Chapter 18
Study on the Quantitative Evaluation
of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
in Sewage-Sludge Treatment System
Zhiyi Liang, Toru Matsumoto, Lei Zhang, and Bing Liu
Abstract Global economic development has highlighted the issue of climate
change, which is one of the most important environmental issues plaguing human
beings. It is widely agreed that excessive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are important factors contributing to global warming. Many countries have formulated corresponding GHG emission reduction plans to deal with climate change issues. An
important GHG emission source is released from sewage-sludge treatment systems.
However, there has not been a comprehensive quantitative GHG emissions evaluation system in the case of sewage-sludge treatment systems, due to multiple emission sources, complex processes, and different standards. In previous studies, the
Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, IPCC, 2006) and Chinese Greenhouse Gas Inventory (National
Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, NCSC, 2005)
were widely applied to estimate GHG emissions from sewage-sludge treatment.
However, IPCC does not consider CO 2 emissions from sewage treatment, and NCSC
does not consider CO 2 emissions from the sewage treatment and N 2 O emissions from
sludge treatment. Therefore, the following have been conducted in this study: (1) A
GHG estimation model basing on Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) was constructed, and
the research objects were CH 4 , N 2 O, and CO 2 that were produced by the sewagesludge treatment system. The estimation model of CO 2 and N 2 O, which were ignored
in the IPCC report, were analyzed and discussed. The models of the GHG emission
estimation were summarized and improved in the urban sewage-sludge treatment
system under the different sewage-sludge treatment process scenarios. (2) The GHG
emission load of major urban sewage-sludge treatment processes was analyzed, and
the level and key links of environmental impacts generated by different processes
Z. Liang · T. Matsumoto
The University of Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu 808–0135, Japan
L. Zhang
China Energy Conservation DADI Environmental Remediation Co., Ltd, Beijing 100082, China
B. Liu (B)
Resources and Environment Innovation Research Institute, School of Municipal and
Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, Shandong, China
e-mail: b-liu@sdjzu.edu.cn
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
Y. Kishita et al. (eds.), EcoDesign and Sustainability II, Sustainable Production, Life
Cycle Engineering and Management, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6775-9_18
271
Study on the Quantitative Evaluation
of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
in Sewage-Sludge Treatment System
Zhiyi Liang, Toru Matsumoto, Lei Zhang, and Bing Liu
Abstract Global economic development has highlighted the issue of climate
change, which is one of the most important environmental issues plaguing human
beings. It is widely agreed that excessive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are important factors contributing to global warming. Many countries have formulated corresponding GHG emission reduction plans to deal with climate change issues. An
important GHG emission source is released from sewage-sludge treatment systems.
However, there has not been a comprehensive quantitative GHG emissions evaluation system in the case of sewage-sludge treatment systems, due to multiple emission sources, complex processes, and different standards. In previous studies, the
Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, IPCC, 2006) and Chinese Greenhouse Gas Inventory (National
Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, NCSC, 2005)
were widely applied to estimate GHG emissions from sewage-sludge treatment.
However, IPCC does not consider CO 2 emissions from sewage treatment, and NCSC
does not consider CO 2 emissions from the sewage treatment and N 2 O emissions from
sludge treatment. Therefore, the following have been conducted in this study: (1) A
GHG estimation model basing on Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) was constructed, and
the research objects were CH 4 , N 2 O, and CO 2 that were produced by the sewagesludge treatment system. The estimation model of CO 2 and N 2 O, which were ignored
in the IPCC report, were analyzed and discussed. The models of the GHG emission
estimation were summarized and improved in the urban sewage-sludge treatment
system under the different sewage-sludge treatment process scenarios. (2) The GHG
emission load of major urban sewage-sludge treatment processes was analyzed, and
the level and key links of environmental impacts generated by different processes
Z. Liang · T. Matsumoto
The University of Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu 808–0135, Japan
L. Zhang
China Energy Conservation DADI Environmental Remediation Co., Ltd, Beijing 100082, China
B. Liu (B)
Resources and Environment Innovation Research Institute, School of Municipal and
Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, Shandong, China
e-mail: b-liu@sdjzu.edu.cn
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
Y. Kishita et al. (eds.), EcoDesign and Sustainability II, Sustainable Production, Life
Cycle Engineering and Management, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6775-9_18
271