A Rational Procedure for Estimation of Greenhouse-Gas Emissions from Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants

Municipal wastewater treatment may lead to the emission of greenhouse gases. The current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Geneva, Switzerland) approach attributes only methane emissions to wastewater treatment, but this approach may overestimate greenhouse gas emissions from the highly aerobic processes primarily used in North America. To better estimate greenhouse gas emissions, a procedure is developed that can be used either with plant‐specific data or more general regional data. The procedure was evaluated using full‐scale data from 16 Canadian wastewater treatment facilities and then applied to all 10 Canadian provinces. The principal greenhouse gas emitted from municipal wastewater treatment plants was estimated to be carbon dioxide (CO2), with very little methane expected. The emission rates ranged from 0.005 kg CO2‐equivalent/m3 treated for primary treatment facilities to 0.26 kg CO2‐equivalent/m3 for conventional activated sludge, with anaerobic sludge digestion to over 0.8 kg CO2‐equivalent/m3 for extended aeration with aerobic digestion. Increasing the effectiveness of biogas generation and use will decrease the greenhouse gas emissions that may be assigned to the wastewater treatment plant.

Thermophilic biological fluidized bed reactor in sludge line reduces greenhouse gas emissions in wastewater treatment system

Advanced wastewater treatment processes and novel technologies are adopted to improve nutrient removal from wastewater so as to meet stringent discharge standards. Municipal wastewater treatment plants are one of the major contributors to the increase in the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and therefore it is necessary to carry out intensive studies on quantification, assessment and characterization of GHG emissions in wastewater treatment plants, on the life cycle assessment from GHG emission prospective, and on the GHG mitigation strategies. Greenhouse Gas Emission and Mitigation in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants summarises the recent development in studies of greenhouse gases’ (CH4 and N2O) generation and emission in municipal wastewater treatment plants. It introduces the concepts of direct emission and indirect emission, and the mechanisms of GHG generations in wastewater treatment plants’ processing units. The book explicitly describes the techniques used to quantify direct GHG emissions in wastewater treatment plants and the protocol used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to estimate GHG emission due to wastewater treatment in the national GHG inventory. Finally, the book explains the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology on GHG emissions in consideration of the energy and chemical usage in municipal wastewater treatment plants. In addition, the strategies to mitigate GHG emissions are discussed. The book provides an overview for researchers, students, water professionals and policy makers on GHG emission and mitigation in municipal wastewater treatment plants and industrial wastewater treatment processes. It is a valuable resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the water, climate, and energy areas; for researchers in the relevant areas; and for professional reference by water professionals, government policy makers, and research institutes. ISBN: 9781780406305 (Print) ISBN: 9781780406312 (eBook) ISBN: 9781780409054 (ePUB)

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and energy consumption in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of the pulp and paper industry were modeled and estimated. Aerobic, anaerobic, and hybrid biological processes were used for the removal of contaminants. In addition to the removal of carbonaceous compounds, anaerobic digestion of the produced sludge and the removal of excess nitrogen in the effluent of treatment plants by nitrification/denitrification processes were incorporated in the model. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide were the major GHGs generated during the biological treatment, combustion, energy generation, and transportation. The generated biogas from the anaerobic processes was assumed to be recovered and used as a source of energy for the treatment plant, in an effort to reduce GHG emissions while decreasing the total energy needs of the WWTP. The established kinetic relationships of wastewater treatment processes along with mass and energy balances were employed for the simulation of different treatment systems and estimation of GHG emissions. Various sources of GHG emission were divided into on-site and off-site sources to simplify the modeling and simulation procedure. The overall GHG generation in the presence of biogas recovery was equal to 1.576, 3.026, and 3.271kg CO2-equivalent/kg BOD by the three examined systems. The energy produced by the recovery and combustion of biogas could exceed the energy demands of all different treatment plants examined in this study and reduce off-site GHG emission. The generation of GHGs from aerobic and hybrid processes increased by 27% and 33.2%, respectively, when N2O emission from nitrogen removal processes was taken into consideration.

Estimating greenhouse gas emissions from Iran's domestic wastewater sector and modeling the emission scenarios by 2030

Insight into greenhouse gases emissions from the two popular treatment technologies in municipal wastewater treatment processes

Estimation of greenhouse gas and odour emissions from a cold region municipal biological nutrient removal wastewater treatment plant

Estimation of greenhouse gases emission from domestic wastewater in Nepal: A scenario-based analysis applicable for developing countries

Advancing greenhouse gas emission factors for municipal wastewater treatment plants in China

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated from municipal wastewater treatment plants in India is estimated in this study. The emissions from the wastewater treatment process as well as from the electricity used during the treatment process are estimated by using the methodology of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The present treatment plants of capacity 15 997 million litres per day (MLD) contributes towards GHG emissions of 7.3 Mt of CO2‐eq/year. The future GHG emissions would depend upon the treatment technology used for treating 34 109 MLD of untreated wastewater. The highest GHG emissions would occur if all new wastewater treatment plants are based on upflow anaerobic sludge blanket technology, 19.66 Mt CO2‐eq/year and lowest if sequential batch reactor technology is adopted, 2.93 MtCO2‐eq/year.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) using membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology have been considered a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study chose a small-scale wastewater treatment plant using MBR technology to estimate its potential for GHG emissions. The total GHG emissions from this wastewater treatment plant ranged from 2,802 to 11,946kg CO2 -eq/month within the 4-year study period, and they were mainly attributable to electricity consumption (79.94%) followed by chemical usages (17.13%) and on-site GHG emissions (2.93%). The on-site GHG emissions varied monthly, but most of them ranged from 80 to 160kg CO2 -eq/month. The aeration tank was an important operating unit for GHG emissions. Off-site GHG emissions mainly came from carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions resulting from electricity consumption. The results of this study provide useful information about the potential of GHG emissions from WWTPs using MBR technology and indicate that WWTPs can be sustainably managed. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Wastewater treatment plants have been considered a source of greenhouse gas emissions. Total greenhouse gas emissions from the wastewater treatment plants using membrane bioreactor were mainly attributable to electricity consumption. On-site greenhouse gas emissions were relatively insignificant in this study.

Diversity in reservoir surface morphology and climate limits ability to compare and upscale estimates of greenhouse gas emissions

Nizam Zachman is a modern fishery port located in Muara Baru, Jakarta, Indonesia. Some of its facilities include a temporary collection of solid waste and wastewater treatment plants, emitting greenhouse gases that lead us to climate change by warming up the global temperature. In this study, greenhouse gas emissions are estimated from these two facilities by using the IPCC Tier 1 method and emission factor calculation. By estimating greenhouse gas in this area, it will give knowledge and convicing to make greenport as a consideration of the strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emission, starting from waste and wastewater management. Solid waste treatment comprises open dumping, recycling, and transportation of wastes to the temporary landfill in this area. With a total waste of 5, 411.4 tons/year, greenhouse gas emissions from open dumping and transportation are estimated to be 14, 340.2 and 22.3 tons CO2eq/year, respectively. Meanwhile, recycling activities contribute to 143 tons CO2 eq/year of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the estimated greenhouse gas emissions include emissions from wastewater treatment, discharge of industrial wastewater to waterways via the drainage system, and domestic wastewater treatment by using a septic tank. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment, drainage system, and septic tanks are estimated to be 2, 830; 108.7; and 3.2 tons CO2 eq/year, respectively. Based on the estimation, solid waste treatment generates 83% of the total greenhouse gas emissions, while wastewater treatment generates only 17% of the total emissions. Herein, composting, increase of recycling, and utilization of methane are recommended to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from waste management.

Greenhouse gas emission estimation from municipal wastewater using a hybrid approach of generative adversarial network and data-driven modelling

Understanding the greenhouse gas emissions from China’s wastewater treatment plants: Based on life cycle assessment coupled with statistical data