Good Practice In Nitrous Oxide Monitoring

Download the publication here

This guidance on nitrous oxide (N₂O) monitoring was developed by the IWA Climate Smart Utilities GHG Monitoring Sub-group. It is intended to support utilities in moving beyond the use of fixed emission factors (EFs) to estimate process N₂O emissions, towards a more robust understanding of N₂O emissions from their water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs).

The guidance provides practical, simplified recommendations to help utilities establish and strengthen N₂O monitoring programmes. It brings together utility-relevant information and industry experience on the measurement, modelling and mitigation of N₂O emissions, providing a practical reference for utilities at different stages of their monitoring journey.

This white paper builds on recent publications, including Ye et al. (2022) and the IWA Climate Smart Utilities white paper, Climate Smart Utilities: Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Water Resource Recovery Facilities, developed by the IWA Climate Smart Utilities GHG Sub-group. It aims to support the adoption of good practice in N₂O emissions monitoring at the utility and WRRF levels.

The white paper compiles and summarises current guidance and industry knowledge on the sources, measurement, monitoring and mitigation of N₂O emissions from WRRFs. It also provides practical guidance for utilities beginning to monitor N₂O emissions, as well as those looking to strengthen existing monitoring and mitigation programmes.

Ultimately, the guidance is intended to help utilities move from estimation towards measurement-based understanding of N₂O emissions, enabling more informed decisions on emissions reduction and mitigation.

Lead authors

• Mikkel Holmen Andersen
• Ariane Brotto
• Eoghan Clifford
• Henri Haimi
• Conall Holohan
• Amanda Lake
• Bernadete Rodrigues
• Jürgen Schmidtke
• Milla Sieranen
• Aprilia Vellacott

With grateful contributions from

• Carlos Arias
• Gabriela Dotro
• Kenny McGibbon

With thanks to our Reviewers

• Carlos Domingo-Felez
• Ahlem Filali
• Martin Srb
• Vanessa Parravicini