RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Environmental and socio-economic evaluation of a groundwater bioremediation technology using social Cost-Benefit Analysis: Application to an in-situ metal(loid) precipitation case study
A1 Ibáñez Porras, Jesús
A1 Pérez de Mora, Alfredo
A1 Santiago Herrera, Mario
A1 Belloncle, Benjamine
A1 De Wilde, Herwig
A1 Martel Martín, Sonia
A1 Blanco Alcántara, David
A1 Barros García, Rocío
K1 Bioremediation
K1 Environmental Life Cycle Costing
K1 mpact Pathway Approach
K1 Life Cycle Assessment
K1 Social Cost-Benefit Analysis
K1 Bioquímica
K1 Biochemistry
K1 Biorremediación
K1 Bioremediation
AB Bioremediation can be an alternative or complementary approach to conventional soil and water treatment technologies. Determining the environmental and socio-economic impacts of bioremediation is important but rarely addressed. This work presents a comprehensive sustainability assessment for a specific groundwater bioremediation case study based on In-situ Metal(loid) Precipitation (ISMP) by conducting a social Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) using two different approaches: environmental Life Cycle Costing (eLCC) and Impact Pathway Approach (IPA). Externalities are calculated in two ways: i) using Environmental Prices (EP) to monetize Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results and metal(loid)s removed at field scale, and ii) following the IPA steps to determine the social costs avoided by removing arsenic contamination at full scale. The results show that, in the baseline scenario, the project is not socio-economically viable in both cases as the Net Present Value (NPV) is −129,512.61 € and − 415,185,140 € respectively. Sensitivity and scenario analyses are performed to identify the key parameters and actions needed to reach a positive NPV. For instance, increasing the amount of water treated per year to 90 m3 and assuming a 20 % increase in operation costs and a 60 % increase in construction costs can make the project socio-economically viable at the field scale, while a reduction in the social discount rate from a 4 % to a 2 % can lead to a positive NPV at the full scale. The approaches proposed in this work may be useful for practitioners and policymakers when evaluating the environmental and socio-economic impacts of bioremediation technologies at different scales and regions, as well as human health impacts caused by contaminants at the current legal limits.
PB Elsevier
SN 0048-9697
YR 2024
FD 2024-12
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10259/9651
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10259/9651
LA eng
NO This research has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 - Research and Innovation Framework Programme (Grant Agreement No. 826312) in the context of the GREENER project.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Burgos
RD 23-nov-2024