Life Cycle Assessment of Water Supply Plans in Mediterranean Spain
The Ebro River Transfer Versus the Agua Programme
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19466946 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Iván Muñoz (0000-0002-1606-5445, University of Almería, corresponding author), Llorenç Milà‐i‐Canals, Mila‐I‐Canals Llorenc (Unilever (United Kingdom)), Amadeo R Fernández‐Alba (0000-0002-9715-3489, University of Almería) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 902-918 |
| Publication date | 2010-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Industrial Ecology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1088-1980 • E-ISSN: 1530-9290 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1530-9290.2010.00271.x |
| OpenAlex | W2131901707 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 17 |
Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to compare the current water supply planning in Mediterranean Spain, the so‐called AGUA Programme, with its predecessor, the Ebro river water transfer (ERWT). Whereas the ERWT was based on a single interbasin transfer, the AGUA Programme excludes new transfers and focuses instead on different types of resources, including seawater and brackish water desalination and wastewater reuse, among others. The study includes not only water supply but the whole anthropic cycle of water, from water abstraction to wastewater treatment. In addition to standard LCA impact categories, a specific impact category focusing on freshwater resources is included, which takes into account freshwater scarcity in the affected water catchments. In most impact categories the AGUA Programme obtains similar or even lower impact scores than ERWT. Concerning impacts on freshwater resources, the AGUA Programme obtains an impact score 49% lower than the ERWT. Although the current water planning appears to perform better in many impact categories than its predecessor, this study shows that water supply in Spanish Mediterranean regions is substantially increasing its energy intensity and that Mediterranean basins suffer a very high level of water stress due to increasing demand and limited resources
Brackish water · Desalination · Geography · Life-cycle assessment · Mediterranean climate · Salinity · Wastewater · Water conservation · Water resource management · Water resources · Water scarcity · Water supply · Water use · Environmental Science · Wastewater Treatment and Reuse · Water resources management and optimization · Water-Energy-Food Nexus Studies · Ecology · Environmental Engineering
| Citations per year | 0.2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2016 - 2018 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |