title: Net energy production and emissions mitigation of domestic wastewater treatment system: a comparison of different biogas-sludge use alternatives.
abstract: Wastewater treatment systems are increasingly designed for the recovery of valuable chemicals and energy in addition to waste stream disposal. Herein, the life-cycle energy production and emissions mitigation of a typical domestic wastewater treatment system were assessed, in which different combinations of biogas use and sludge processing lines for industrial or household applications were considered. The results suggested that the reuse of biogas and sludge was so important in the system's overall energy balance and environmental performance that it may offset the cost in the plant's installation and operation. Combined heat and power and household utilization were two prior options for net energy production, provided an ideal power conversion efficiency and biogas production. The joint application of household biogas use and sludge nutrient processing achieved both high net energy production and significant environmental remediation across all impact categories, representing the optimal tradeoff for domestic wastewater treatment.
authors.affiliation: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China.
authors.forename: Shaoqing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D005191:Family Characteristics; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D013816:Thermodynamics; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D012722:Sewage; D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Biogas–sludge reuse; Emissions mitigation; Life cycle assessment; Net energy production; Wastewater treatment