Towards a new protocol for field measurements of greenhouse gases from wastewater treatment plant

Abstract

Emissions into the atmosphere of greenhouse gases (GHGs), i.e., carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide from wastewater treatment plants are of increasing concern in the water industry. In order to produce useful and comparable information for monitoring, assessing and reporting GHG emissions from wastewater treatment plants, there is a crescent need for a general accepted methodology. This paper aims at proposing the first protocol for monitoring and accounting GHG emissions from wastewater treatment plants taking into account both direct and internal indirect emissions focusing on sections known to be major responsible of GHG emissions i.e. oxidation tanks and sludge digestion. The main novelties of the proposed protocol are: (i) direct and indirect internal emissions ascribed to aeration devices which are related each other, (ii) the monitoring of biogas composition in case of anaerobic digestion which affects GHG emissions offset due to biogas valorization systems and (iii) monitoring of non-aerated tanks.