{"id":306981,"date":"2025-10-15T08:18:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T12:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/noticias\/wastewater-plants-double-their-pollutant-emissions\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T08:35:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T12:35:44","slug":"wastewater-plants-double-their-pollutant-emissions","status":"publish","type":"noticias","link":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/news\/wastewater-plants-double-their-pollutant-emissions\/","title":{"rendered":"Wastewater plants double their pollutant emissions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The \n greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater plants in the United States<\/a>\n<\/strong> from wastewater plants in the United States have been significantly underestimated, according to a recent Princeton University study.<\/p>\n\n

A mobile laboratory that has traveled more than 80,000 kilometers<\/h2>\n\n

For more than a year, a team of environmental engineers directly monitored 96 facilities across the country<\/strong> using a mobile laboratory powered by \n electric power<\/a>\n<\/strong>. This unit, equipped with advanced laser sensors, made it possible to accurately measure emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), two gases highly responsible for global warming. <\/p>\n\n

The results were clear: these facilities are emitting 2.4 times more methane and 1.9 times more nitrous oxide than official estimates had projected. These compounds, although less mentioned than carbon dioxide, have a much higher heat-trapping capacity, making them critical agents of climate change. <\/p>\n\n

Operational variability among wastewater plants<\/h2>\n\n

One of the most relevant findings is that most of these emissions come from a small number of plants. This suggests that differences in design, age of equipment, meteorological conditions and operating methods directly influence the levels of gases released into the atmosphere. <\/p>\n\n

The wastewater treatment plants usually use \n microorganisms<\/a>\n<\/strong> to decompose \n organic waste<\/a>\n<\/strong>. During this biological process, gaseous by-products are generated, the production of which varies depending on factors such as temperature, wastewater load and rainfall. <\/p>\n\n

Towards more efficient and climate responsible management<\/h2>\n\n

Professor Mark Zondlo, one of the lead authors, explained that the lack of accurate information has hindered the ability of operators to identify and control these emissions. <\/p>\n\n

\n

Many operators do not even know how much gas their facilities emit.<\/p>\nHe stated. <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n

This study raises the urgent need to implement real-time monitoring strategies and improve the design of internal processes.<\/p>\n\n

For his part, Professor Z. Jason Ren pointed out that there is an economic incentive in this task. <\/p>\n\n

\n

Methane can be captured and transformed into useful energy. Efficiency improvements not only benefit the environment, but also the municipal budget. <\/p>\nJason said.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n

A call to action for local authorities<\/h2>\n\n

Given that most plants in the U.S. are operated by municipalities, the potential for public intervention is real. Acting on the most polluting facilities could drastically reduce the sector’s impact on global warming. <\/p>\n\n

The study, published in \n Nature Water<\/a>\n<\/strong>points out that wastewater \n wastewater plants currently<\/a>\n<\/strong> currently contribute 2.5% of the methane and 8.1% of the nitrous oxide emitted in the country<\/strong>. While these figures may seem modest, they represent an immediate mitigation opportunity with high environmental payback. <\/p>\n\n

The research marks a turning point for wastewater management, calling for a broader vision that integrates public health, energy efficiency and climate action.<\/p>\n\n

Source and photo: Princeton University<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A study reveals that few facilities generate the majority of emissions, opening a direct pathway for their immediate reduction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9014,"featured_media":306901,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categoria_noticias":[13068,13032],"etiqueta_noticias":[],"class_list":["post-306981","noticias","type-noticias","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categoria_noticias-environment","categoria_noticias-management"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/noticias\/306981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/noticias"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/noticias"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9014"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/noticias\/306981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/306901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"categoria_noticias","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categoria_noticias?post=306981"},{"taxonomy":"etiqueta_noticias","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/etiqueta_noticias?post=306981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}