Assessing the environmental impacts of reclaimed and conventional water in hydroponics based on a life cycle assessment approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT As the global population approaches 9 billion by 2050, challenges of food and water scarcity intensify. Hydroponics, an innovative and eco-friendly technology, has gained prominence in addressing these challenges. This study employs Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to comprehensively evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of utilizing reclaimed water in a hydroponic system. Results from midpoint, endpoint, and normalized analyses reveal key contributors to the hydroponic system's environmental burden, including water, substrates, fertilizers, and energy sources. Significant impacts have been observed in marine and terrestrial ecotoxicity, as well as photochemical ozone formation. Reclaimed water consistently demonstrates lower environmental impacts compared to conventional water across various indicators, such as climate change (131 kg CO2 eq.), fine particulate matter formation (0.108 kg PM2.5 eq.), and freshwater consumption (0.291 cubic meters). The study emphasizes the potential of hydroponics with reclaimed water to offer sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural practices. The detailed LCA results provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders, promoting the adoption of hydroponics to address food and water scarcity challenges. From the findings, reclaimed water in hydroponics lowers the environmental impacts as compared to conventional water and PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) along with electricity is the major contributor in environmental burden.