Perchlorate is a contaminant found in drinking water systems in the U.S. Because of its potential health risk, EPA recently announced plans to issue a federal regulatory standard. There are different technologies available for the perchlorate treatment: ion exchange (IX), biological reduction, and chemical reduction. In this presentation, these technologies are studied and compared based on their environmental impacts using life cycle assessment (LCA). For IX, the disposal/incineration of spent resins and generation of regenerant brine are evaluated. The effect of water constituents (e.g. other competing anions, oxygen level) and type of electron donors for biological reduction will also be identified. Specific objectives are to (i) understand the contribution of materials and processes to environmental impact, (ii) determine the overall advantages and disadvantages of treatment technologies from environmental perspectives, and (iii) identify key areas of the technology that research needs to be focused to improve sustainability and reduce overall cost.

Evaluation of current and emerging perchlorate treatment technologies using environmental impact assessment

244th National Meeting (2012)

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