is environmentally more favorable. The issue of the presence of PP in MWW effluents has to be addressed as an integrated solution both improving upstream PP’s management and adopting PP’s removal technologies strongly supported by renewable energies. Further insights are needed for the assessment of fate and of the environmental effects of PP in the sludge.

Suggested Citation

  • Elena Surra & Manuela Correia & Sónia Figueiredo & Jaime Gabriel Silva & Joana Vieira & Sandra Jorge & Marta Pazos & Maria Ángeles Sanromán & Nuno Lapa & Cristina Delerue-Matos, 2021. "Life Cycle and Economic Analyses of the Removal of Pesticides and Pharmaceuticals from Municipal Wastewater by Anodic Oxidation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-24, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:7:p:3669-:d:524219
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tomas Ekvall, 2020. "Attributional and Consequential Life Cycle Assessment," Chapters, in: Maria Jose Bastante-Ceca & Jose Luis Fuentes-Bargues & Levente Hufnagel & Florin-Constantin Mihai & (ed.), Sustainability Assessment at the 21st century, IntechOpen.
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