Evaluation of Dairy Wastewater Treatment Systems Using Carbon Footprint Analysis

Beata Karolinczak, Wojciech Dąbrowski and Radosław Żyłka
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Beata Karolinczak: Faculty of Building Services Hydro and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, 20 Nowowiejska St., 00-653 Warsaw, Poland
Wojciech Dąbrowski: Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, Bialystok University of Technology, 45E Wiejska St., 15-351 Bialystok, Poland
Radosław Żyłka: Bielmlek Dairy Cooperative, Wojska Polskiego 52, 17-100 Bielsk Podlaski, Poland

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 17, 1-10

Abstract: Modernisation of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) should be carried out, taking into account its impact on global warming, e.g., through carbon footprint (CF) analysis. An important industrial sector in Poland is the dairy industry. In dairy WWTPs, the aerobic sewage sludge stabilisation applied thus far is being replaced by the anaerobic process. This change is positive due to the possibility of energy production, but it is unclear how it affects greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. The aim of the research was to perform CF analysis for two scenarios of dairy WWTP operation. The analysis was based on the real operating data of the current system (current scenario) and project of its modernisation (alternative scenario). The current scenario consists of mechanical and dissolved air flotation (DAF) treatment, biological treatment in sequence batch reactors (SBRs), aerobic sewage sludge stabilisation and its final farmland usage. The alternative scenario assumes replacing aerobic stabilisation with anaerobic stabilisation and a combined heat and power (CHP) system. The CF calculations were based on empirical models, taking into account different emission input parameters, expressed in CO 2 equivalents (CO 2e ). The total CF of the current scenario was 22 kg CO 2e PE −1 year −1 , while the alternative was 45 kg CO 2e PE −1 year −1 . The largest share in the current scenario belongs to emissions from WWTPs and energy use, while in the alternative, there is the addition of emissions from biogas use.

Keywords: dairy WWTP; activated sludge; sewage sludge management; anaerobic and aerobic stabilisation; carbon footprint; greenhouse gases emissions; energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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