Comparative Environmental Evaluation of Sewage Sludge Treatment and Aggregate Production Process by Life Cycle Assessment

Seong-Jun Yang, Ji-Young Eom, Myung-Jin Lee, Dae-Hwan Hwang, Won-Bin Park, Young-Min Wie, Ki-Gang Lee and Kang-Hoon Lee ()
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Seong-Jun Yang: Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, 43 Jibong-ro, Bucheon 14662, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Ji-Young Eom: Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, 43 Jibong-ro, Bucheon 14662, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Myung-Jin Lee: Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, 43 Jibong-ro, Bucheon 14662, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Dae-Hwan Hwang: Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, 43 Jibong-ro, Bucheon 14662, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Won-Bin Park: Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, 43 Jibong-ro, Bucheon 14662, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Young-Min Wie: Department of Materials Engineering, Kyonggi University, Suwon 16227, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Ki-Gang Lee: Department of Materials Engineering, Kyonggi University, Suwon 16227, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Kang-Hoon Lee: Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, 43 Jibong-ro, Bucheon 14662, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: This study evaluated the environmental impact of landfill, incineration, and lightweight aggregate production for sewage sludge management techniques and compared the utilization of sewage-produced lightweight aggregates with natural aggregates in terms of building material production. Two scenarios were established for the life cycle assessment (LCA) of the sludge and associated product that was carried out after sludge generation. Sludge incineration and landfill deposition includes emissions from the drying, transportation, incineration of sludge, and landfill, and the production of lightweight aggregates and natural aggregates includes transportation to manufacturing facilities, the manufacturing processes themselves, and transportation of the produced aggregates to construction sites. We calculated the amount of pollutant emissions for each process in each scenario and analyzed the environmental impact index considering the environmental impact of each pollutant using the Open LCA program. The parameters used for the environmental impact index analysis for sludge management are potential acidification, climate change, eutrophication potential, human toxicity, photochemical oxidation, and stratospheric ozone depletion. The environmental impact values of lightweight aggregates (LWA) are GWP 100 441 kg CO 2 _Eq, AP 2.73 × 10 −2 kg SO 2_ Eq, EP 4.46 × 10 −3 kg PO 4 − _Eq, HTP 4.15 × 10 −2 kg, 1,4-DCB_Eq, POCP 1.64 × 10 −3 kg CH 4 _Eq, and ODP 3.41 × 10 −7 kg CFC-11_Eq. We found that these values were low compared to landfill and incineration as a sewage sludge disposal method and compared to natural aggregate as a construction material production method. The environmental impact index analysis during LCA of lightweight aggregates produced from the sludge verified its positive environmental impact compared to the other potential methods of sludge management.

Keywords: life cycle assessment; sewage sludge; lightweight aggregate; waste recycling; resource circulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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