Life cycle assessment of a nanomaterial-based adsorbent developed on lab scale for cadmium removal : Comparison of the impacts of production, use and recycling
Garcia Gonzalez, Maria Nelly LU
; Quiroga-Flores, Roxana
LU
and Börjesson, Pål
LU
(2022)
In Cleaner Environmental Systems
4.
- Abstract
Many nanoadsorbents are reported in the literature, exhibiting remarkable properties in the removal of low concentrations of toxic metals. However, their environmental performance has not yet been well studied. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out for a previously reported nanomaterial-based adsorbent, silicate-titanate nanotubes chitosan beads (STNTs-Ch beads), used to remove cadmium from wastewater. The environmental impacts associated with the synthesis of the nanomaterial and the final adsorbent, including use and recycling, were evaluated. The hotspot of the process was the synthesis of the nanomaterial, mainly due to high electricity consumption, suggesting that energy use must be reduced in the scaling up. The chemicals... (More)
Many nanoadsorbents are reported in the literature, exhibiting remarkable properties in the removal of low concentrations of toxic metals. However, their environmental performance has not yet been well studied. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out for a previously reported nanomaterial-based adsorbent, silicate-titanate nanotubes chitosan beads (STNTs-Ch beads), used to remove cadmium from wastewater. The environmental impacts associated with the synthesis of the nanomaterial and the final adsorbent, including use and recycling, were evaluated. The hotspot of the process was the synthesis of the nanomaterial, mainly due to high electricity consumption, suggesting that energy use must be reduced in the scaling up. The chemicals used may become an environmental problem once electricity consumption in the process is optimised on a large-scale process. The environmental impacts associated with the synthesis and the use of the process were compared with granular activated carbon (produced on industrial scale), a resin based on titanium dioxide (pilot scale), and an adsorbent based on a residue after alginate extraction (laboratory scale). Granular activated carbon had the lowest impacts, suggesting again that optimisation of energy and chemicals should be prioritised in the production of emerging materials.
(Less)
- author
- Garcia Gonzalez, Maria Nelly
LU
; Quiroga-Flores, Roxana
LU
and Börjesson, Pål
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022-03
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Cadmium, Life cycle assessment, Nanoadsorbents, Recycling, Wastewater
- in
- Cleaner Environmental Systems
- volume
- 4
- article number
- 100071
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85128547624
- ISSN
- 2666-7894
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.cesys.2022.100071
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 5b3c88b1-7b3d-4404-b8ff-57e71ef881e2
- date added to LUP
- 2022-07-01 12:07:28
- date last changed
- 2023-05-10 11:18:59
@article{5b3c88b1-7b3d-4404-b8ff-57e71ef881e2,
abstract = {{<p>Many nanoadsorbents are reported in the literature, exhibiting remarkable properties in the removal of low concentrations of toxic metals. However, their environmental performance has not yet been well studied. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out for a previously reported nanomaterial-based adsorbent, silicate-titanate nanotubes chitosan beads (STNTs-Ch beads), used to remove cadmium from wastewater. The environmental impacts associated with the synthesis of the nanomaterial and the final adsorbent, including use and recycling, were evaluated. The hotspot of the process was the synthesis of the nanomaterial, mainly due to high electricity consumption, suggesting that energy use must be reduced in the scaling up. The chemicals used may become an environmental problem once electricity consumption in the process is optimised on a large-scale process. The environmental impacts associated with the synthesis and the use of the process were compared with granular activated carbon (produced on industrial scale), a resin based on titanium dioxide (pilot scale), and an adsorbent based on a residue after alginate extraction (laboratory scale). Granular activated carbon had the lowest impacts, suggesting again that optimisation of energy and chemicals should be prioritised in the production of emerging materials.</p>}},
author = {{Garcia Gonzalez, Maria Nelly and Quiroga-Flores, Roxana and Börjesson, Pål}},
issn = {{2666-7894}},
keywords = {{Cadmium; Life cycle assessment; Nanoadsorbents; Recycling; Wastewater}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Cleaner Environmental Systems}},
title = {{Life cycle assessment of a nanomaterial-based adsorbent developed on lab scale for cadmium removal : Comparison of the impacts of production, use and recycling}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cesys.2022.100071}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.cesys.2022.100071}},
volume = {{4}},
year = {{2022}},
}