A wholelife cost and carbon perspective of alternatives to septic tanks utilising nature-based solutions

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dc.contributor.authorBrown, Gareth C.
dc.contributor.authorMacAdam, Jitka
dc.contributor.authorDotro, Gabriela
dc.contributor.authorJefferson, Bruce
dc.date.accessioned2023-08-15T11:11:39Z
dc.date.available2023-08-15T11:11:39Z
dc.date.issued2023-06-24
dc.description.abstractSeptic tank systems (STSs) are widely utilised flowsheets for decentralised wastewater treatment in the UK. With a growing consensus that STSs have a sizeable detrimental impact on the environment, there is a need for rural flowsheets with improved treatment capabilities. This study examines the lifetime cost and carbon emissions of using an enhanced septic tank nature-based solution (EST-NBS) to improve STS compared to a package treatment system (submerged aerated filter (SAF)). The wholelife cost (WLC) of the flowsheets and Scope 2 cradle-to-grave lifetime carbon emissions (LCEs) of the flowsheets were assessed. The EST-NBS flowsheets represent a lower cost improved treatment system than SAFs at population equivalents (PEs) from 5 to 1,000. An STS averages an LCE of over 4,000 kg CO2eq PE−1, with all other considered flowsheets having lower emissions. The EST-NBS flowsheets had lower carbon emissions than SAFs. Even at low populations upgrading from an STS to an EST-NBS is a competitive abatement strategy, with costs of £260 tCO2eq−1 emissions avoided, at 1,000 PE an NBS flowsheet has an abatement cost of –£17 tCO2eq−1. This shows the potential of using NBS flowsheets in rural wastewater treatment providing both a carbon and cost incentive against traditional designs.en_UK
dc.identifier.citationBrown GC, MacAdam J, Dotro G, Jefferson B. (2023) A wholelife cost and carbon perspective of alternatives to septic tanks utilising nature-based solutions. H2Open Journal, Volume 6, Issue 3, September 2023, pp. 361-372en_UK
dc.identifier.issn2616-6518
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.2166/h2oj.2023.002
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/20088
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherIWA Publishingen_UK
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/*
dc.subjectLCAen_UK
dc.subjectnature-based solutionsen_UK
dc.subjectseptic tanksen_UK
dc.subjectWLCen_UK
dc.titleA wholelife cost and carbon perspective of alternatives to septic tanks utilising nature-based solutionsen_UK
dc.typeArticleen_UK

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