Recovery Strategies of Contaminated Marine Sediments: A Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

This study performed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on recovery strategies of dredged contaminated marine sediments in a large Mediterranean port located in central Italy (Tuscany) in order to find the most environmentally sound solution. The study considered marine sediments polluted by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and/or organic compounds, two different sediment particle sizes and the combined use of three soil remediation technologies: soil washing, electrokinetic treatment and enhanced landfarming. The analyzed scenarios depended on the sediment properties and characteristics of the treatment technologies investigated, and were compared with the corresponding reference scenarios, consisting of the landfilling of dredged contaminated sediments. The LCA results show that scenarios associated with sediment recovery generated potential environmental impacts lower than the corresponding reference scenarios. Almost all the impact categories considered in the CML-IA baseline method showed an environmental convenience in the recovery of contaminated sediments, especially for abiotic depletion and global warming. Future studies should focus on optimizing the combined use of multiple technologies and reducing the resource consumptions related to their implementation in order to achieve both environmental and economic benefits.