Life Cycle Assessment of the photocatalytic degradation of contaminated water

Waters are under increasing pressure from the continuous growth in demand for sufficient quantities of good quality water for all purposes. This highlights the need for a policy of preservation and restoration, aiming at both maintaining the existing good quality surface waters, preventing them from degradation on a long term, and improving the conditions of the whole aquatic environment by reducing industrial and urban discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances [1]. In the last decades, several nanotechnology-based water treatment technologies have been developed and used to improve desalination, safe reuse of wastewater, disinfection and decontamination of water. Compared to traditional technologies, advanced oxidation processes (AOP), based on the presence of titanium dioxide (TiO2), provide an efficient alternative for water remediation [2]. However, these processes are mainly exploited through photoreactors with floating catalyst that may release “free” nanomaterials in the environment posing a comparable or worse harm to the environment compared to that solved through the photodegradation process [3,4]. The aim of this study was to assess the environmental and health effects of a novel developed photoreactor where the titanium dioxide catalyst is immobilized on suitable substrates and activated with proper irradiation. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was applied in order to drive the research towards the best technology and contribute to the development of a new awareness and knowledge on using titania based nanoproducts and nanotechnologies in water purification.