Desalination via solar membrane distillation and conventional membrane distillation: Life cycle assessment case study in Jordan

In this paper, a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of a solar-powered membrane distillation (SPMD) plant in Aqaba, Jordan, is carried out in comparison with a conventional plant. It is assumed that the conventional membrane distillation plant (CMD) is similar to the SPMD plant, except for the associated materials and the energy source required to operate the plant. The LCA was conducted with five different scenarios of photovoltaic panel types to compare and examine their environmental impacts. Except for the global warming potential for some photovoltaic panel types, the results of this study show that the SPMD system powered by a-Si photovoltaic panel type is the best option as it has a lower environmental impact than CMD. As a next step, a comprehensive analysis of SPMD and CMD has been proposed, taking into account the detailed system design and end-of-life phases.