United Nations
Framework Convention on
Climate Change
AM0080
CDM Methodology Booklet November 2011 (up to EB 63)
AM0080 Mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions with treatment
of wastewater in aerobic wastewater treatment plants
Typical project(s)
Implementing a new aerobic wastewater treatment plant for the treatment of domestic
and/or industrial wastewater, with sludge treated either in the same manner as the
baseline, or in a new anaerobic digester with biogas capture. The biogas is either flared
and/or used to generate electricity and/or heat.
Type of GHG emissions
mitigation action
• GHGemissionavoidance.
Avoidance of CH4 emissions from wastewater treatment.
Important conditions under
which the methodology is
applicable
•
•
•
Important parameters
BASELINE SCENARIO
wastewater would have been
treated in an anaerobic open
lagoon system without methane
recovery and flaring. Sludge
would have been dumped or left
to decay, or dried under controlled
and aerobic conditions and
then disposed to a landfill with
methane recovery or used in soil
application.
PROJECT SCENARIO
Installation of a new aerobic
wastewater treatment plant.
Sludge is treated either the same
way as the baseline or in a new
anaerobic digester with the biogas
capture.
Theprojecteitherreplacesanexistinganaerobicopenlagoonsystem,with
or without conversion of the sludge treatment system, or is an alternative to a new
to be built anaerobic open lagoon system;
Loadinginthewastewaterstreamshastobehighenoughtoensurethatalgal
oxygen production can be ruled out in the baseline;
Theaveragedepthoftheexistingornewtobebuiltanaerobicopenlagoonssystem
is at least one metre and residence time of the organic matter is at least 30 days.
Monitored:
• Quantityandaveragechemicaloxygendemandofthewastewaterthatistreated;
• Electricityandheatgeneratedwithbiogasfromthenewanaerobicdigester,
if applicable;
• Quantityofproducedsludge;
• Fossilfuel,electricityandtransportationneededtooperatetheproject.
Waste water
Lagoon
Biogas
Release
CH4
Biogas
Release
CH4
Air
Treatment
Waste water
Lagoon