Assessment of land occupation of municipal wastewater treatment plants in China

The tense deficiency of available land resources is becoming one of the bottlenecks in dealing with wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) management issues. In order to identify the underlying factors affecting land occupation, a comprehensive investigation program was done to analyze 1184 urban WWTPs in various regions in China over a period of 30 years (1984-2013). This investigation included a holistic assessment of key design parameters (scale, treatment process and effluent standard), different treatment units and the geographical distribution of WWTPs in terms of land occupation. Comparisons were also made between the statistical- and the baseline-value of unit land occupancy. Finally, specific recommendations, strategies and future developments were provided accordingly. In particular, one emerging highly-intensive-land-use type of underground WWTP was also discussed. The present work will hopefully assist in understanding how and to what extent key factors are incorporated into design guidelines, and also help decision makers and engineers construct and upgrade WWTPs in the best possible way.