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Environmental Assessment of Sewer Construction in Small to Medium Sized Cities Using Life Cycle Assessment

Author

Listed:
  • Anna Petit-Boix
  • David Sanjuan-Delmás
  • Carles Gasol
  • Gara Villalba
  • María Suárez-Ojeda
  • Xavier Gabarrell
  • Alejandro Josa
  • Joan Rieradevall

Abstract

In a world with an increasing urban population, analysing the construction impacts of sanitation infrastructures through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is necessary for defining the best environmental management strategies. In this study, the environmental impacts of one linear meter of sewer constructive solution were analysed for different pipe materials and diameters used in Southern Europe; a unit of different sewer appurtenances (pump, manhole and inspection chamber) was also considered. The impacts of the pipe materials were compared considering different lifespan periods and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) turned out to be the worst option, being polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and concrete the most favourable ones. Few data are available on the material and energy flows in the installation stage; therefore, a comparative analysis of trenches with sand and concrete bedding was conducted. The results show that the installation stage represents up to 80 % of the total life-cycle impact of the constructive solutions. Concrete pipes with half-concrete/half-sand bedding are the best option and produce 20–30 % of the impact of HDPE pipes with concrete bedding. Hence, designers should focus not only on the pipe but also on the trench model. A methodology was presented to enable the impact aggregation of the different sewer elements, and Betanzos (Spain) was selected to conduct a pilot study in small cities. In the future, studies will need to incorporate the use and maintenance stage, as it is not standard and varies according to the physical features of the cities. Finally, this study provides basic concepts for developing eco-efficiency indicators. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Petit-Boix & David Sanjuan-Delmás & Carles Gasol & Gara Villalba & María Suárez-Ojeda & Xavier Gabarrell & Alejandro Josa & Joan Rieradevall, 2014. "Environmental Assessment of Sewer Construction in Small to Medium Sized Cities Using Life Cycle Assessment," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 28(4), pages 979-997, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:waterr:v:28:y:2014:i:4:p:979-997
    DOI: 10.1007/s11269-014-0528-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Emily Grubert & Jennifer Stokes-Draut, 2020. "Mitigation Life Cycle Assessment: Best Practices from LCA of Energy and Water Infrastructure That Incurs Impacts to Mitigate Harm," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-17, February.
    2. Anna Petit‐Boix & Carla Arnal & Desirée Marín & Alejandro Josa & Xavier Gabarrell & Joan Rieradevall, 2018. "Addressing the Life Cycle of Sewers in Contrasting Cities through an Eco‐Efficiency Approach," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 22(5), pages 1092-1104, October.
    3. Anna Petit-Boix & David Sanjuan-Delmás & Sergio Chenel & Desirée Marín & Carles Gasol & Ramon Farreny & Gara Villalba & María Suárez-Ojeda & Xavier Gabarrell & Alejandro Josa & Joan Rieradevall, 2015. "Assessing the Energetic and Environmental Impacts of the Operation and Maintenance of Spanish Sewer Networks from a Life-Cycle Perspective," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(8), pages 2581-2597, June.
    4. Anna Petit-Boix & Núria Roigé & Albert de la Fuente & Pablo Pujadas & Xavier Gabarrell & Joan Rieradevall & Alejandro Josa, 2016. "Integrated Structural Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment of Equivalent Trench-Pipe Systems for Sewerage," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(3), pages 1117-1130, February.

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