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- Bagheri, Marzieh, et al.
(author)
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Economic feasibility and direct greenhouse gas emissions from different phosphorus recovery methods in Swedish wastewater treatment plants
- 2024
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In: Sustainable Production and Consumption. - : Elsevier. - 2352-5509. ; 49, s. 462-473
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Phosphorus (P) is a finite, non-renewable resource that is a critical component of fertilizers; therefore, recovering P from municipal wastewater can provide an alternative sustainable source of this nutrient. This work analyses economic impacts and greenhouse gas emissions of P recovery in Swedish municipal wastewater treatment plants. The study examines different scenarios, including P recovery technologies in individual plants and hubs, and considers various P-rich streams (supernatant, sludge, and ash) in plants, different plant sizes, and multiple sludge management strategies such as land application, incineration, and hydrochar production, under current market conditions. The goal is to identify and offer solutions tailored to local conditions, addressing both technical opportunities and strategies to reduce costs.The results show varying recovery rates: 5 % from supernatant, 36–65 % from sludge, and 17 % from sludge ash relative to total P in wastewater. Despite technical feasibility, P recovery costs are not covered at current market prices of P, indicating a lack of financial incentive, especially for smaller treatment plants. The least expensive recovery method costs about 7 k€/t P for ash, compared to 30–187 k€/t P for supernatant, however with the latter coming with the co-benefit of mitigated greenhouse gas emissions. The emissions from studied plants range from 84 to 123 kt CO2 eq (CO2 equivalent) for supernatant, 94–141 kt CO2 eq for sludge, and 75–102 kt CO2 eq for ash among different P recovery methods. Comparatively, P recovery methods from supernatant showed the lowest emissions, while the lower emissions range for ash is due to the consideration of fewer plants. Developing hub networks and converting sludge into products like hydrochar are crucial for attracting investments, enhancing P recovery, and leveraging economies of scale. Results highlight the urgency for localized strategies and proactive policy interventions to reconcile economic and environmental objectives in P recycling. Furthermore, P recovery from wastewater treatment plants, although more resource-intensive than mineral fertilizer, promotes circularity in the food chain and mitigates the risk of eutrophication.
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- Christensen, Torben Røjle, et al.
(author)
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Tracing the climate signal : mitigation of anthropogenic methane emissions can outweigh a large Arctic natural emission increase
- 2019
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 9:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Natural methane emissions are noticeably influenced by warming of cold arctic ecosystems and permafrost. An evaluation specifically of Arctic natural methane emissions in relation to our ability to mitigate anthropogenic methane emissions is needed. Here we use empirical scenarios of increases in natural emissions together with maximum technically feasible reductions in anthropogenic emissions to evaluate their potential influence on future atmospheric methane concentrations and associated radiative forcing (RF). The largest amplification of natural emissions yields up to 42% higher atmospheric methane concentrations by the year 2100 compared with no change in natural emissions. The most likely scenarios are lower than this, while anthropogenic emission reductions may have a much greater yielding effect, with the potential of halving atmospheric methane concentrations by 2100 compared to when anthropogenic emissions continue to increase as in a business-as-usual case. In a broader perspective, it is shown that man-made emissions can be reduced sufficiently to limit methane-caused climate warming by 2100 even in the case of an uncontrolled natural Arctic methane emission feedback, but this requires a committed, global effort towards maximum feasible reductions.
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- Saunois, Marielle, et al.
(author)
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The Global Methane Budget 2000–2017
- 2020
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In: Earth System Science Data. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1866-3516 .- 1866-3508. ; 12:3, s. 1561-1623
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Understanding and quantifying the global methane (CH4) budget is important for assessing realistic pathways to mitigate climate change. Atmospheric emissions and concentrations of CH4 continue to increase, making CH4 the second most important human-influenced greenhouse gas in terms of climate forcing, after carbon dioxide (CO2). The relative importance of CH4 compared to CO2 depends on its shorter atmospheric lifetime, stronger warming potential, and variations in atmospheric growth rate over the past decade, the causes of which are still debated. Two major challenges in reducing uncertainties in the atmospheric growth rate arise from the variety of geographically overlapping CH4 sources and from the destruction of CH4 by short-lived hydroxyl radicals (OH). To address these challenges, we have established a consortium of multidisciplinary scientists under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project to synthesize and stimulate new research aimed at improving and regularly updating the global methane budget. Following Saunois et al. (2016), we present here the second version of the living review paper dedicated to the decadal methane budget, integrating results of top-down studies (atmospheric observations within an atmospheric inverse-modelling framework) and bottom-up estimates (including process-based models for estimating land surface emissions and atmospheric chemistry, inventories of anthropogenic emissions, and data-driven extrapolations).For the 2008–2017 decade, global methane emissions are estimated by atmospheric inversions (a top-down approach) to be 576 Tg CH4 yr−1 (range 550–594, corresponding to the minimum and maximum estimates of the model ensemble). Of this total, 359 Tg CH4 yr−1 or ∼ 60 % is attributed to anthropogenic sources, that is emissions caused by direct human activity (i.e. anthropogenic emissions; range 336–376 Tg CH4 yr−1 or 50 %–65 %). The mean annual total emission for the new decade (2008–2017) is 29 Tg CH4 yr−1 larger than our estimate for the previous decade (2000–2009), and 24 Tg CH4 yr−1 larger than the one reported in the previous budget for 2003–2012 (Saunois et al., 2016). Since 2012, global CH4 emissions have been tracking the warmest scenarios assessed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Bottom-up methods suggest almost 30 % larger global emissions (737 Tg CH4 yr−1, range 594–881) than top-down inversion methods. Indeed, bottom-up estimates for natural sources such as natural wetlands, other inland water systems, and geological sources are higher than top-down estimates. The atmospheric constraints on the top-down budget suggest that at least some of these bottom-up emissions are overestimated. The latitudinal distribution of atmospheric observation-based emissions indicates a predominance of tropical emissions (∼ 65 % of the global budget, < 30∘ N) compared to mid-latitudes (∼ 30 %, 30–60∘ N) and high northern latitudes (∼ 4 %, 60–90∘ N). The most important source of uncertainty in the methane budget is attributable to natural emissions, especially those from wetlands and other inland waters.Some of our global source estimates are smaller than those in previously published budgets (Saunois et al., 2016; Kirschke et al., 2013). In particular wetland emissions are about 35 Tg CH4 yr−1 lower due to improved partition wetlands and other inland waters. Emissions from geological sources and wild animals are also found to be smaller by 7 Tg CH4 yr−1 by 8 Tg CH4 yr−1, respectively. However, the overall discrepancy between bottom-up and top-down estimates has been reduced by only 5 % compared to Saunois et al. (2016), due to a higher estimate of emissions from inland waters, highlighting the need for more detailed research on emissions factors. Priorities for improving the methane budget include (i) a global, high-resolution map of water-saturated soils and inundated areas emitting methane based on a robust classification of different types of emitting habitats; (ii) further development of process-based models for inland-water emissions; (iii) intensification of methane observations at local scales (e.g., FLUXNET-CH4 measurements) and urban-scale monitoring to constrain bottom-up land surface models, and at regional scales (surface networks and satellites) to constrain atmospheric inversions; (iv) improvements of transport models and the representation of photochemical sinks in top-down inversions; and (v) development of a 3D variational inversion system using isotopic and/or co-emitted species such as ethane to improve source partitioning.The data presented here can be downloaded from https://doi.org/10.18160/GCP-CH4-2019 (Saunois et al., 2020) and from the Global Carbon Project.
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- Villarroel-Schneider, Johnny, et al.
(author)
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Energy self-sufficiency and greenhouse gas emission reductions in Latin American dairy farms through massive implementation of biogas-based solutions
- 2022
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In: Energy Conversion and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0196-8904 .- 1879-2227. ; 261, s. 115670-115670
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The transition towards sustainable economies with improved resource efficiency is today’s challenge for all productive sectors. The dairy sector in Latin America is growing without considering a clear path for sustainable energy and waste management solutions. This study proposes integrated solutions through a waste-to-energy approach. The solutions consider biogas production (via cow manure) as the main energy conversion pathway; technology solutions include biodigesters, power generators, and combined heat and power systems that supply not only the energy services demanded by dairy farms (for cooking gas, electricity, refrigeration and hot water) but also provide organic fertilizers. Biogas’ potential was estimated to verify whether it can cover the energy demands of the farms, while the levelized costs of producing biogas and electricity were the indicators for the techno-economic evaluation of the solutions. Greenhouse gas emission reductions were estimated by following IPCC guidelines. Specifically, the proposed solutions lead to energy self-sufficiency in most dairy farms with relevant biogas and electricity costs in the range of 1.7–3.7 and 6–12 USD cents/kWh, respectively. In addition, implementing the proposed solutions in Latin American dairy farms would allow annual greenhouse gas emission reductions of 32.8 Mton CO2 eq. with an additional 17 Mton if widespread use of the supplied organic fertilizers is achieved.
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- Zhang (张臻), Zhen, et al.
(author)
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Anthropogenic emission is the main contributor to the rise of atmospheric methane during 1993–2017
- 2022
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In: National Science Review. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2095-5138 .- 2053-714X. ; 9:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Atmospheric methane (CH4) concentrations have shown a puzzling resumption in growth since 2007 following a period of stabilization from 2000 to 2006. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain the temporal variations in CH4 growth, and attribute the rise of atmospheric CH4 either to increases in emissions from fossil fuel activities, agriculture and natural wetlands, or to a decrease in the atmospheric chemical sink. Here, we use a comprehensive ensemble of CH4 source estimates and isotopic δ13C-CH4 source signature data to show that the resumption of CH4 growth is most likely due to increased anthropogenic emissions. Our emission scenarios that have the fewest biases with respect to isotopic composition suggest that the agriculture, landfill and waste sectors were responsible for 53 ± 13% of the renewed growth over the period 2007–2017 compared to 2000–2006; industrial fossil fuel sources explained an additional 34 ± 24%, and wetland sources contributed the least at 13 ± 9%. The hypothesis that a large increase in emissions from natural wetlands drove the decrease in atmospheric δ13C-CH4 values cannot be reconciled with current process-based wetland CH4 models. This finding suggests the need for increased wetland measurements to better understand the contemporary and future role of wetlands in the rise of atmospheric methane and climate feedback. Our findings highlight the predominant role of anthropogenic activities in driving the growth of atmospheric CH4 concentrations.
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