LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF MBBR-BASED WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT (CASE STUDY: WWTP OF A SOAP AND COSMETIC INDUSTRY)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23029227Keywords:
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR), Soap and Cosmetics Industry, Environmental Impact, ReCiPe 2016Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the soap and cosmetics industry are often assessed primarily through effluent compliance,overlooking environmental burdens from electricity, chemical use, and sludge management. This study applies Life CycleAssessment (LCA), following ISO 14040/14044, to a full-scale Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR)-based WWTP treating high-strength wastewater at a soap and cosmetics manufacturing facility in West Java, Indonesia. The gate-to-gate system was modeled using 36 months of operational data and ecoinvent v3.10 background data, with impacts assessed for 1,000 m³ of treated wastewater using ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) in openLCA. The impact assessment showed a global warming potential of 216,928.1 kg CO₂ eq, fossil resource scarcity of 60,277.8 kg oil eq, terrestrial ecotoxicity of 511,267.9 kg 1,4-DCB, freshwater ecotoxicity of 4,730.3 kg 1,4-DCB, and human non-carcinogenic toxicity of 203,723.9 kg 1,4-DCB, The MBBR aeration blower, EQ tank pump, centrifuge decanter motor, and DAF transfer pump accounted for over 85% of electricity consumption. Terrestrial Ecotoxicity andHuman Non-Carcinogenic Toxicity were primarily associated with chemical production and sludge-borne contaminants, while Global Warming and Fossil Resource Scarcity were mainly linked to electricity consumption and fossil-based power generation. Overall, chemical use and electricity consumption were key contributors to the WWTP’s environmental footprint, highlighting chemical dosage optimization and energy efficiency as potential improvement strategies.
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