Last reviewed on 12-01-2023

Documentation of California's Greenhouse Gas Inventory (2023 Edition - Last updated on 12-1-2023)

♦ Category: Waste

IPCC: 4D2 - Wastewater Treatment and Discharge - Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Discharge
Sector: Industrial : Wastewater Treatment : Industrial Wastewater

♦ Activity: Production processed - Pulp and Paper

♦ Greenhouse gas: Methane ( CH4 )

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Year 2021

► Year 2021 —

● Greenhouse gas emission estimate —

Amount: 1,684 tonnes of CH4 Emitted (42,108 tonnes CO2 Eq.)
Basis: Calculation
Calculation: [Production Processed] * [Wastewater outflow rate] * [Chemical oxygen demand (COD)] * [Proportion of COD treated anaerobically] * [Maximum methane production capacity] * [Methane correction factor for anaerobic systems]
Reference: USEPA (2015). Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2013. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Chapter 7: Waste. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html

● Activity level used in calculations —

Activity: Production processed = 1,179,499 ton of Pulp and Paper
Basis: Data
Reference: CPBIS, (2015). Data request between CARB and Aselia Urmanbetova of the Center of Paper Business and Industry Studies (CPBIS) at Georgia Institute of Technology, December 2015.

● Parameters and Constants used in calculations —

Parameter: Chemical oxygen demand (COD) = 0.8 g / l
Reference: CARB (2016). Technical support document on GHG inventory methodologies for the 2000-2014 inventory. See Discussion of emissions from wastewater treatment available at: https://ww3.arb.ca.gov/cc/inventory/pubs/reports/2000_2014/ghg_inventory_00-14_technical_support_document.pdf
Parameter: Maximum methane production capacity = 0.25 g / g
Reference: USEPA (2015). Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2013. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Chapter 7: Waste. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html
Parameter: Methane correction factor for anaerobic systems = 0.8
Reference: USEPA (2015). Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2013. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Chapter 7: Waste. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html
Parameter: Proportion of COD treated anaerobically = 0.105
Reference: USEPA (2015). Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2013. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Chapter 7: Waste. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html
Parameter: Wastewater outflow rate = 85,000 l / tonne
Reference: USEPA (2015). Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2013. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Chapter 7: Waste. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html
Constant: Global warming potential of CH4 = 25
Reference: IPCC (2007). Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Solomon S., Qin D., Manning M., Chen Z., Marquis M., Averyt K.B., Tignor M., and Miller H.L. (eds.). http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/publications_ipcc_fourth_assessment_report_synthesis_report.htm

● Greenhouse gas emitted per unit activity (derived from values listed above) —

Amount: 1,428 g (i.e. 1.43 kg) of CH4 per ton of Pulp and Paper
35,700 g (i.e. 35.7 kg) of CO2eq. per ton of Pulp and Paper