Environmental impact evaluation of decentralized sewage treatment technologies: A life cycle assessment approach

Abstract

Abstract A life cycle assessment study on decentralized sewage (DS) treatment technologies is conducted using Gabi software and ReCiPe midpoint method, focusing on three DS treatment technologies: extended aeration (EA), imhoff (IF) and activated sludge (AS). The three most significant environmental impacts identified by the analysis are climate change (CC), freshwater eutrophication potential (FEP) and marine eutrophication potential (MEP). In this study, none of the DS systems could reduce all three indicators assessed. In terms of CC, IF has the lowest impact, with a value of 2.78 kg CO 2 eq/m 3 , while EA has the lowest FEP impact of 0.030 kg P eq/m 3 . As regards MEP, AS has the lowest value of 0.043 kg N eq/m 3 . The findings offer investors with relevant information on the effects of the three DS treatment technologies used to treat domestic wastewater in Malaysia.