Methane emissions from a full-scale A/A/O wastewater treatment plant.

Methane (CH(4)) emissions from a full-scale anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A/A/O) wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) (Jinan, China) were investigated during spring and summer of 2010. Results showed that the major emission sources of CH(4) performed the following descending order: anaerobic tanks, oxic tanks, aerated grit chambers and sludge concentration tanks. The total annual fluxes of CH(4) emissions from the Jinan WWTP were 1.69 × 10(4)kg yr(-1), with the emission factors of per capita emissions of 11.3g CH(4) person(-1)yr(-1) and flow-based emissions of 1.55 × 10(-4)g CH(4) (L of wastewater)(-1). The estimated source strength of methane for all WWTPs in China was 6.2 Gg yr(-1) (1 Gg=10(9)g). The most significant factors influencing methane emissions were dissolved oxygen concentration in aerated grit chamber and oxic tank and water temperature in high density settler tanks.