Emissions of non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases (non-CO2 GHGs), primarily methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), are critical drivers of climate change, with China’s wastewater treatment sector ranking as the fourth-largest source of both gases. Consequently, establishing high–spatiotemporal-resolution inventories for CH4 and N2O emissions from this sector is a prerequisite for China to achieve its non-CO2 GHG mitigation targets. This study develops a 0.1° × 0.1° spatial-resolution inventory for CH4 and N2O emissions from Chinese wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) spanning 2000–2024. By integrating top-down and bottom-up methodologies, the inventory is used to establish a refined emission-factor database that distinguishes between technical processes and wastewater types. The results indicate that non-CO2 GHG emissions of China’s WWTPs generally increased until 2015, followed by a steady decline through 2024. Emission hotspots have expanded from eastern to central China, with the top 10% of WWTPs accounting for around 60% of total emissions. These datasets provide a scientific basis for designing region-specific emission-mitigation policies.
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Open Access
Research Article
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Carbonsphere 2026, 2: 9510009
Published: 18 September 2026
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