What Size is Your Footprint – How to Include Greenhouse Gas Emissions during Biosolids Strategic Planning

Greenhouse gas emissions have become a significant concern and are increasingly being measured and evaluated when determining the long-term sustainability of a treatment system. 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. Greenhouse gas emissions are also becoming subject to gas trading credits, similar to other air emission programs. This paper focuses on inventorying GHG emissions from biosolids treatment options, applying the World Resources Institute methodology. This methodology can be used to generate “standard” GHG emission inventories that can be used during the strategic planning process for comparing the sustainability of various treatment options in terms of environmental impact. Use of a standard methodology will also allow comparisons between plants and utilities.