Başak Kılıç Taşeli

By Başak Kiliç Taşeli

It is thought that this chapter will make a significant contribution to the literature or at least will fill the space on the wastewater treatment plant’s effect on climate change. It demonstrates the potential climate change impact of a sequential batch reactor (SBR) and constructed wetland on treating domestic wastewater by giving methods for calculation of their greenhouse gas emissions in terms of N2O and CH4. Are wastewater treatment plants sustainable? What aspects determine sustainability? Do tertiary wastewater treatment plants and constructed wetlands (CWs) have less global warming potential (CO2 emissions) and less energy use than conventional treatment? In accordance with the literature, greenhouse gas calculations of this study showed that CWs and SBR WWTPs do not contribute to global warming negatively.

Part of the book: Water Chemistry

By Başak Kiliç Taşeli

Sludge formation during wastewater treatment is inevitable even with proper management and treatment. However, the proper treatment and disposal of sludge are still difficult in terms of cost of treatment, the presence of new pollutants, health problems, and public acceptance. Conventional disposal methods (e.g., storage, incineration) have raised concerns about legislative constraints and community perception that encourage the assessment of substitute sludge management options. Sludge management requires a systematic solution that combines environmental effectiveness, social acceptability, and economic affordability. Life cycle assessment is one of the most important tools to identify and compare the environmental impact of sludge treatment technologies to ensure sustainable sludge management. Increased production of sludge (biosolids) increases worldwide due to population growth, urban planning, and industrial developments. The sludge needs to be properly treated and environmentally managed to reduce the negative effects of its application or disposal. This chapter deals with the application of biosolids or sewage sludge, together with possible resources for sustainable development. In this section, the life cycle assessments of sludge treatment methods were also investigated and found that sludge treatment techniques lead to major environmental impact categories such as global warming potential, human toxicity, acidification potential, and resource consumption.

Part of the book: Sustainable Sewage Sludge Management and Resource Efficiency

By Başak Kılıç Taşeli

It is thought that this section will make an important contribution to the literature and at least reflect the strong link between green stormwater infrastructure and the European Green Deal Policy to the readers. The European Green Deal has targets covering many different sectors, including construction, biodiversity, energy, transportation, and food, which include the enactment of new laws on green rainwater infrastructure. Green stormwater infrastructure not only controls stormwater volume and timing but also supports the benefits ecosystems bring to us. Stormwater is defined as rainwater or melted snow runoff from streets, lawns, and other areas. When rainstorm water is absorbed into the soil, it is filtered and eventually replenishes aquifers or flows into streams and rivers. Runoff carries sediments, nutrients, or other pollutants into water sources that degrade water quality, threaten drinking water supplies, and complicate water treatment processes. When drought concentrates pollutants, it can further limit dilution, making worse conditions. In order to prevent the problems caused by inefficient rainwater management systems, green infrastructure applications that mimic natural habitats, absorb excess water, and help protect water while preserving water quality have gained importance in recent years.

Part of the book: Urban Green Spaces

By Pınar Rüya Uludağ and Başak Kiliç Taşeli

Lokman Hekim Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, which is located in Bulancak-Giresun in the Black Sea Region of Turkey, was selected to quantify its carbon footprint after previously conducting an awareness seminar. This study is divided into three parts. Firstly, pre-training was given to both students and teachers. Next, an awareness questionnaire was administered to determine their understanding of carbon footprints, climate change and global warming. The results showed that while the students were knowledgeable about climate change and global warming, they lacked sufficient understanding of carbon footprints. Secondly, a face-to-face measurement study was conducted with 295 students to calculate the annual average amount of CO₂ emitted by them based on various categories. The results revealed that the students emitted an average of 7.43 ton of CO₂e per year, with the highest amount of emissions (3 ton CO₂e/year) being attributed to household factors, and 2.135 ton CO₂e/year resulting from lifestyle habits. Finally, the institutional emission amounts from Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 were determined to be 85.4k, 16.7k, and 18.9k ton CO₂e/year, respectively. Consequently, the total institutional carbon footprint of the high school was calculated to be 121k ton of CO₂e/year.

Part of the book: Global Warming

By Büşra Çayir and Başak Kılıç Taşeli

This chapter provides a valuable data regarding greenhouse gas emissions and embodied carbon emissions associated with wastewater treatment plants, and their implications for climate change. We have assessed greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in 91.05 tCO₂eq for CH₄ and 0.343 tCO₂eq for N₂O. Indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions predominantly stem from electricity usage, comprising 15.20 tCO₂eq. The cumulative GHG emissions for the plant were estimated at 106.59tCO2eq. The examination of the structure of WWTP revealed that ready-mix concrete and steel contribute to the highest amount of embodied carbon, approximately 397.48 and 286.79 tonCO₂e, respectively. The major contributor to embodied carbon emissions is external walls and facade, which accounts for 39.83% of the total carbon, and emits 750 tonCO₂e. The major contributors of resource type to embodied carbon emissions are paints, coatings, and lacquers and ready-mix concrete for external walls and floors that account for 32.73% and 24.08% of the total carbon, respectively, and emit 620 and 450 tonCO₂e.The construction material stage (A1-A3) constitutes the highest proportion of embodied carbon (1371.01 tonCO₂e), followed by the construction/installation stage A5 (453.96 tonCO₂e) and transportation to the building site A4 stage (58.18 tonCO₂e). Cumulatively, this accounts for a total of 1883 tCO₂e.

Part of the book: Wastewater Treatment and Sludge Management Systems