January 16, 2025
Mohsen Nowrouzi

Mohsen Nowrouzi

Academic Rank: Associate professor
Address: Persian Gulf University
Degree: Ph.D in Environment - Environmental pollution
Phone: 09177827960
Faculty: Faculty of Nano and Biotechnology

Research

Title
Life Cycle Assessment of the Wastewater Treatment Plant System in Ardakan Using Activated Sludge Method
Type Thesis
Keywords
ارزيابي چرخۀ حيات، تصفيه خانۀ فاضلاب، SimaPro، روش ReCiPe
Researchers Najmeh Mombeiny (Student) , Akram Bemani (Primary advisor) , Mohsen Nowrouzi (Primary advisor)

Abstract

Wastewaters are among the factors that can have significant environmental burdens and consequences. Today, the implementation of wastewater treatment projects in urban and industrial areas is considered fundamental and essential. Consequently, the performance of wastewater treatment plants has a profound impact on pollution reduction. One of the methods for assessing environmental impacts is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This approach evaluates the environmental effects of products, processes, and services throughout their entire life cycle. This study aims to comprehensively examine and evaluate the environmental impacts of the Ardakan wastewater treatment plant, which employs an activated sludge system, using the Life Cycle Assessment method. To this end, input and output data of the system, including materials, energy, and pollutants, were collected. This data included BOD, COD, pH, TSS, etc., measured before and after the treatment process. Additionally, the materials and energy consumed (electricity) for wastewater treatment were recorded and studied over a four-month period. For analyzing and evaluating life cycle impacts, SimaPro software, the ReCiPe method, and the Ecoinvent database were utilized. Environmental impacts were analyzed in 18 midpoint impact categories using the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint(H) method and in 3 endpoint impact categories using the ReCiPe 2016 Endpoint(H) method. Furthermore, to compute the energy consumption of the treatment system, the Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) method was employed, while the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method was used to estimate greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, the functional unit was defined as one cubic meter of wastewater. Initially, the environmental impacts were quantified, and finally, data normalization was conducted for analysis and comparison of results. According to the results obtained from the midpoint impact analysis, the most significant environmental impacts from the trea