RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Assessing eco-efficiency of wastewater treatment plants: A cross-evaluation strategy
A1 Sala Garrido, Ramón
A1 Maziotis, Alexandros
A1 Mocholi Arce, Manuel
A1 Molinos Senante, María
K1 Aguas residuales Depuración
K1 Water Pollution Control
K1 Regulation
K1 Greenhouse gas emissions
K1 Benchmarking
K1 Regulación
K1 Emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero
K1 Evaluación comparativa
K1 3308.10 Tecnología de Aguas Residuales
AB Evaluating the eco-efficiency of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is crucial for enhancing environmental and economic performance in the water utility sector. Previous studies in this area estimated WWTP eco-efficiency through self-evaluation, which might have led to overestimation and biased policy recommendations. To address these issues, this study applies a cross-evaluation strategy, combining self-evaluation and peer-evaluation, to assess the eco-efficiency of WWTPs. The empirical application focuses on a sample of Spanish WWTPs, yielding the following key findings. Average eco-efficiency scores were 0.353 and 0.230, for self-evaluation and global peer-evaluation approaches, respectively, confirming the overestimation of eco-efficiency scores based on self-evaluation. If WWTPs were eco-efficient, they could potentially reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 0.39 kg CO2eq/year. The application of reliable methods, such as peer-evaluation, for eco-efficiency assessment of WWTPs provides water regulators with a comprehensive understanding of the environmental and economic performance of WWTPs. This knowledge guides decision-making, policy development, and resource allocation, facilitating sustainable and efficient wastewater management practices.
PB Elsevier
SN 0048-9697
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/60663
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/60663
LA eng
NO Science of The Total Environment, 2023, vol. 900, 165839
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 30-jun-2024