Life Cycle Assessment of water treatetment technology

Charles University in Prague Faculty of Science Institute for Environmental Studies Ecology and Environmental Protection Environmental Protection Bachelor Thesis - Abstract Life Cycle Assessment of Water Treatment Technology Posuzování životního cyklu výroby pitné vody Author: Zuzana Cabejšková Supervisor: Doc. Ing. Vladimír Kočí, Ph.D. Prague, May 2012 Abstract (English) This bachelor thesis consists of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of two water treatment plants (WTP) in the Czech Republic. The first WTP is situated in Hrdějovice in South Bohemia and treats underground raw water. The second WTP is in Central Bohemia and treats surface water from the Želivka reservoir. The pumping of raw water and its subsequent treatment were considered for the purposes of LCA; other phases of the life cycle of potable water such as distribution weren't taken into account. Waterworks companies provided data on consumption of energy and materials. Based on this data, the environmental impacts of 1m3 of treated water were calculated and a comparison of the two WTPs within different impact categories was performed. It was found that WTP Hrdějovice has a four-time lower overall environmental impact than WTP Želivka. Global Warming Potential, Acidification Potential and Abiotic Depletion of fossil fuels were identified as the..