Establishment of a carbon emission balance model and analysis of carbon neutrality pathways for urban reclaimed water plants

PANG Hongtao; HOU Feng; ZHU Ke; ZHANG Lujing; LI Peng; JIANG Leyong; SUN Shihao

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202606005

Volume 44 Issue 6

Jun. 2026

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PANG Hongtao, HOU Feng, ZHU Ke, ZHANG Lujing, LI Peng, JIANG Leyong, SUN Shihao. Establishment of a carbon emission balance model and analysis of carbon neutrality pathways for urban reclaimed water plants[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(6): 42-49. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202606005

Citation:

PANG Hongtao, HOU Feng, ZHU Ke, ZHANG Lujing, LI Peng, JIANG Leyong, SUN Shihao. Establishment of a carbon emission balance model and analysis of carbon neutrality pathways for urban reclaimed water plants[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(6): 42-49. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202606005

Citation:

PANG Hongtao, HOU Feng, ZHU Ke, ZHANG Lujing, LI Peng, JIANG Leyong, SUN Shihao. Establishment of a carbon emission balance model and analysis of carbon neutrality pathways for urban reclaimed water plants[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(6): 42-49. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202606005

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Establishment of a carbon emission balance model and analysis of carbon neutrality pathways for urban reclaimed water plants

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202606005

Xinkai Environment Investment Group Co., Ltd., Beijing 101101, China

Received Date: 2025-08-16
Accepted Date: 2025-09-23
Rev Recd Date: 2025-09-12

Available Online: 2026-07-06

Abstract

Abstract

In the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality， it is imperative that urban reclaimed water plants achieve carbon neutrality through measures such as energy conservation， consumption reduction， and enhanced resource and energy utilization. In view of this， this study developed a carbon emission balance model and an accounting method for such plants， incorporating strategies of carbon emission reduction， carbon substitution， and carbon sink. Additionally， the optimal pathway towards carbon neutrality was further evaluated based on the carbon emission balance ratio. To validate the practicality of the model， urban reclaimed water plants （1×10⁵ m³/d） were selected as case studies. The results indicated that their total carbon emissions amounted to 20934 t CO₂e， while the total carbon emission reduction from the reclaimed water source heat pumps for heating and cooling was 21701 t CO₂e， resulting in a carbon emission balance ratio of 103.7%. In contrast， other carbon emission reduction measures contributed a total reduction of 15424 t CO₂e， with a carbon emission balance ratio of 73.7%. These findings highlighted that reclaimed water source heat pumps played a pivotal role in achieving carbon neutrality. When the reclaimed water source heat pump extracted 27% and 36% of residual thermal energy and was respectively coupled with reclaimed water reuse or sludge anaerobic digestion-cogeneration systems， both pathways achieved a 100% carbon emission balance ratio. Assuming continuous year-round extraction of residual thermal energy by the pump， a ratio of 213% was achieved. Compared to sludge anaerobic digestion-cogeneration， the carbon emission reduction ratio between utilizing residual thermal energy and chemical energy was 8.76：1. This study demonstrates that urban reclaimed water plants can achieve carbon neutrality through the above multiple pathways， among which the recovery of residual thermal energy exhibits significant potential.
- urban reclaimed water plant,
- reclaimed water source heat pump,
- carbon emission balance,
- carbon neutrality,
- reclaimed water

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References(29)

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