Sustainable groundwater protection measures through life cycle assessment (LCA) in China: implications from published literatures

Abstract

The availability of groundwater is essential for agriculture, households, and industry. Concerns about its sustainability have been raised due to depletion and pollution in various parts of China. To address this, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is the most suitable approach for implementing integrated sustainability in groundwater resources. This research aimed to investigate the LCA of groundwater in China by analyzing its economic, environmental, and social sustainability based on various research papers conducted between 1999 and 2022, providing insights into the current state of research and suggesting sustainable measures for safeguarding groundwater resources in specific regions and industries in China. The study indicates that specific sector-wise measures should be taken to ensure sustainable groundwater protection in China. Intercropping and drip irrigation systems can be sustainable and effective methods for protecting groundwater in the agricultural sector. New power plants should be constructed in the water-rich southern regions, and long-term water-saving measures should be implemented in China’s coal mining industry. All water resources should be integrated into the regional water supply system to reduce dependence on groundwater. Furthermore, more research is needed to investigate all elements of sustainable development in provinces that consume high amounts of groundwater but have limited storage capacity. These recommendations can be helpful to policymakers in promoting the sustainable development of groundwater resources in China.

Keywords:

• life cycle assessment
• groundwater resources
• agricultural irrigation
• sustainability
• water footprint
• North China plain

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the useful comments from editors and reviewers.

Author contributions

S. M. Khorshed Alam: conceptualized the main idea, analyzed data, and drafted the paper. Peiyue Li: refined the idea, supervised the research, reviewed and finalized the paper. Misbah Fida: reviewed, and finalized the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

This paper does not contain associated data.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42072286 and 41761144059), the Qinchuangyuan “Scientist + Engineer” Team Development Program of the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Science and Technology (2022KXJ-005), the Fok Ying Tong Education Foundation (161098), and the National Ten Thousand Talent Program (W03070125).