Emission Inventory of Greenhouse Gas from Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants and Its Temporal and Spatial Distribution in China

Abstract

Urban wastewater treatment plants are considered important greenhouse gas resources with massive emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) during operation. Based on the emission factor approach of pollutant reduction, the 2014 emission inventory of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, and N2O) from urban wastewater treatment plants in China was established. In addition, the temporal and spatial distribution and influencing factors of greenhouse gas emissions were analyzed in this study. The results showed that total emissions of greenhouse gas from urban wastewater treatment plants in China was 7348.60 Gg (CO2-eq) in 2014, which included CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions of 6054.57 Gg, 27.47 Gg (769.08 Gg, CO2-eq), and 1.98 Gg (524.95 Gg, CO2-eq), respectively. The difference in greenhouse gas emissions among provinces was significant:high emissions appeared in the eastern areas of China, low emissions were observed in the northwest, and hardly any emissions were found in Xizang. From 2005 to 2014, annual greenhouse gas emissions from urban sewage treatment plants in China increased by 229.4%, and the rates of CO2, CH4, and N2O increased by 217.9%, 217.9%, and 520.3%, respectively. The regional economic development level and number of wastewater treatment plants were correlated the most with the emissions of greenhouse gasses, and the per-capita protein supply was closely related with the N2O emission.