Life cycle environmental impacts of urban water systems in China

作者：Hao Xu, Guangtao Fu, Qian Ye, Mei Lyu, Xiaoyu Yan · 发表于：Water Research · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1016/j.watres.2024.122350 · 被引用次数：25 · 研究领域：Wastewater Treatment and Reuse、Urban Stormwater Management Solutions、Water Resources and Sustainability

• This is among the initial LCA studies covering China's whole urban water systems. • Regional disparities in environmental impacts of urban water systems were revealed. • Most environmental impacts are not dominated by one single water system stage. • Purchased electricity is the primary contributor to multiple environmental impacts. • The environmental impacts caused by infrastructure construction are not negligible. Urban water systems in China are facing multiple challenges, including rapid urbanisation, climate change and infrastructure ageing. It is crucial to evaluate their environmental performance from a holistic perspective in planning and management processes. To the best of our knowledge, there is a lack of nationwide life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on China's urban water systems that cover all system stages. Therefore, this study aims to present a comprehensive and nationwide LCA analysis that pinpoints the environmental hotspots and their major sources across China. This study was conducted based on water utility databases at the province level, covering water abstraction and treatment, waterwork sludge treatment, water distribution, sewage collection, stormwater drainage, wastewater treatment and sewage sludge treatment. Nine environmental impact categories were calculated and analysed. The results reveal the inequity of environmental impacts across provinces, with overall impacts geographically higher in the east and south, lower in the west and north. How...