PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
To assess the environmental impact of wastewater treatment, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a frequently applied instrument. However, these studies often require large amounts of data. The complexity and heterogeneity of these data result in the need for a systematic data management approach. Especially the generation of the life cycle inventory (LCI) holds the potential to be facilitated by automation. A case study in the wastewater sector was used to demonstrate the implementation of data management. A database structure was developed to store the raw data of the wastewater plants (WWTPs) and make it accessible through code. The code interacted with the database, implemented calculations, and automatically created the inventory based on the processed data. The database provides a consistent structure for the raw data and can also be used for backup purposes. Because it is machine-readable it can be accessed through the code that enables the automated generation of the LCI. As a proof of concept, a sequence of the code is provided with a user interface and can be tested online. We found that for most use cases, basic programming tools were sufficient for systematic data management, and, therefore, the approach is considered accessible for LCA practitioners.
摘要：
为了评估废水处理对环境的影响，生命周期评估(LCA)是一种常用的工具。然而,这些研究往往需要大量的数据。这些数据的复杂性和异构性导致需要系统的数据管理方法。特别是生命周期清单（LCI）的生成具有自动化促进的潜力。废水部门的一个案例研究被用来证明数据管理的实施。开发了一种数据库结构来存储污水处理厂（WWTP）的原始数据，并通过代码进行访问。代码与数据库交互，实施的计算，并根据处理后的数据自动创建清单。数据库为原始数据提供了一致的结构，也可用于备份目的。因为它是机器可读的,所以可以通过能够自动生成LCI的代码来访问它。作为概念的证明，代码序列提供了用户界面，可以在线测试。我们发现，对于大多数用例，基本的编程工具足以进行系统的数据管理，and,因此,该方法被认为是LCA从业者可以使用的。
