Ondokuz Mayıs University drinking water treatment plant carbon footprint: emission sources and strategies for sustainability

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to calculate the carbon footprint of the drinking water treatment facility within Samsun Ondokuz Mayıs University and to determine the greenhouse gas emission sources within the facility. The total daily CO2 emission of the drinking water treatment plant is calculated as 85.05 kg CO2e/d. The analyses show that off-site CO2 emissions are higher than on-site CO2 emission values. It has been determined that the primary source of off-site emissions arises from the electrical energy consumption used in the units, constituting approximately 86.4% of the total CO2 emissions. The second important contribution parameter arises from the reaction of coagulants in mechanical mixing processes. This study emphasizes the importance of taking measures that support greener and sustainable production to reduce the current greenhouse gas emissions of the facility. In addition, calculating the carbon emissions of the drinking water treatment plant is important in informing the relevant institutions in the European Union’s efforts to achieve the goal of zeroing carbon emissions by 2050.