Page 276 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

Support Sustainable Wastewater Treatment in Developing Countries 257

12.4.7 iso sTanDarDs aDopTion
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards related to LCAs,
mainly ISO 14040 and 14044, are among the main references developed to offer an
organized methodology to execute an LCA study independently of the LCA model
adopted, as they present global recommendations that aim to provide reliability to
the study. So, from the results obtained, it is noted that 65% of the recorded studies
followed ISO LCA standards, which represents the majority of the analyzed papers.
The adoption of ISO LCA standards is not necessarily obligatory to guarantee the
quality of the LCA results, but is a good practice, as it provides directions about
crucial steps. In the context of developing countries, in which LCA studies are still
scarce and this approach is not completely mastered, the adoption of ISO proce-
dures or other standards that provide guidance to LCA studies is recommended and
encouraged.

12.4.8 lca approacH anD MeTHoDology
In terms of LCA approach, 80% of the studies analyzed, that is, the huge major-
ity, adopted a midpoint approach, 10% used endpoint analysis, and 10% considered
both approaches. The preference for midpoint analysis is likely due to the fact that
it explicitly presents the potential impact caused, which facilitates interpretation,
whereas the endpoint approach presents the results aggregated in terms of protection
areas affected. However, if the objective of the study is to obtain overall information
about the impact of the wastewater system proposed, endpoint is likely more suitable.
Concerning LCA methodology, as presented in Figure 12.5, CML was the most
widely used LCA model in the recorded studies. CML was developed by Guinée et
al. (2002) and follows a midpoint approach. The predominance of this method was
expected, as CML was one of the first LCA models to be disseminated worldwide,
and it is still one of the preferred approaches. However, if the study aims to adopt

18 17
16
Number of publications 12 8 6 5 9
14

10

2 4 1 1 2 2
0
Ecological scarcity Ecoindicator
LIME EDP TRACI ReCiPe CML

FIGURE 12.5 LCA methodologies adopted in the studies reviewed.