Life Cycle Costing Assessment-Based Approach for Selection of Wastewater Treatment Units

There are several established and time tested technologies available for treatment of municipal wastewater. Each technology has its own merits and is in use globally for years depending on its suitability to satisfy a set of criteria. In the present work, the Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA), also known as multi-criteria decision-analysis approach, has been used to subsequently develop a decision support tool. It assists efficiently in selection of the most suitable wastewater treatment technology for treating municipal wastewater. Quantitative weights from the LCCA are used to compare alternative systems with similar outcomes in addressing the system’s objective, having different cost structures, reliability and effluent quality. This paper focuses to evaluate suitability of wastewater treatment technologies in different situations. The generally adopted three technology options considered in the study are: (A) Trickling filter system (B) Waste stabilization pond (C) Activated sludge process. LCCA has been used to select a treatment unit for 12 MLD plant of municipal wastewater semi-urban locality. The waste stabilization pond technology has been found to have the lowest life time cost and cost effective option.