Wastewater treatment plants are major sources of anthropogenic methane emissions. Although anaerobic digesters contribute to these emissions through biogas leakage and incomplete capture, a substantial portion arises from other processes such as sewers, primary and secondary treatment units, and sludge handling systems. These sources are often overlooked despite posing safety and climate concerns.
This research aims to mitigate GHG emissions by reducing methane emissions from wastewater systems (sewers and WWTPs). We will use LiDAR to identify methane leaks, develop a smart unit to prevent methane formation in sewers, create a mathematical model for processing methane emissions, and optimize a lab-scale biofilter for methane removal, all based on our detection campaign.
