Department of Environmental Science, College of Forestry, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, India.
Sci Rep. 2023 Jun 14;13(1):9675. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-36825-7.
In recent times, waste management has emerged as a significant environmental challenge, and sewage is among the major contributors due to the rapidly increasing population. Despite sewage treatment plants (STPs) being the solution for the treatment of sewage, they have been identified as sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study aimed to estimate the contribution of STPs to GHG emissions in the state. This was achieved by visiting the sites, filling scientifically designed questionnaires, sample collection as well as computational methods by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The assessment of direct and indirect emissions from the STPs revealed that emissions were caused by the activated sludge process, electricity consumption, transportation, and sludge storage. Electricity consumption by STPs was responsible for the highest emissions, accounting for 43% of the total emissions, equivalent to 20,823 tCO eq. The activated sludge process contributed 31% (14,934 tCO eq) of the emissions, while storage of sludge in landfills accounted for 24% (11,359 tCO eq). Additionally, transportation contributed 2% (1121 tCO eq) of the emissions. In total, the STPs in Himachal Pradesh had the potential to contribute 48,237 tCO eq GHG emissions annually. Thus, the study suggests process-level modifications in STPs of Himachal Pradesh to mitigate GHG emissions. This research provides insight into the GHG emissions from STPs and highlights the need for their management to reduce environmental impacts.
近年来，废物管理已成为一个重大的环境挑战，而污水由于人口的快速增长，是主要的贡献者之一。尽管污水处理厂（STP）是处理污水的解决方案，但它们已被确定为温室气体（GHG）排放的来源。本研究旨在估计 STP 对该州温室气体排放的贡献。这是通过访问现场、填写科学设计的问卷、样品收集以及政府间气候变化专门委员会的计算方法来实现的。对 STP 的直接和间接排放的评估表明，排放是由活性污泥工艺、电力消耗、运输和污泥储存引起的。STP 的电力消耗导致的排放量最高，占总排放量的 43%，相当于 20823 吨二氧化碳当量。活性污泥工艺贡献了 31%（14934 吨二氧化碳当量）的排放量，而垃圾填埋场中储存的污泥占 24%（11359 吨二氧化碳当量）。此外，运输贡献了 2%（1121 吨二氧化碳当量）的排放量。总的来说，哈里亚纳邦的 STP 每年有潜力排放 48237 吨二氧化碳当量的温室气体。因此，该研究建议在哈里亚纳邦的 STP 进行工艺层面的修改，以减少温室气体排放。这项研究提供了对 STP 温室气体排放的深入了解，并强调需要对其进行管理，以减少对环境的影响。
