Abstract

Wastewater treatment systems must be measured and assessed in terms of its sustainability performance and to enable continuous improvement over the long term. This work involves the selection of indicators and methodologies used for incorporating sustainability consideration into the design of wastewater treatment module. The GoldSET is a decision support tool for development and implementation of sustainability in engineering projects. Following the findings of the indicators for a new wastewater treatment module, this thesis aims to contribute to these activities for the development of sustainable indicators as the tool for assessment improvements. These indicators are developed especially for the industrial wastewater treatment module but may be also suitable for municipal wastewater treatment. It proposes a general framework with a relatively simple, yet comprehensive set of indicators for identification of more sustainable practises for WWTP. The framework consists of a number of qualitative and quantitative indicators comprising the four dimensions of sustainability: environment, society, economy and technology. It then describes the weighing scheme which provides a mechanism to assess the performance of each option with respect to indicator. The largest and most balanced square with respect to the four apexes of environment, social, economic and technical performances gives the most sustainable option. Thus, it serves as a tool which can assist companies in accessing their performance regarding their goals and objectives in the field of sustainable development.