Environmental Assessment Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Approach: A Case Study on Waste Management and Solar Desalination

Abstract

The energy crisis and water scarcity are common challenges that in one way or another are coupled. Water requires energy for treatment, especially in the UAE were desalination is a major water source. This study investigates alternative energy and desalination technologies, primarily in the form of waste to energy and solar desalination. It assesses those two technologies environmentally and technologically by employing a Life Cycle Assessment framework. Waste in the UAE is primarily dumped in large dumpsites in the desert but that is about to change as the UAE is set to divert up to 90% of its waste from dumpsites into alternative waste management options. The first part of this study evaluates and compares, from an energy and environmental perspective, the performance of waste treatment technologies. These technologies are primarily incineration, gasification, anaerobic digestion, bioreactor landfilling, composting and recycling. The second part of this study looks into desalination, specifically solar desalination. It evaluates three alternative desalination options for supplying water to rural of-grid communities. They are primarily a solar still, a photovoltaic powered stand alone reverse osmosis module, and truck delivery from a reverse osmosis desalination plant. Again, the evaluation focuses primarily on the environmental performance of those alternatives through adapting a Life Cycle Assessment framework.

Date of Award	2012
Original language	American English
Supervisor	Hassan Arafat (Supervisor)