Estimated Carbon Footprint for the Construction and Operational Phases of a Wastewater Treatment Plant

Year 2025, Volume: 20 Issue: 1, 116 - 125

Muhammed Hasan Eken , Özlem Tunç Dede

Abstract

In this paper, the carbon footprint of the construction and operational phases of a WWTP in Giresun was evaluated in accordance with TSE EN ISO 14064 Guidelines for Calculation of Greenhouse Gases, within the framework of GHG Protocol standards and CCaLC2 software. The carbon footprint of the plant during the construction phase was calculated as 1077.55 tCO2e for 2022 and 1110.52 tCO2e for 2023. The estimated carbon footprint for operational phase was determined to be 800.64 tCO2e. The primary contribution to greenhouse gas emissions stems from fuel consumption and wastewater treatment for construction and operational phases, respectively. The calculated carbon footprint value was relatively low compared to other WWTPs reported in the literature, primarily due to the lack of real-time operational data. However, the research incorporating both design data and operational data from the plant will further elucidate the findings of this study and enable the examination of carbon footprints under various operating conditions.

Keywords

carbon footprint, greenhouse gas, emission, energy, wastewater

Ethical Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest or any ethical issues.

Supporting Institution

This research has not been funded with any project

Thanks

This paper has been prepared as a part of Muhammed Hasan Eken’s MSc. Thesis. The authors would like to thank Prof. Dr. Adisa Azapagic and her team at the University of Manchester for making CCalC2 software freely available.

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