Name

BEWISe about trickling filter process emissions’ – a collaborative demonstration trial to assess N₂O Emissions from trickling filters

Speakers

Paul Lavender

Authors

Russell Davenport, Dan Curtis, Tom Curtis, Charles Teta and Sam Wilson, Newcastle University, UK
Valerie Sels, Royal Haskoning DHV, Netherlands
Paul Lavender, Royal HaskoningDHV, UK

Description

This multi-stakeholder research project aims to further the industry’s knowledge on trickling filter (TF) greenhouse gas (GHG) emission factors, causative conditions/mechanisms, and mitigation options through demonstration-scale trials. 

The UK water industry has set an ambitious goal to reduce its GHG in line with their Net Zero 2030 Routemap. Understanding and mitigating process emissions from wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) is a top priority and accurate data is urgently required to update the Carbon Accounting Workbook (CAW) and identify mitigation strategies for PR29. There is little reliable data on nitrous oxide (N2O) emission factors and the process mechanisms governing them for UK’s TFs. These are the main secondary treatment in 75% of UK WWTWs accounting for 25% of wastewater, but accurate quantification of GHGs at full-scale is almost impossible.

This trial utilises two TFs run in parallel over an initial 12-month period, at the BEWISe Wastewater Pilot Research Facility, to give controlled experimental conditions with a ‘control’ and ‘test’ reactor.  This ground-breaking study aims to quantify N2O emission factors in relation to basic process variables (i.e. nitrogen loading, temperature, wetting rate) to inform future operational and mitigation strategies. We will present further details of the project including recent results generated from it.

 

Time

12:15 PM - 12:40 PM

Location Name

Room 1

Track

10:05 - 17:30 Process Emissions