DC14: Environmental safety and life cycle assessment of the technologies for self-sustain wastewater treatment (WP4)
Host institution: University of Aveiro (Portugal)
Supervisor: Isabel Lopes (PhD promoter)
Objectives: (i) Screening technologies developed in other work packages using environmental safety protocols, (ii) conducting life-cycle assessment studies of the screened developed energy-neutral wastewater treatment.
DC14 will start with evaluating the environmental hazards using standard ecotoxicity assays, recommended by EU REACH legislation, to the compounds and processes being developed In WP1, 2 and 3. Subsequently, LCA will be performed based on ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards and European recommendations on Product Environmental Footprint on those technologies successfully to produce high quality treated effluents. The LCA methodology relies on the collection of inventory data on the consumption of materials and energy, and emissions to the environment. DC14 will further model the inventory to quantify environmental impacts such as climate change (equivalent to the carbon footprint), acidification, eutrophication, toxicity, and resource depletion. Primary data will be collected from activities developed in WP1, 2 and 3, whereas secondary data for the background processes (e.g. electricity production at the national grid) will be retrieved from LCA databases and literature. For the conventional processes, data will be obtained from LCA databases and literature.
Expected results: Hazard characterization of the processes developed in WP1, 2 and 3 to scientifically-support the selection of the ones that are most environmentally, and assessment of the environmental performance of the most environmentally safe technologies (developed in WP1, 2 and 3), from a life cycle perspective, to scientifically-support the selection of the ones with the lowest impacts.
Planned secondments:
- UT (Sup.: I. Zekker): M12-15, 4 months: Introduction of microbial biotransformation processes for key priority pollutants;
- TIMESEER (Sup.: S. Verhelst): M33-35; 3 months: Integration of machine learning and life-cycle analysis
Enrolment in Doctoral degree: Doctoral Program in biology, University of Aveiro (PT)
Ideal candidate profile:
- Experience in performing the ecotoxicity assessment by using standard assays recommended by EU legislation (e.g. REACH).
- Solid knowledge in the implementation of univariate and multivariate statistical approaches to the data obtained from ecotoxicity laboratory experiments with various biological models.
- Practice in performing hazard assessment frameworks for wastewaters
- Preference will be given to candidates with proven experience in the application of life cycle assessment methodology.
Recruited candidate: Rita Ewela Ojo