Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from municipal wastewater treatment plants in China:A plant-level and technology-specific study

Wastewater treatment is an important source of greenhouse gases(GHGs).Yet large uncertainties remain in the quantification of GHG emissions from municipal wastewater treatment plants(MWWTPs)in China.A high-resolution and technology-specific emission inventory is still lacking to support mitigation strategies of MWWTPs.Here we develop a plant-level and technology-based MWWTP emission inventory for China covering 8703 plants and 19 treatment technology categories by compiling and harmonizing the most up-to-date facility-level databases.China's methane(CH_(4))and nitrous oxide(N_(2)O)emissions from MWWTPs in 2020 are estimated to be 150.6 Gg and 22.0 Gg,respectively,with the uncertainty range of-30%to 37%and-30%to 26%at 95%confidence interval.We find an emission inequality across cities,with the richest cities emitting two times more CH_(4)and N_(2)O per capita from municipal wastewater treatment than the poorest cities.The emitted CH_(4)and N_(2)O are dominated by Anaerobic/Anoxic/Oxic-,Sequencing Batch Reactor-,Oxidation Ditch-,and Anoxic/Oxic-based MWWTPs of less than 20 years old.Considering the relatively young age structure of China's MWWTPs,the committed emissions highlight the importance of reducing on-site GHG emissions by optimization of operating conditions and innovation management.The emission differences among our estimates,previous studies,and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines are largely attributed to the uncertainties in emission factors,implying the urgent need for more plant-integrated measurements to improve the accuracy of emission accounting.

Optimum municipal wastewater treatment plant design with consideration of uncertainty

A newly developed model for the optimum municipal wastewater treatment plant(MWTP) design is presented. Through introducing the interval variables, the model attempts to consider the effects of uncertainties caused by the fluctuation of the wastewater quality and quantity during the design of MWTP. The model solution procedure is illustrated in detail, and a numerical example is given to verify the feasibility and advantage of the model. Furthermore, the possibility of the model application is briefly outlined.

Occurrence and migration of microplastics and plasticizers in different wastewater and sludge treatment units in municipal wastewater treatment plant

Microplastics(MPs)and plasticizers,such as phthalate esters(PAEs),were frequently detected in municipal wastewater treatment plants(MWTP).Previous research mainly studied the removal of MPs and PAEs in wastewater.However,the occurrence of MPs and PAEs in the sludge was generally ignored.To comprehensively investigate the occurrence and the migration behaviors of MPs and PAEs in MWTP,a series of representative parameters including the number,size,color,shape of MPs,and the concentrations of PAEs in wastewater and sludge were systematically investigated.In this study,the concentrations of MPs in the influent and effluent were 15.46±0.37 and 0.30±0.14 particles/L.The MP removal efficiency of 98.1%was achieved and about 73.8%of MPs were accumulated in the sludge in the MWTP.The numbers of MPs in the sludge before and after digestion were 4.40±0.14 and 0.31±0.01 particles/g(dry sludge),respectively.Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy(ATR FT-IR)analysis showed that the main types of MPs were polyethylene terephthalate(PET),polypropylene(PP),polyethylene(PE),and polystyrene(PS).Six PAEs,including phthalate(DMP),diethyl phthalate(DEP),diisobutyl phthalate(DIBP),ortho dibutyl phthalate(DBP),butyl benzyl phthalate(BBP),and bis(2-ethyl)hexyl phthalate(DEHP),were detected in the MWTP.The concentrations of total PAEs(ΣPAEs)in the influent and effluent were 76.66 and 6.28μg/L,respectively.The concentrations ofΣPAEs in the sludge before and after digestion were 152.64 and 31.70μg/g,respectively.In the process of thermal hydrolysis,the number and size of MPs decreased accompanied by the increase of the plasticizer concentration.