Functionalization of polymeric membrane by plasma

Functionalization of polymeric membrane
by plasma treatment: the LCA case study
of NANOPUR project
Stefano Zuin, Petra Scanferla, Gabriella Da Ponte and
Sabine Paulussen
4th Dissemination Workshop of the Nano4water cluster
Nano Enabled System and Membranes for Water Treatment
23-24 April 2014, Stockholm, Sweden
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Outline
•  Introduction
–  The NANOPUR project
•  LCA case study in NANOPUR
– 
– 
– 
– 
LCA of water / wastewater treatment
Goal & scope
Inventory modelling
Impact assessment
•  LCA preliminary results
•  Conclusions & Outlooks
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The NANOPUR project
OBJECTIVE: Development of
nanostructured polymeric
membranes that combine high
hydraulic permeability and lowfouling properties with high
selectivity for removal of viruses
or micropollutants by
q  innovative integration of novel
bottom-up technologies
developed by consortium
partners in the field of
polymeric membranes, surface
treatments and biofunctional
materials.
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CONCEPT:
TP1 - Synthesis of nanostructured low fouling UF/
MF membranes
TP2 - Synthesis of
bioselective UF/MF
membranes
Improved membrane
performance
Removal of viruses and
micropollutants
Integration
Application testing and upscaling of bioaffinitiy
membranes with high
hydraulic permeability
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The NANOPUR project
TP1: Synthesis of nano-structured low fouling UF/MF membranes by means
•  Investigation of phase inversion processes using fluorinated and sulfone
polymers
•  Use of tailored block copolymers as surface-segregating additives and
self-assembly membrane building blocks
•  Atmospheric plasma technology for surface activation and deposition of
ultrathin functional layers
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LCA activities in NANOPUR
The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a
well-recognized methodology quantifying
inputs and outputs as well as the
potential environmental impacts
associated with a product throughout its
whole life cycle.
Within the NANOPUR project, the
potential environmental impacts posed by
the nano-structured low fouling UF/MF
membranes are evaluated by means
LCA, in accordance with the ISO 14040
std. and ILCD handbook.
LCA framework (ISO 14040; 2006)
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LCA applied to water and wastewater treatment
•  A literature review on LCA applied to wastewater treatment (WWT)
processes was performed in the project
•  Many authors recognize that the comparison of different studies
represents a challenge due to the different approaches utilized
–  different types of water treated (sea, rivers, sewage, etc.) and the variability of
their properties (composition, flow rates, seasonal related constraints, etc.),
making each treatment plant unique and site specific;
–  highly adaptable operation conditions in response to the raw water quality
fluctuations (variation of energy and material input/output);
–  many possible technical solutions (i.e., types of unit process and their
combinations) in the design phase;
–  variability of unit process’s operating conditions (physicochemical parameters)
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Consorzio Venezia Ricerche
Ricerca applicata e trasferimento tecnologico
Authors
PCR of EPD system.
2014 (UN CPC 9411 and
UN CPC 9423)
System / product
WW collection and
treatment services
Life cycle
phase
All, from sewage
system, plant
construction to
final by-product
FU
effluent
use
1 m3 of
waste water
ALL
Impact
assessment
methodology
WWT SYSTEMS OR ONLY TERTIARY TREATMENTS / DISINFECTION (comparative LCA)
•  LCA is often used to compare
potable water production plants
on the basis of the environmental
impacts.
•  The operation phase has the
highest potential environmental
damages.
•  When MBRs and NF system are
compared with conventional
techniques, the energy use during
operation is a key element that
needs to be optimized
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Corominas et al. 2013
Water research 47: 54805492
23/45 studies
included only the
operation of the
WWTP and
REVIEW of 45 peerneglected the
reviewed papers on
environmental
LCA applied to WWTs
load of the
construction
and demolition
phases
60% of the
papers
Agricultural
used
application
volume as was the most
common
m3 or ML,
only 9% of the scenario for
studies refer the final disposal
functional unit
(30 papers)
19 selected CML, 7
EDIP 97, 3 Ecoindicator 99, 2
Impact 2002+ , 1
EPS , 2 eco-points
97 and 1 ReCiPe
to the life-span
of the plant
Igos et al. 2013.
Sci. Total Environ. 443:
367–374
drinking WWTs
comparison
Only operational
phase
1 m3 of
treated
water
Potable
water
ReCiPe, Stepwise
and Eco-costs
Focus on costperformance
Yoann et al. 2013.
Int J Life Cycle Assess
(2013) 18:1062–1070
drinking WWTs ,
comparison of LCA
methods
Only operational
phase
1 m3 of
drinking
water
Potable
water
Impact 2002+
drinking WWTs
comparison
Construction, use
phases and
decomissioning
1 m3 of
simulated
effluent
Potable
water
Impact 2002+
Bonton et al. 2012.
Desalinization 284:42–54.
Pasqualino et al. 2011.
Environ. Sci. Technol. 43
(9), 3300–3307
All the processes
from wastewater
comparison of Tertiary collection
comparison
3
1 m of
Treatment and
all different CML 2000
to final disposal or
waste water
disinfection
uses
reuse. Exclude the
construction
and dismantling
Larsen et al. 2010.
Project NEPTUNE
Guideline based on LCA
Construction only
1 m3 of
Ozonation, sand
of the systems
Effluent to
EDIP97
filtration, PAC addition analysed,
waste water environment
operational phase
Raluy et al. 2006.
Energy 31 (13),
2361–2372.
MSF, MED, and RO
desalination
technologies
Construction only
of the systems
analysed,
operational phase
45,500
EI 99, Ecopoints
3
Potable
m /day of
97 and CML 2
Consorzio
Venezia
Ricerche
water
potable
baseline
Ricerca applicata e trasferimento
tecnologico
water
Authors
PCR of EPD system.
2014 (UN CPC 9411 and
UN CPC 9423)
• 
• 
• 
The functional unit (FU) is very
often m3. Although m3 presents
more intuitive results, the FU
regarding the contaminant
removed has proved to better
reflect the function of a WWTP
(from cradle to gate)
With regard to the boundary
system, around 60% of the
studies included only the
operation phase. Sludge
treatment and disposal have a
significant contribution to the
overall impacts
The most used impact assessment
methods are Impact 2002+ and
ReCiPe, then Ecoindicator 99.
Consorzio Venezia Ricerche c/o PST VEGA di Venezia, Via della Libertà 12
30175 Venezia Marghera (VE) - Italy - www.veneziaricerche.it
System / product
WW collection and
treatment services
Life cycle
phase
All, from sewage
system, plant
construction to
final by-product
FU
effluent
use
1 m3 of
waste water
ALL
Impact
assessment
methodology
WWT SYSTEMS OR ONLY TERTIARY TREATMENTS / DISINFECTION (comparative LCA)
Corominas et al. 2013
Water research 47: 54805492
23/45 studies
included only the
operation of the
WWTP and
REVIEW of 45 peerneglected the
reviewed papers on
environmental
LCA applied to WWTs
load of the
construction
and demolition
phases
60% of the
papers
Agricultural
used
application
volume as was the most
common
m3 or ML,
only 9% of the scenario for
studies refer the final disposal
functional unit
(30 papers)
19 selected CML, 7
EDIP 97, 3 Ecoindicator 99, 2
Impact 2002+ , 1
EPS , 2 eco-points
97 and 1 ReCiPe
to the life-span
of the plant
Igos et al. 2013.
Sci. Total Environ. 443:
367–374
drinking WWTs
comparison
Only operational
phase
1 m3 of
treated
water
Potable
water
ReCiPe, Stepwise
and Eco-costs
Focus on costperformance
Yoann et al. 2013.
Int J Life Cycle Assess
(2013) 18:1062–1070
drinking WWTs ,
comparison of LCA
methods
Only operational
phase
1 m3 of
drinking
water
Potable
water
Impact 2002+
drinking WWTs
comparison
Construction, use
phases and
decomissioning
1 m3 of
simulated
effluent
Potable
water
Impact 2002+
Bonton et al. 2012.
Desalinization 284:42–54.
Pasqualino et al. 2011.
Environ. Sci. Technol. 43
(9), 3300–3307
All the processes
from wastewater
comparison of Tertiary collection
comparison
3
1 m of
Treatment and
all different CML 2000
to final disposal or
waste water
disinfection
uses
reuse. Exclude the
construction
and dismantling
Larsen et al. 2010.
Project NEPTUNE
Guideline based on LCA
Construction only
1 m3 of
Ozonation, sand
of the systems
Effluent to
EDIP97
filtration, PAC addition analysed,
waste water environment
operational phase
Raluy et al. 2006.
Energy 31 (13),
2361–2372.
MSF, MED, and RO
desalination
technologies
Construction only
of the systems
analysed,
operational phase
45,500
EI 99, Ecopoints
3
Potable
m /day of
97 and CML 2
Consorzio
Venezia
Ricerche
water
potable
baseline
Ricerca applicata e trasferimento
tecnologico
water
• 
• 
One study focused on membrane
system, with a LCA of different
operating conditions of a MF
membrane process
Authors
System / product
Tangsubkul et al. 2006. J. MF membrane
Membr. Sci. 284:
(comparison of
214–226.
operating condition)
Life cycle
phase
FU
effluent
use
1 ML/day of
Membrane
reusable (not
water
manufacturing and
specified)
use
produced
The results showed that MF process at a low flux with a high maximum
transmembrane pressure (TMPmax) offers the most environmentally favorable
outcomes. However, the main disadvantage of operating in this mode is the
associated large area of membrane required.
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Goal & scope
Goal of the study
•  To assess the impacts posed by the production of low fouling nanostructured membrane (from cradle to gate)
Scope of the study
•  PVDF flat sheet membranes for MF/UF water treatment
Functional unit
•  One m2 of PVDF membrane
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LCA case study
System boundary
•  A cradle to gate, i.e. a partial product life cycle, from resource extraction to
the factory gate. The use phase and disposal phase of the product are not
included.
Examined system
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System boundary
•  Details of phase inversion process (GVS group; Italy)
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Inventory modelling
General considerations:
n 
n 
n 
n 
Phase inversion process:
PVDF + DMA system
Access to production data
(real data on substance used,
energy consumption, waste
amounts, etc.)
Precursors / secondary data
taken from Ecoinvent data v2.2
Energy supply: UCTE system
(mix of coal, gas, oil, nuclear,
hydro, biomass and wind
energy).
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Inventory modelling
Assumptions:
n 
n 
Phase inversion process: PVF
instead of PVDF from
available dataset of ecoinvent
v.2.2
Module production: we
inventoried raw material (e.g.
polymer, glue,.. ), not
processing of components.
Module packaging
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Impact assessment
To quantify the impact on
both level (i.e. midpoint and
endpoint) by the use of
•  IMPACT 2002+ method
(Jolliet et al., 2003)
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Results
Flow diagram:
overall impact (%)
(cut off=0.1%)
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Results
Non-renewable resource depletion and global warming (GWP)
Extraction and use of fossil resource for
e.g. polymer production (PVDF)
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Results:
Acquatic ecotoxocity and acidification
Treatment of wastewater from coaugulation
batch and washing membrane
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Results
Carcinogens and respiratory organics
Hydrocarbons emissions to air due
to the polymers packaging used for
module (polyester, polyolefin..)
NMVC emission to air
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Results
Damage categories
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The results for Human Health (HH)
damage category are greatly
dominated by the polymer use;
while for the ecosystem quality
damage categories the WW
treatment is the most relevant
contribute.
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Results
Damage categories
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The results for Climate Change
(CC) and Resources (R) damage
categories are greatly dominated by
the use of fossil-based polymers
and energy.
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Results
Process contribution
WW generated from
coaugulation bath and
rinsing of membrane
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Results
Process contribution
PVDF production
and electricity
used, are the
most fossil
resourcesintensive
processes.
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Results
Process contribution
Nonowen used
as support during
membrane
casting
contributes in
Ozone Layer
Depletion
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Conclusions & outlooks
•  Membrane manufacturing by phase inversion process has the greatest
contribution to almost all impact categories
•  Module production has the greatest impact for carcinogens and
respiratory organics impact categories
•  The plasma treatment has a lower environmental impact compared to
phase inversion and module production.
•  The main contributes to overall impact are due to wastewater, electricity
consumed and polymers used for membrane manufacturing
•  The Europe energy mix has been taking into account here, where more
of the 61 % of the total electricity production is obtained from extraction
of fossil fuels.
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Conclusions & outlooks
•  The use phase is not included: next work will include in-service phase of
membrane
•  Pilot plant will be designed to test membrane modules during the task
5.5: during this operational phase, chemicals, materials and energy
inputs and emissions that are required to run the plant will be considered.
•  Processes that will be included in the operational phase are pumping of
filtrate, backwashing, and chemical cleaning of the membranes:
comparative LCA may be performed!
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Acknowledgements
This work was founded by the
European Commission within the
Seventh Framework Program
(Nanopur project; contract no.
280595).
Thanks to NANOPUR partner:
GVS for phase inversion process,
VITO for plasma treatment, and
De Martini for module production.
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30175 Venezia Marghera (VE) - Italy - www.veneziaricerche.it
Consorzio Venezia Ricerche
Ricerca applicata e trasferimento tecnologico
Thank You very much
Stefano Zuin, Ph.D.
Consorzio Venezia Ricerche
Via della Libertà 12, c/o Parco Scientifico e Tecnologico
VEGA
30175, Venezia
Fax +39 0415093074
Tel +39 0415093132
[email protected]
www.veneziaricerche.it
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