Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment of a Membrane Bioreactor–Membrane Distillation Wastewater Treatment System for Potable Reuse
Wastewater treatment for indirect potable reuse (IPR) is a possible approach to address water scarcity. In this study, a novel membrane bioreactor–membrane distillation (MBR-MD) system was evaluated to determine the environmental impacts of treatment compared to an existing IPR facility (“Baseline”)...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Separations |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2297-8739/9/6/151 |
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| author | Callan J. Glover James A. Phillips Eric A. Marchand Sage R. Hiibel |
| author_facet | Callan J. Glover James A. Phillips Eric A. Marchand Sage R. Hiibel |
| author_sort | Callan J. Glover |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Wastewater treatment for indirect potable reuse (IPR) is a possible approach to address water scarcity. In this study, a novel membrane bioreactor–membrane distillation (MBR-MD) system was evaluated to determine the environmental impacts of treatment compared to an existing IPR facility (“Baseline”). Physical and empirical models were used to obtain operational data for both systems and inform a life cycle inventory. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to compare the environmental impacts of each system. Results showed an average 53.7% reduction in environmental impacts for the MBR-MD system when waste heat is used to operate MD; however, without waste heat, the environmental impacts of MBR-MD are significantly higher, with average impacts ranging from 218% to 1400% greater than the Baseline, depending on the proportion of waste heat used. The results of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of the novel MBR-MD system for IPR and the reduced environmental impacts when waste heat is available to power MD. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:31:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dd7322b2ccfb4f9f9b94359cc2af2dec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-8739 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:31:19Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Separations |
| spelling | doaj.art-dd7322b2ccfb4f9f9b94359cc2af2dec2023-11-23T18:57:09ZengMDPI AGSeparations2297-87392022-06-019615110.3390/separations9060151Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment of a Membrane Bioreactor–Membrane Distillation Wastewater Treatment System for Potable ReuseCallan J. Glover0James A. Phillips1Eric A. Marchand2Sage R. Hiibel3Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USAGraduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USADepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USADepartment of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USAWastewater treatment for indirect potable reuse (IPR) is a possible approach to address water scarcity. In this study, a novel membrane bioreactor–membrane distillation (MBR-MD) system was evaluated to determine the environmental impacts of treatment compared to an existing IPR facility (“Baseline”). Physical and empirical models were used to obtain operational data for both systems and inform a life cycle inventory. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to compare the environmental impacts of each system. Results showed an average 53.7% reduction in environmental impacts for the MBR-MD system when waste heat is used to operate MD; however, without waste heat, the environmental impacts of MBR-MD are significantly higher, with average impacts ranging from 218% to 1400% greater than the Baseline, depending on the proportion of waste heat used. The results of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of the novel MBR-MD system for IPR and the reduced environmental impacts when waste heat is available to power MD.https://www.mdpi.com/2297-8739/9/6/151wastewater treatmentmembrane distillationmembrane bioreactorlife cycle analysis |
| spellingShingle | Callan J. Glover James A. Phillips Eric A. Marchand Sage R. Hiibel Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment of a Membrane Bioreactor–Membrane Distillation Wastewater Treatment System for Potable Reuse Separations wastewater treatment membrane distillation membrane bioreactor life cycle analysis |
| title | Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment of a Membrane Bioreactor–Membrane Distillation Wastewater Treatment System for Potable Reuse |
| title_full | Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment of a Membrane Bioreactor–Membrane Distillation Wastewater Treatment System for Potable Reuse |
| title_fullStr | Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment of a Membrane Bioreactor–Membrane Distillation Wastewater Treatment System for Potable Reuse |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment of a Membrane Bioreactor–Membrane Distillation Wastewater Treatment System for Potable Reuse |
| title_short | Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment of a Membrane Bioreactor–Membrane Distillation Wastewater Treatment System for Potable Reuse |
| title_sort | modeling and life cycle assessment of a membrane bioreactor membrane distillation wastewater treatment system for potable reuse |
| topic | wastewater treatment membrane distillation membrane bioreactor life cycle analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2297-8739/9/6/151 |
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