wcm.03.2025.611.618

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of air pollutant emissions from Jordan’s Al-Baqa’a and As Samra wastewater treatment plants (2018-2023), revealing critical insights into the water-air quality nexus in arid urban environments. Through integrated geospatial modeling and dispersion analysis, we demonstrate that biological treatment processes generate hazardous hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) concentrations reaching 177 ppb (17.7 times Jordan’s standard), while synergistic interactions with nearby petroleum and pharmaceutical industries contribute 19-63% of ambient sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxide (NO₂) loads. Recent findings identify methane (CH₄) as a previously underestimated emission component, with biogas composition averaging 62±8% CH₄ by volume and contributing 14% of facility carbon footprints (1,230 tCO₂e/yr). The research identifies distinct seasonal patterns, with summer temperatures accelerating microbial conversion rates (Q₁₀=2.3) to produce NO₂ peaks of 181 ppb – 2.3 times the national limit. New VOC measurements reveal benzene levels (2.1±0.8 ppb) exceeding WHO cancer risk thresholds in 17% of samples near industrial zones. Our methodology combines high-resolution terrain modeling (30m SRTM data) with validated atmospheric simulations (COD=0.27, |FB|=0.18) to quantify exposure disparities, showing communities near WWTPs endure particulate matter concentrations 4.7 times higher than background areas. The findings inform three actionable mitigation pathways: process optimization through extended sludge retention (15.3±1.2 days) reduces H₂S by 41%, chemical scrubbers achieve 89% SO₂ removal, and IoT-enabled smart systems to cut NO₂ peaks by 33%. This work establishes wastewater infrastructure as a critical frontier for urban air quality management, providing both immediate solutions for Jordan’s regulatory compliance and a transferable framework for addressing the climate-pollution nexus in water-stressed regions worldwide.