IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i7p2685-d1363390.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Enhancing Sustainability in Italian Water Supply Pipes through Life Cycle Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Isabela Maria Simion

    (Research Department, Iasi University of Life Sciences “Ion Ionescu de la Brad”, Mihail Sadoveanu Alley 3, 700490 Iasi, Romania)

  • Sara Pennellini

    (Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Material Engineering, University of Bologna, Via Terracini 28, 40131 Bologna, Italy)

  • Eric Awere

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Cape Coast Technical University, Cape Coast P.O. Box DL 50, Ghana)

  • Alessandro Rosatti

    (Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Material Engineering, University of Bologna, Via Terracini 28, 40131 Bologna, Italy)

  • Alessandra Bonoli

    (Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Material Engineering, University of Bologna, Via Terracini 28, 40131 Bologna, Italy)

Abstract

The primary concern regarding the sustainability of the urban water cycle remains the performance of water supply systems. This, in turn, is determined by the functionality and sustainability of the system components, such as the pipe networks, pumps, and other appurtenances, which must be analyzed from an environmental perspective. The aim of the present study is to analyze the sustainability of two different types of water supply pipe materials that are commonly used, polyvinyl chloride and high-density polyethylene, using a comparative Life Cycle Analysis methodology. The functional unit was established in accordance with the water supply system that serves an Italian metropolitan city with a dimension of 9240 km, as one meter of water supply infrastructure, with 40 years as a life span. A cradle-to-gate analysis was conducted, starting from the production phase of the water pipelines to the maintenance phase, excluding the end of life and disposal phases. The chosen methodology was CML, justified by the fact that the results are more understandable and reproducible. Results comparison revealed a higher environmental impact during the production phase, while the maintenance phase had a very low impact. Notably, PVC pipe in comparison with HDPE material had a higher impact, except in two categories of impact: abiotic depletion and photochemical oxidation. The study contributes to the future development of alternative approaches for sustainable and eco-efficient water supply infrastructure designs and materials.

Suggested Citation

  • Isabela Maria Simion & Sara Pennellini & Eric Awere & Alessandro Rosatti & Alessandra Bonoli, 2024. "Enhancing Sustainability in Italian Water Supply Pipes through Life Cycle Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-14, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:7:p:2685-:d:1363390
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/7/2685/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/7/2685/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Janusz R. Rak & Katarzyna Pietrucha-Urbanik, 2019. "An Approach to Determine Risk Indices for Drinking Water–Study Investigation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-12, June.
    2. Cherubini, Francesco & Bargigli, Silvia & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2009. "Life cycle assessment (LCA) of waste management strategies: Landfilling, sorting plant and incineration," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(12), pages 2116-2123.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sevigné Itoiz, E. & Gasol, C.M & Farreny, R. & Rieradevall, J. & Gabarrell, X., 2013. "CO2ZW: Carbon footprint tool for municipal solid waste management for policy options in Europe. Inventory of Mediterranean countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 623-632.
    2. Shi, Yi & Deng, Yawen & Wang, Guoan & Xu, Jiuping, 2020. "Stackelberg equilibrium-based eco-economic approach for sustainable development of kitchen waste disposal with subsidy policy: A case study from China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    3. Jacopo Zotti & Andrea Bigano, 2019. "Write circular economy, read economy’s circularity. How to avoid going in circles," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 36(2), pages 629-652, July.
    4. Junlong Li & Chuangneng Cai & Feng Zhang, 2020. "Assessment of Ecological Efficiency and Environmental Sustainability of the Minjiang-Source in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-15, June.
    5. Nabavi-Pelesaraei, Ashkan & Azadi, Hossein & Van Passel, Steven & Saber, Zahra & Hosseini-Fashami, Fatemeh & Mostashari-Rad, Fatemeh & Ghasemi-Mobtaker, Hassan, 2021. "Prospects of solar systems in production chain of sunflower oil using cold press method with concentrating energy and life cycle assessment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    6. Pöschl, Martina & Ward, Shane & Owende, Philip, 2010. "Evaluation of energy efficiency of various biogas production and utilization pathways," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(11), pages 3305-3321, November.
    7. Sofia Dahlgren & Jonas Ammenberg, 2021. "Sustainability Assessment of Public Transport, Part II—Applying a Multi-Criteria Assessment Method to Compare Different Bus Technologies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-30, January.
    8. Hatem Abushammala & Muhammad Adil Masood & Salma Taqi Ghulam & Jia Mao, 2023. "On the Conversion of Paper Waste and Rejects into High-Value Materials and Energy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, April.
    9. G. Perkoulidis & A. Malamakis & G. Banias & N. Moussiopoulos, 2022. "Development of a Methodological Framework for the Evaluation of the Material and Energy Recovery Potential of Municipal Solid Waste Management: Implementation in Five Greek Regions," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 2(1), pages 313-326, March.
    10. Agostinho, Feni & Almeida, Cecília M.V.B. & Bonilla, Silvia H. & Sacomano, José B. & Giannetti, Biagio F., 2013. "Urban solid waste plant treatment in Brazil: Is there a net emergy yield on the recovered materials?," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 143-155.
    11. Akbulut, Abdullah, 2012. "Techno-economic analysis of electricity and heat generation from farm-scale biogas plant: Çiçekdağı case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 381-390.
    12. Jamie E. Filer & Justin D. Delorit & Andrew J. Hoisington & Steven J. Schuldt, 2020. "Optimizing the Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Remote Community Infrastructure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-15, March.
    13. Liu, Gengyuan & Yang, Zhifeng & Chen, Bin & Zhang, Lixiao, 2013. "Modelling a thermodynamic-based comparative framework for urban sustainability: Incorporating economic and ecological losses into emergy analysis," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 252(C), pages 280-287.
    14. Fazeli, Alireza & Bakhtvar, Farzaneh & Jahanshaloo, Leila & Che Sidik, Nor Azwadi & Bayat, Ali Esfandyari, 2016. "Malaysia׳s stand on municipal solid waste conversion to energy: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1007-1016.
    15. Grima-Olmedo, C. & Ramírez-Gómez, Á. & Alcalde-Cartagena, R., 2014. "Energetic performance of landfill and digester biogas in a domestic cooker," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 301-308.
    16. Emanuele Bonamente & Lara Pelliccia & Maria Cleofe Merico & Sara Rinaldi & Alessandro Petrozzi, 2015. "The Multifunctional Environmental Energy Tower: Carbon Footprint and Land Use Analysis of an Integrated Renewable Energy Plant," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(10), pages 1-21, October.
    17. Marco Abis & Martina Bruno & Kerstin Kuchta & Franz-Georg Simon & Raul Grönholm & Michel Hoppe & Silvia Fiore, 2020. "Assessment of the Synergy between Recycling and Thermal Treatments in Municipal Solid Waste Management in Europe," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-15, December.
    18. Di Maria, Francesco & Micale, Caterina & Contini, Stefano, 2016. "Energetic and environmental sustainability of the co-digestion of sludge with bio-waste in a life cycle perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 67-76.
    19. Tao Li & Yimiao Song & Jing Shen, 2019. "Clean Power Dispatching of Coal-Fired Power Generation in China Based on the Production Cleanliness Evaluation Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-19, November.
    20. Tang, YuTing & Ma, XiaoQian & Lai, ZhiYi & Chen, Yong, 2013. "Energy analysis and environmental impacts of a MSW oxy-fuel incineration power plant in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 132-141.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:7:p:2685-:d:1363390. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.