Carbon credit certification platform Isometric has released a new protocol outlining requirements and procedures for carbon removal via wastewater alkalinity enhancement (WAE).
As with all Isometric protocols, this one too was developed with the help of Isometric’s Science Team and Network, a community comprised of over 300 scientific experts, following the rigorous rules set forth by the Isometric Standard.
Wastewater alkalinity enhancement is a carbon removal approach that builds on the commonplace technique for organic wastewater treatment, during which organic carbon in waste materials is converted to CO2 through biological processes.
By adding alkaline materials like finely crushed limestone during the wastewater treatment process, the carbon dioxide turns into bicarbonate ions, which do not enter the atmosphere and eventually find their way to the ocean through the wastewater stream that leads them to a river or another body of water.
With this carbon removal process, the CO2 locked into bicarbonate ions remains sequestered for tens of thousands of years.
To further advance the adoption of this decarbonization technology, the new Isometric protocol provides guidelines for a scientifically rigorous approach to monitoring, reporting and verification for WAE.
Three key elements enable the new Isometric protocol to guarantee that each WAE carbon credit verified with it reflects a tonne of durably removed atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The first vital element is precise direct measurements, which are made possible by the controlled environment it which WAE is performed, allowing for the exact calculation of alkaline materials and CO2 inputs and outputs.
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A second fundamental pillar is the comprehensive accounting of downstream losses via trustworthy riverine and ocean models, covering the amounts of carbon dioxide that may still enter the atmosphere after discharge.
The third critical factor is that the lifecycle analysis in this protocol builds on the already defined baseline emissions of existing wastewater treatment plants, accounting for emissions that are additional beyond typical operations.
The Isometric wastewater alkalinity enhancement protocol, which is now released for public consultation, was shaped with valuable feedback from CO2 removal supplier CREW Carbon, which is also the first supplier that has signed up to issue carbon credits under the new protocol. \
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