Greenhouse Gas Emissions How Sustainable is Your Treatment Process

During the past 50 years, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have increased considerably and the corresponding level of GHGs in the atmosphere has almost doubled. Greenhouse gases impede the radiation of heat from the earth back into space, resulting in increased temperatures on the earth's surface and contributing to the greenhouse gas effect. While the majority of the greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere through natural processes, some of them are generated and emitted solely through human activities. Wastewater treatment, being one of the largest consumers of energy for cities and municipalities, is assuming increased importance as a potential avenue for reducing the overall GHG inventories of a community. This paper focuses on GHG emissions from biosolids processing operations at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), providing a methodology for comparing the sustainability of various treatment options in terms of environmental impact.