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The increasing number of studies covering different life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) tools and urban water systems (UWSs) emphasize the need to synthesize current research. While LCSA studies focus on an integrated approach considering the life cycle assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC), and social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) methodologies, these tools are typically applied separately, disregarding the trade-offs amongst economic, social, and environmental impacts. In this context, this review aims to critically analyze the literature on LCSA tools to enhance the integrated application in the future. Furthermore, we aim to identify technological trends, current challenges, and future research directions to improve sustainability. The ProKnow-C methodology was applied using a combination of four keyword sets and three databases. We selected 72 relevant papers that were analyzed in detail. Results demonstrate that authors apply different boundaries when using different LCSA tools, and lack of data was also a common issue. Furthermore, papers lack system description in the scope definition, leading to a biased interpretation of results. Another important issue was the functional unit selection, which did not represent the complexity of UWSs, lacking important details such as water loss, water quality, and population served. Water treatment is the most researched process in UWSs, and stormwater systems (collection or treatment) are rarely included, representing only 25% of the analyzed literature. In conclusion, the application of LCSA tools faces fundamental challenges, such as data quality and availability. Concerning the engineering improvements, future works should use LCSA data to support design and technology development, also focusing on human behaviour and frugal technology alternatives. Finally, new paradigms need to be developed and applied to enhance sustainability and integrate UWS. Key words: life cycle analysis, social life cycle analysis, cost life cycle analysis, life cycle sustainability analysis, urban water management Le nombre croissant d'etudes couvrant differents outils d'analyse de la durabilite du cycle de vie (ADCV) et les systemes d'eau urbains (SEU) souligne la necessite de synthetiser les recherches actuelles. Alors que les etudes d'ADCV se concentrent sur une approche integree considerant les methodologies d'analyse du cycle de vie (ACV), de cout du cycle de vie (CCV) et d'analyse du cycle de vie sociale (ACV-S), ces outils sont generalement appliques separement, sans tenir compte des compromis entre les impacts economiques, sociaux et environnementaux. Dans ce contexte, cette synthese vise a analyser de maniere critique la litterature portant sur les outils d'evaluation de la durabilite du cycle de vie (ADCV), afin d'ameliorer leur application integree a l'avenir. En outre, les auteurs souhaitent identifier les tendances technologiques, les defis actuels et les futures orientations de recherche pour ameliorer la durabilite. La methodologie Pro-know C a ete appliquee en utilisant une combinaison de quatre ensembles de mots-cles et trois bases de donnees. Ils ont selectionne 72 articles pertinents qui ont ete analyses en detail. Les resultats montrent que les auteurs de ces articles appliquent des limites differentes lorsqu'ils utilisent differents outils d'ADCV, et que le manque de donnees constituait egalement un probleme courant. De plus, les articles sont deficients en matiere de description des systemes dans la definition du champ d'application, ce qui conduit a une interpretation biaisee des resultats. Un autre probleme important consistait en la selection de l'unite fonctionnelle, qui ne representait pas la complexite des systemes d'eau urbains, ignorant des details importants tels que la perte d'eau, la qualite de l'eau et la population desservie. Le traitement de l'eau est le processus le plus etudie dans les SEU, et les systemes d'eaux pluviales (collecte ou traitement) sont rarement inclus, representant 25 % seulement de la litterature analysee. En conclusion, l'application des outils d'ADCV fait face a des defis fondamentaux, tels que la qualite et la disponibilite des donnees. En ce qui concerne les ameliorations techniques, les travaux futurs devraient utiliser les donnees de revaluation de la durabilite du cycle de vie pour soutenir la conception et le developpement technologique, en se concentrant egalement sur le comportement humain et les alternatives technologiques frugales. Enfin, de nouveaux paradigmes doivent etre developpes et appliques pour ameliorer la durabilite et integrer les SEU. [Traduit par la Redaction.] Mots-cles : analyse du cycle de vie, analyse du cycle de vie sociale, analyse du cout du cycle de vie, analyse de la durabilite du cycle de vie, gestion des eaux urbaines, 1. Introduction Water is a critical resource for human civilization, and its use ranges from energy production to animal feeding and food crop irrigation. Hence, water has strategic importance and [...]

An urban water system (UWS) has three main service components: (i) drinking-water; (ii) waste-water; and (iii) storm-water. Historically, each component in urban water development evolved over time with different objectives for 'different' types of water. Even today, the trend continues, as different urban water services are managed in silos. This trend is less sustainable, resilient, and reliable, mainly because of significant pressures on freshwater supplies exerted by the increasing population, demand for high living standards, rapid urbanization, and climate change. To cope with these challenges, the conventional thinking needs to change. This paper identifies a number of significant research gaps related to inter-relationships among various UWS service components. An innovative paradigm, the 'one water' approach (OWA), which considers 'urban water' as a single entity, is investigated herein. Currently, Australia, the USA, and Singapore are leading the implementation of the OWA, whereas only a few Canadian municipalities have embraced OWA at a very basic level. Among the EU nations, the Netherlands have emphasized the need for integrated water resource management in an urban environment. This review highlights the challenges in adopting the OWA, and also proposes guiding principles in ongoing water management practices. Institutional complexities involving an intricate regulatory structure for different UWS service components, a wider fragmentation in decision making at government levels, and insufficient stakeholder engagement within and between water utilities and other institutions present serious challenges. Various strategies such as, data sharing between water utilities, use of novel technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, sensor technologies), and visionary leadership at different government levels have been identified as key drivers for the adoption and implementation of the OWA. The authors believe that a paradigm shift from 'conventional' approach to OWA is needed to increase resiliency and reliability of water services and assist decision-makers of UWSs. Key words: drinking-water, waste-water, storm-water, one-water approach, sustainability. Un systeme d'eau en milieu urbain (SEU) comporte trois composantes de service principales : (i) l'eau potable; (ii) les eaux usees et (iii) les eaux pluviales. Historiquement, chaque composante du developpement des eaux en milieu urbain a evolue au fil du temps avec des objectifs differents pour des types d'eau << differents >>. Aujourd'hui encore, la tendance se poursuit, car les differents services d'eau en milieu urbain sont geres en silos. Cette tendance est moins durable, moins resiliente et moins fiable, principalement en raison des pressions importantes exercees sur les reserves d'eau douce par l'accroissement de la population, la demande de niveaux de vie eleves, l'urbanisation rapide et les changements climatiques. Pour faire face a ces defis, un changement s'impose dans la pensee conventionnelle. Cet article identifie un certain nombre de lacunes importantes dans la recherche sur les interrelations entre les differents composants des SEU. Un paradigme innovant - l'approche de gestion integree de l'eau (GIE) (one-water approach - OWA), qui considere les<< eaux urbaines>> comme une entite unique, est etudie. Actuellement, l'Australie, les Etats-Unis et Singapour sont en tete de peloton pour la mise en ceuvre de la GIE, tandis que seules quelques municipalites canadiennes ont adopte la GIE a un niveau tres elementaire. Dans les pays de l'Union europeenne, les Pays-Bas a souligne la necessite d'une gestion integree des ressources en eau dans un environnement urbain. Cette etude met en evidence les defis lies a l'adoption de la GIE et propose egalement des principes directeurs pour les pratiques actuelles de gestion de l'eau. Les complexites institutionnelles impliquant une structure reglementaire complexe pour les differents composants des SEU, une fragmentation plus large de la prise de decision au niveau gouvernemental et un engagement insuffisant des parties prenantes au sein et entre les services d'eau et les autres institutions representent des defis importants. Diverses strategies telles que le partage des donnees entre les services d'eau, l'utilisation de nouvelles technologies (par exemple, l'intelligence artificielle, les technologies des capteurs), et un leadership visionnaire a differents niveaux du gouvernement ont ete identifies comme des facteurs cles pour l'adoption et la mise en ceuvre de la GIE. Les auteurs estiment qu'un changement de paradigme de l'approche<< conventionnelle >>vers la GIE est necessaire pour augmenter la resilience et la fiabilite des services d'eau et aider les decideurs des SEU. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: eau potable, eaux usees, eaux pluviales, gestion integree de l'eau, durabilite., Introduction Preamble An urban water system (UWS) comprises three main service components: drinking-water; waste-water; and storm-water. Drinkingwater systems include the supply of potable water to citizens for drinking, while in [...]

Performance assessment of Small and Medium-Sized Water Systems (SMWSs) is important for operational, tactical, and strategic decision-making. In this study, a performance assessment method has been developed and applied to five drinking water, three wastewater, and two stormwater utilities using 39, 30 and 27 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in a semi-arid region. The KPIs were aggregated to determine a performance index using a Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution method. K-nearest neighbors and penalty methods were used to estimate missing KPIs data. The results indicated that only two drinking water utilities and one wastewater utility had been rated as 'high' performance. None of the utilities in stormwater performance was rated as 'high'. The developed method can assist decision-makers in evaluating SMWSs performance holistically, build operational management strategies, and identify necessary interventions in overcoming water systems challenges across each urban water system component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen-based transportation has gained popularity and has presented significant growth over the past few years, providing an excellent platform for capitalizing on natural resources while attaining global carbon policies and sustainability targets. However, lack of infrastructure, cost of fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen fuel, and absence of established hydrogen supply chains have been identified as critical challenges of hydrogen-based mobility. Despite current studies predominantly focusing on hydrogen-fueled passenger vehicles and related infrastructure, it was identified that the impacts of hydrogen fuel supply chain for freight transportation from a life cycle thinking perspective have been largely overlooked. This article aims at critically reviewing the existing body-of-knowledge on the current status of hydrogen fueling supply chain and exploring the potential of integrating hydrogen fuel for road freight transportation. Accordingly, the current status of alternative fuel use for freight transportation is discussed over technical, economic, and environmental dimensions outlining its benefits and challenges. Moreover, the pertinence of innovative and established methods of hydrogen production, distribution, and storage for freight transportation are evaluated based on a comprehensive literature review. This study reveals that the transformation of freight transportation into low-emission alternative fuels would require a comprehensive multicriteria assessment that includes technical, economic, environmental, and social feasibilities over the life cycle of the freight vehicle and the fuel supply chain. Moreover, decision parameters affecting the optimal fuel selection process were established through this study, while providing insights on the future prospects for hydrogen-fueled freight transformation in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]