Impacts of Advanced Treatment on Climate Change — Evaluating the Carbon Footprint of Membrane Filtration and Advanced Oxidation Processes for Water Reuse Treatment

Advanced treatment can produce exceptional water quality, with nearly complete removal of pathogens and micro-constituents. However, this comes at a high energy cost and increased carbon footprint. Is the incremental reduction in human health risk worth the corresponding increase in GHG emissions and impacts to climate change? Clearly there is no way of making a direct comparison based on a common metric. This paper presents both sides of this debate and provides valuable information to discuss the best use of water resources to alleviate water shortages through beneficial reuse while not expending a significant amount of carbon resources in doing so.