Water Quality Index and Life Cycle Assessment of Al-Hashimiyah Water Treatment Plant

Drinking water treatment reduces or eliminates certain health risks and ensures appropriate water quality by removing physical, chemical, and biological pollutants. The treatment process’s increased need for energy, chemicals, and technological inputs raises the expense of producing water as well as its secondary environmental effects. The goal of this research is to use the water quality index (WQI) and life cycle assessment (LCA) to determine and assess the environmental effects of the Al-Hashimiyah water treatment plant (WTP) in Babylon City, Iraq. The wa - ter quality index was employed as a criterion for categorizing and treating water in accordance with fundamental water characterization variables using a weighted arithmetic index technique. The LCA was supported by the Eco-Indicator 99 database and SimaPro 7.0 software. What makes this study unusual is the identification of two extra functional units related to decontamination, beyond the usual one cubic meter treated water. Samples of treated and raw water were gathered during a 25-month period, from March 2022 to March 2023, and were regularly tested. The results demonstrated that all chemical and physical characteristics (for both raw and processed water) met Iraqi criteria, with the exception of total suspended particles and electrical conductivity. According to LCA studies, certain environmental consequences grow as pollutant concentrations drop. Due to this, a more thorough analysis of the environmental performance of water treatment facilities is now required.


INTRODUCTION
Water resources are essential for ecosystems and humans alike, but because of problems like industrialization, climate change, inadequate storage, and inadequate treatment of water prior to release, water treatment processes need to be improved qualitatively to reduce risks to public health and ensure sufficient water supplies (Bhatt et al., 2023).High-quality water supply that is free of different contaminants, suitable for use in manufacturing, consumption, and other commercial operations (Garfí et Kariem and ALKizwini, 2022).Because of this, in order to achieve water quality standards, additional energy, chemicals, and technical inputs are required, which will increase the cost of producing water and have a detrimental effect on the environment (WHO, 2023).
The water quality index (WQI) led the categorization of surface waters based on fundamental water characterisation parameters (Sener et al. 2017;Chiu et al., 2023).For a WQI system to show water quality properly, a wide range of water quality measurements are required, however computing these values is time-and money-consuming.As one of the best ways to inform the public and decisionmakers about trends in water quality, WQI technology has recently become more and more popular in aquatic environments (Ponsadailakshmi et al. 2018).A water quality index may be used to identify both organic and inorganic pollutants in the water and effectively regulate the quality of the water.

ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING & ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
Over the past ten years, life cycle assessment (LCA) has gained increasing popularity as a tool for evaluating environmental performance in the water sector because it offers a standardized platform for analyzing treatment processes using an input-output approach and thereby identifying and measuring the associated envi- In the water industry, life cycle assessment is used to evaluate the environmental performance of wastewater and water treatment systems (Corominas et al., 2013; Bhatt et al., 2023) as well as to do evaluations throughout the course of the whole water usage cycle (Loubet et al., 2016;Ruji et al., 2022).A popular method that makes use of life cycle assessment is the comparison of the environmental effects of various water/wastewater treatment processes (usually advanced versus conventional), technologies, and development scenarios, as well as multi-criteria assessment on issues like costs (Capitanescu et al., 2016) and energy (Vakiliverd et al., 2018).
The majority of life cycle evaluation studies (Friedrich and Buckley, 2002;Igos et al., 2014) solely covered the operating phase of water production; very few examined the building and decommissioning stages of water production facilities (Barrios et al., 2008).In terms of environmental effects, the bulk of life cycle analyses have demonstrated that energy usage, and hence carbon emissions (Amores et al., 2013;Othman et al., 2021), and chemical use are the primary impact generators in the water production business (Lokesh et al., 2020).On the other hand, it is important to note that there is a lot of variance in LCA research on water treatment concerning study design, system limits, included or excluded processes, effect definitions, and interpretation.
Comparing several research projects might therefore be challenging.Few LCA studies in this sector do not concentrate their goals on other critical factors, including raw water quality and pollutant removal efficiency, that are connected to the operational analysis performance of the water treatment facility.Rather, it concentrates nearly solely on the primary output, which is treated water (which is why 1 m 3 of treated water is the most often used functional unit).The purpose of this study is to assess the Al-Hashimiyah water treatment plant's environmental performance using WQI and LCA in light of the aforementioned factors.

METHODOLOGY Description of the study area
With a surface area of 101 km 2 , the Shatt al-Hilla is one of the most notable rivers in Iraq and the primary water supply for the city of A-Hilla (AbdUlameer and Al-Sulttani 2023).The river's principal source, the Euphrates River, runs from the northern boundary of the Babylon Governorate to the Diwaniyah Governorate.Owing to its advantageous position, one of Iraq's principal irrigation systems is the Euphrates River.After flowing through bombs, the Shatt al-Hilla drains into the Euphrates River (Salman et al. 2013; Al-Dalimy and Al-Zubaidi 2023).Shatt Al-Hilla is utilized for drinking and farming.Though it has been neglected lately, it is still regarded as an important draw.The river's steadily rising salinity made the issue worse (Saud et al. 2019).This river serves as a tourist destination in addition to being utilized for municipal, industrial, and agricultural purposes.Water quantities need to be routinely confirmed in order to fulfill the demands of agriculture, municipalities, and industry.In Shatt Al-Hillah, the water levels have dropped due to climate change and a lack of upstream earnings.One of the study locations was the Shatt Al-Hilla station, which is connected to the city of Al-Hashimiyah in the Babil Governorate.The chosen station is located at latitude 32°22'24'' and longitude 44°39'87''.The research area's geographical makeup is shown in Figure 1.
Al-Hashimiyah water treatment plant was selected as a case during the present inquiry.This strategically significant plant, which has a 6,000 cubic meter per hour production capability, provides 250,000 people and territories in the southern Babil Governorate.
Al-Hashimiyah water treatment plant consist of six units as following: This project would feed large sections and areas of the governorate with water shares, including: Al-Hashimiyah district, Al-Qasim district, Al-Tali'ah district, Al-Shomali district, and the dependencies of these districts.

Samples collection and preservation
For the Al-Hashimiyah water treatment plant, raw and processed water samples were taken from the Shatt Al-Hilla River in the Al-Hashimiyah Water Town in order to analyze the chemical and physical components and compare them with Iraqi standard criteria.The index was computed using a weighted arithmetic water quality index (Table 1).Water samples were taken every month from March 2021 to March 2023, and fifteen characteristics of both raw and processed water were assessed.These parameters included: biological oxygen demand (BOD), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), hydrotimetric (T.H), potential hydrogen (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), temperature, Turbidity, potassium (K), sodium (Na +1 ), chlorine (Cl -1 ), magnesium (Mg +2 ), calcium (Ca +2 ), sulfate (So 4 -2 ) and alkaline (Alk), then calculating the efficiency of the project based on the mathematical method.Then, the results were analyzed graphically using a statistical analysis program (SPSS).

Water quality index calculations
Using a weighted arithmetic index technique, a single water level quality figure is generated from a tremendous quantity of water quality knowledge.Basic water measures were used to classify surface waters, with the water quality index (WQI) serving as a guide.A water quality index system has to contain a lot of different water quality variables, which may be costly and timeconsuming to calculate.
Weighting variables for various criteria are incorporated into the WQI according to their respective significance in assessing the quality of the water.A more accurate depiction of the importance of each criterion in the whole evaluation is made possible by this weighting.The WQI can provide a more nuanced evaluation by capturing the various influences of different criteria on water quality through the right assignment of weights (Uddin et al., 2022;Alfaleh et al., 2023).The methodology in calculating WQI using WAWQI method: • Step 1: Collect data of various physico-chemical water quality parameters.
• Step 2: Calculate proportionality constant k value using formula: where: si -is standard permissible for n th parameter.
• Step 3: calculate quality rating for n th parameter q n , where there are n parameters.This is calculated using formula: where: • Step 4: Calculate unit weight for the n th parameters.

Life cycle assessment approaches
All "inputs" are defined as resources consumed, and all "outputs" are defined as emissions and waste produced.This method is called life cycle assessment, and it is systematic and standardized.Furthermore, it characterizes and quantifies the effects on the environment and human health, as well as the depletion of resources linked to the full life cycle of any item or service (ISO 14040, 2006).The life cycle assessment (LCA) technique takes into account four primary input parameters.
Define the objective and its requirements -it is the first and most crucial step in LCA research.When establishing the scope, it's common to include a description of the system, its limits, the amount of data used, the original hypothesis, and any current restrictions.The study's objective should guide the selection of the system boundaries (Thair et al., 2018;Alsultani et al., 2023).
The technical data collecting process known as inventory analysis, which is the second stage, verifies that the system's inputs and outputs match the parameters stated in the scope.At this phase, the energy and raw materials utilized, as well as the system's emissions to air, water, land, and solid waste, are calculated for the whole life cycle of the good or service.The primary result of inventory analysis is the inventory table, which lists quantitative environmental inputs and outputs connected to functional units such as kilograms of carbon dioxide, cubic meters of natural gas, kilograms of iron ore, etc. Impact assessment, the third phase, is the process of determining and describing any possible environmental effects that might arise to the system.
Currently, based on the anticipated effects on the environment, the data used for inventory analysis is divided into a number of groups (impact categories).Fourth, comprehension In this last phase of the LCA study, the findings are shown together with an explanation of the main causes of effect and mitigation strategies.Reducing the vast amount of data gathered from extended life cycle assessment research to a manageable number of crucial issues that are helpful for making decisions is the main objective of interpretation.At the moment, the data utilized for stock analysis is separated into many groups (impact categories) according to the anticipated effects on the environment.Fourth, understanding The results of the life cycle research are given in this last phase along with an explanation of the impact's primary sources and mitigation techniques.
The primary objective of interpretation is to condense the enormous volume of data gathered from extended life cycle assessment research into a manageable number of crucial concerns that support decision-making.One of the key benefits of the Eco-Indicator 99 approach is that it makes comparisons between various items rather obvious.The 99 Environmental Index is most commonly weighted using panel approach, equal weighting, and monetization strategies.
SimaPro is one of the greatest tools for getting life cycle inventory data at various levels of modeling and analysis.SimaPro's efficient creation and examination of LCA models provides experts and decision makers with a multitude of analytical choices.One advantage of Eco-Indicator 99 is that, as Figure 2 illustrates, it is integrated into the LCA SimaPro program.

System boundaries and functional unit analysis
The current LCA research allows for a comprehensive analysis of the drinking water system, providing a detailed profile of environmental consequences that can be assessed across many impact categories.The activity structure that was employed in this investigation is shown below.
As the name implies, a functional unit is a quantitative measurement of an item that is evaluated as part of its life cycle.It is defined with reference to the object's function.The majority of research on water systems have historically defined their functional unit as the volume of water (processed, distributed, collected, etc.) in connection with the study's objectives and the system's usage limitations since this technique accurately specifies the product (water).It enables the comparison of various processes or life cycle phases.
It also facilitates the comparison of a water treatment plant's output and environmental performance.One cubic meter of treated water served as the functional unit of the research's reference case.Another potential functional unit is the "capita size" of the people serviced; but, in this instance, it cannot be applied because of contradictory evidence on the intricacy of Iraq's water infrastructure.
We employed a novel method to define the functional unit by emphasizing the Iraqi water treatment plant's environmental performance in addition to providing one cubic meter of water.Any plant's primary objective is to remove contaminants from raw water, thus it's helpful to pinpoint a functional unit that helps it do so, like a contaminant removal unit.
Our method considers both raw and processed water quality in the WQI and LCA definition, with a focus on plant operating performance.Two additional indicators were tested versus conventional treatment (1 m 3 of treated water) in order to examine this viewpoint: kg of suspended particles removed/year and kg of organic matter represented as TOC removal/year.The building and operating stages of the Al-Hashimiyah water treatment plant's life cycle are covered in this research; the decommissioning phase was left out owing to a lack of data.

LCA methedology
This life cycle research aims to assess the six units of the Al-Hashimiyah water treatment plant, which have an hourly treatment capacity of 6,000 cubic meters, and offer recommendations for mitigating the plant's adverse effects.To be more specific, the goals are as follows: • Determining the primary cause of Al-Hashimiyah water treatment plant's environmental issues, • Evaluating the effects on the environment of supplying the energy required for the Al-Hashimiyah processing facility using natural gas vs diesel, • Compare the advantages of using treated water for agriculture irrigation against the possible environmental costs of releasing treated water into the drinking water system.
The operating stage of a water treatment plant has more influence than the building and end-oflife stages, according to an analysis of the various stages of the facility's life cycle.Thus, the primary focus of this study is on the effects associated with the water treatment plant's operating phase.One of the constraints of the system is the use of treated water for farming.

Inventory analysis
At this point, information about the different processes taking place inside the system limits is gathered and shown.Pumping is one of the many operations in the water treatment plant that are powered by thermal and electrical energy sources.The water treatment facility uses 6.25 MW of power in total to treat water.Burning the gas generated by anaerobic digestion produces 80% of the required energy; the remaining 80% is produced by gas power plants.The main chemical utilized in a water treatment facility is chlorine.
In order to eradicate microorganisms, the latter is required.Every day, 4500 kg of chlorine are consumed.It thus has no negative effects on surface water resources.The impacts of releasing treated water into rivers and utilizing it for irrigation were contrasted in order to achieve the study's goals.

Impact assessment
The three main endpoint effect categories identified by the Environmental Index 99 are resource depletion, ecosystem quality, and human health.Figure 3 displays the effect categories and routes that the EI99 strategy addresses.It is important to note that this study's three main effect categories entirely align with those found in the EDI99.

Operational phase
Only a small number of sources mention the building of water treatment facilities, and the majority of life cycle assessment studies of various water systems often concentrate on the operating period.The Al-Hashimiyah factory's two stages are considered in the life cycle inventory: (1) the construction phase, which includes building materials related to the functional unit and land occupation, accounts for the treatment plant's 40year service life; (2) the operation phase -waste outputs, energy, and material inputs are considered.Transportation of chemicals and materials utilized during the operating time is included in inventory.It is computed with consideration for each material supplier's location.SimaPro software is utilized to create inventory entry models that incorporate pre-defined unit activities from the Eco-Indicator 99 database.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Prior to determining the WQI value for every sample of raw and treated water, statistical analysis was carried out on the relevant parameters.The WHO drinking water standards are shown in Tables 2 and 3, together with the statistical characteristics of the samples that were utilized.The findings show that the average values of BOD, TDS, TSS, T.H., pH, E.C., temperature, turbidity, K, NaCl, Mg, Ca, SO 4 , and Alk are higher than the IQS drinking water standard.This is because of the solubility of carbonate sediments and the geological structures, which cause an increase in the concentration of these ions in treated water.

Raw water quality index (RWQI)
Table 2 displays the case study station's raw water quality index values.According to the findings, the Al-Hashimiyah station's raw water quality was (57.07) in March 2021 and (290.28) in October 2021.River quality was (134.83) on average.Based on the values, the river water at the station examined between March 2021 and March 2023 was categorized as either "severely polluted" or "undrinkable" for the research period. of the index of water quality.The Hilla River's low water quality is caused by an untreated home pollution disposal site that is instantly discharged through sewage (Singh 2010).The monthly raw water values (WQI) are shown in Figure 4.For the length of the inquiry, the WQI for the chosen station is displayed in this figure.

Treated water quality index (TWQI)
Table 3 displays the monthly WQI values of the treated water for that specific facility during the course of the study.This indicates that the TWQI, or treated water quality index, ranged from 38.81 to 197.76.The monthly measurements WQI of the plotted treated water are displayed in Figure 5.
Furthermore, Tables 2 and 3 demonstrate that all chemical and physical parameter values of the examined water treatment plant are within Iraqi norms, with the exception of total suspended particles and electrical conductivity of raw and processed water.
As seen in Figure 6, the findings indicated that Al-Hashimiyah efficiency is around 32%.Because of the poor raw water quality and low water efficiency (E%), it can be said that the station is comparatively inefficient.

Statistical analysis of raw WQI
Based on the attributes of each factor and the overall average values, standard deviations, and standard error rates for each of them, descriptive statistical raw water data were collected for the Al-Hashimiyah Water Treatment Plant.The outcomes for the months of March 2021 through March 2023 are displayed here.A thorough account of the reality is given in Table 4.

Statistical analysis of treated WQI
The descriptive statistical statistics below display the treated water data for the Al-Hashimiyah Water Treatment Plant for the period of March 2021 to March 2023.The features of each factor, as well as the general averages, standard deviations, and standard error rates for each of them, were used to record this data.A comprehensive    The abundance of evaporative deposits seen on the plain's surface and in the aquifers' varying depths in this region may be the cause of the rise in EC values and the higher mean value than the IQS specifications.The operations of the industrial units in this area may also account for the elevated concentration of the heavy metal chromium.The study's samples were drawn from both urban and rural locations, and they were

Life cycle assessment results
The impact of one cubic meter of treated water is depicted in the overall environmental profile (Figure 7), which was created during the life cycle impact assessment's characterisation stage.
According to this profile, chemical consumption and chemical transportation are the two main drivers of the facility's effect, with energy consumption and plant construction and operation accounting for the remaining small shares across all impact categories.Construction only slightly affects the metal attrition category (about 30%, which is negligible in a traditional file), as Figure 7 illustrates.In contrast to earlier studies (Igos et al., 2014), the building phase had less of an impact in our situation.Nevertheless, this comparison is once more overly general because it depends on data from several systems.
It is crucial to remember that choosing and putting into practice treatment plans should be done in conjunction with professionals, keeping in mind the unique features of the research field, the resources at hand, and any applicable laws.Furthermore, community involvement and public knowledge are essential to the success of any restoration work because they may encourage wise water usage and support the long-term sustainability of water supplies.

CONCLUSIONS
The following conclusions are provided in light of the findings: 1. Al-Hashimiyah station's raw water quality ranged from 57.07 to 290.2) and treated water quality index ranged from 38.81 to 197.76.
Based on these values, the river water at the station was categorized as either "severely polluted" or "undrinkable" for the research period. of the index of water quality.2. The primary sources of the impact, which result in effects in water-related impact categories (eutrophication and ecotoxicity), are chemical and energy consumption.3.Although it is limited to performing a life cycle analysis on average monthly data reported for the initial and final concentration values of the pollutants under consideration (which involves high fluctuations in the derived impacts), this study allowed an accurate calculation of the environmental impacts resulting from the removal of specific pollutants from raw water.4. Using natural gas instead of diesel has a substantial positive influence on the environment at the Al-Hashimiya water treatment plant (energy consumption is decreased to one-third of its former level, for example).5. Releasing treated water into a water treatment facility poses a risk to public health.Cooking is one of the many domestic chores it may be used for, as the fire's strong heat eliminates any lingering bacteria, parasites, and other impurities.However, it shouldn't be ingested because of its high impurity level. in relation to human health.6.In South Hilla, using treated water for agriculture irrigation is seen as a more ecologically benign method, particularly when taking eutrophication (4% of the "discharge to surface water" option) into account.7. The Hashemite water treatment plant's water quality index varied from satisfactory to unsuitable for drinking water, according to the mathematical approach.8.There exists a robust correlation between water quality and chemical and physical markers.

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Impact categories and pathways covered by the Eco-Indicator 99 methodology

Figure 5 .Figure 6 .
Figure 5. Temporal variation in WQI from March 2021 to March 2023 for treated water

Figure 4 .
Figure 4. Temporal variation in WQI from March 2021 to March 2023 for raw water Figure 7 indicate that the water treatment plant in Al-Hashimiyah has a notable environmental impact, mostly due to water productivity and energy consumption.In this sense, the energy mix's composition has a significant impact on the Al-Hashimiyah Water Treatment Plant's environmental state.The ecological performance of this plant is mostly comparable to other research in the literature (Ahmadi et al., 2016; Ortíz Rodriguez et al., 2016; Salahaldain et al., 2023) in terms of overall structure and morphological contributors, despite the fact that a thorough comparison is nearly impossible owing to important factors.distinctions in the definitions of systems.The building phase's overall influence on the total impact profile is minimal.

Table 2 .
Calculations of WQI of raw water for Al-Hashimiyah water station

Table 3 .
Calculations of WQI of treated water for Al-Hashimiyah water station

Table 4 .
Means, standard deviations, and average error of raw water characteristics

Table 5 .
Means, standard deviations, and average error of treated water characteristics also in close proximity to several industrial and agricultural facilities, thus variations in BOD and other water quality indices were possible.Given that the mean pH values fall within the acceptable range as established by the IQS and the mean values of the other parameters fall below the acceptable limit, it is possible to classify more than half of the samples as having appropriate water quality.