Sustainability analysis of different SWRO pre-treatment alternatives

Abstract

The two main alternatives for the pre-treatment of seawater for reverse osmosis desalination, membrane- (UF) and granular media filter based, have been compared and analyzed for their sustainability potential. An environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) has been conducted using commercial software and an economic life cycle costing assessment (LCC) followed according to SETAC guidelines in order to form an eco-effi ciency analysis. In addition, other sustainability relevant aspects such as societal factors and process performance have been discussed. The results show why a broad sustainability analysis should be an indispensable part of every process synthesis and how the design and operation of a SWRO desalination plant could be influenced by it.

Keywords:

• Sustainable development
• Pre-treatment
• LCA
• LCC
• Eco-efficiency
• LCSA