Name : Aneeza Kokab

Roll No: 1049

BS Hons CHEM 7th morning

Topic:
Determination of toxic content
from coal based power plant
Table of Contents: consequences
Consequences
Introduction

on
on enviornment
enviornment
pollution
coal control
cleaning
Meethane
coal
burning
process
Sulfur
dioxide
 Determination of toxic
content from coal based
power plant
Introduction

The nation's first steam-

electric power station was
opened by the Edison Electric
Light Company
in New York City in 1882

Since that time, coal has

become the most common
fuel source used in
generating steam to
produce power.

Coal fired power plants

currently account for about 36
% of the electricity generated
in the worldwide.
Coal burning:
The process of coal burning leads towards toxic pollutants.
Chemical Chemical
Coal burn
bonds break reaction occur

Toxic air borne Heavy metals in

pollutants Enviornment
 sulfur dioxide

formation
RELEASE OF and release
POLLUTANTS FROM Mercury of nitrogen
oxides
COAL POWER PLANT particulate
formation
and release matter
of carbon (ash)
dioxide
Particulate Matter:

The f irst class of emission are

particulates. Primarily,
particulates are the ash and
soot f rom the coal combustion.

Studies report that very f ine

particles can lodge in human
lungs, resulting in
aggravated asthma and a
decreased lung f unction.
Particulate Matter:
• Better known as “soot,” this is the ashy grey substance in coal smoke,
and is linked with chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma,
cardiovascular effects like heart attacks, and premature death.
• US coal power plants emitted 197,286 tons of small airborne particles
(measured as 10 micrometers or less in diameter) in 2014.
Sulfur compounds:
Sulf ur compounds (SOx)
are classif ied as a
pollutant because they
react with water vapor
(in the f lue gas and
atmosphere) to f orm the
sulf uric acid mist.

Airborne sulf uric acid has

been f ound in f og,
smog, acid rain, and snow.
Sulf uric acid has also been
f ound in lakes, rivers, and
soil.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2):
• Produced when the sulfur in coal reacts with oxygen, SO2 combines
with other molecules in the atmosphere to form small, acidic
particulates that can penetrate human lungs.
• It’s linked with
asthma, bronchitis, smog, and acid rain, which damages crops and
other ecosystems, and acidifies lakes and streams.
• US coal power plants emitted more than 3.1 million tons of SO2 in
2014.
Nitrogen Oxides:
Nitrogen oxides with sulfur
oxides, contribute to acid rain
by forming nitric acid. More
significantly, nitrogen oxides
are a key in the creation of
ground level ozone,
contributing to smog.

Additionally, NOx is a
precursor to the ozone
transport and, in some
degree, to the fine
particulate matter formation.
Nitrogen oxides (NOx):
•  Nitrous oxides are visible as smog and irritate lung tissue, exacerbate
asthma, and make people more susceptible to chronic respiratory
diseases like pneumonia and influenza.
• In 2014, US coal power plants emitted more than 1.5 million tons.
Carbon dioxide:
A potential problem of emerging
significance in the combustion of
coals is the formation and release
of carbon dioxide (CO2), which
may play a role in the reported
warming of the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide is the preferred

product of the combustion,
with its formation resulting in
much of the energy released in
the burning process.
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from combusting fossil fuels are the
main driver of global warming.
• CO2 is also the main byproduct of coal combustion:  nearly4 grams of
CO2 are produced for every gram of carbon burnt (depending on its
type, coal can contain as much as 60 to 80 percent carbon).
Methane (CH4)
• Methane (CH4) often occurs in the same areas that coal is formed,
and is released during mining activities.
• Methane is 34 times stronger than carbon dioxide at trapping heat
over a 100-year period and 86 times stronger over 20 years;
roughly 10 percent of all US methane emissions come from coal
mining.
Mercury:
• Coal plants are responsible for 42 percent of US mercury emissions, a
toxic heavy metal that can damage the nervous, digestive, and
immune systems, and is a serious threat to the child development.
• Just 1/70th of a teaspoon of mercury deposited on a 25-acre lake can
make the fish unsafe to eat.
• According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National
Emissions Inventory US coal power plants emitted 45,676  pounds of
mercury in 2014 (the latest year data is available).
Benzene:
• Benzene considered as a major constitute of coal and other fossil fuel
.it is a highly settled carcinogen that is very harmful for the ecosystem
it release from the combustion of coal which is used for the
production of electricity.
• It reduce white and red blood cell, it causes breast cancer.
Hydrofluoric acid
• HF is an acid which is used in coal, oil and gas industry .
• It is a highly dangerous acid which has toxic impact on health it can
cause some really serious health problem if it is inhaled or absorbed
by skin or consume directly
Petroleum coke:
• It is similar to the coal it is also utilize in the power plant. It contain
highly toxic chemical like selenium, chromium, vanadium etc. these
chemical can cause very serious health issue and are threat for the
environment. It is a major threat for climate change.
Other harmful pollutants
• Other harmful pollutants emitted in 2014 by the US coal power fleet
include:
• 41.2 tons of lead, 9,332 pounds of cadmium, and other toxic heavy
metals.
• 576,185 tons of carbon monoxide, which causes headaches and
places additional stress on people with heart disease.
• 22,124 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOC), which form ozone.
• 77,108 pounds of arsenic. For scale, arsenic causes cancer in one out
of 100 people who drink water containing 50 parts per billion.
Consequences
• Of coal’s many environmental impacts, none are as harmful, long
term, and irreversible as global warming. Global warming is driven by
emissions of heat-trapping gases, primarily from human activities,
that rise into the atmosphere and act like a blanket, warming the
earth’s surface.
• Consequences include rising temperatures and accelerating sea level
rise as well as growing risks of drought, heat waves, heavy rainfall
intensified storms, and species loss. Left unchecked climate change
could lead to profound human and ecological disruption.
CURRENT POLLUTION CONTROL
TECHNOLOGY
• Current pollution control technologies for the combustion exhaust gas
generally treat the release of regulated pollutants: sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, as three separate problems,
rather than as parts of one problem.
COAL CLEANING
• After coal is mined it generally goes through a process known as
preparation or coal cleaning. This is done for two main reasons.
• The first is to remove impurities in order to boost the heat content of
the coal and to improve the power plant capacity.
• The second reason for the coal preparation is to reduce potential air
pollutants, especially sulfur dioxide.
FLUE GAS DESULFURIZATION
• Most sulfur dioxide control technologies involve the addition of a
calcium or sodium based sorbent to the system. Under the proper
conditions, these materials react with SO2 to form calcium sulfite
(CaSO3), which is oxidized to calcium sulfate (CaSO4).
• Principally technologies applied to coal-fired power plants, are
referred to as the Flue Gas Desulfurization ((FGD).
• The FGD processes can be categorized as:
• • wet processes,
• • dry or semidry processes.
Wet fgd
• In the wet FGD, SO2 is removed from the flue gas by a reaction with
the sorbent in an aqueous solution or slurry. A relatively high degree
of SO2 removal is usually achieved, with a high level of sorbent
utilization.
Fgd process
The major reactions occurring in the wet FGD processes are shown by
the following equations:
• Absorption: SO2 + H2O → H2SO3 SO3 + H2O → H2SO4

• Neutralization : CaCO3 + H2SO3 → CaSO3 + CO2 + H2O CaCO3 +

H2SO4 → CaSO4 + CO2 + H2O

• Oxidation and crystalization : CaCO3 + ½ O2 → CaSO4 + 2 H2O →

CaSO4 * 2 H2O
NOx
• For most coal-fired boilers, thermal NOx typically represents about 25
% of the total NOx formed. The quantity of thermal NOx depends
primarily on the combustion: temperature, time and turbulence.
• NOx control technologies are categorized in two broad categories:
• pre-combustion techniques,
• post-combustion techniques.
pre-combustion modification
• The pre-combustion modifications provide the NOx control by reducing the
temperature of combustion.
• The most effective pre-combustion control techniques are:
• low NOx burners – lower maximum flame temperature, control of the mixing,
• overfire air – OFA nozzles, air is injected above the normal combustion zone,
• reburning – part of the boiler heat input is added in a separate reburning zone,
• flue gas recirculation – FGR – part of the flue gas is mixed with the combustion
air,
• operational & construction modifications – changing the boiler operational
parameters.
Post-combustion Nox control
• The post-combustion NOx control is primarily accomplished by reacting
ammonia with nitrogen oxides, forming nitrogen and water vapor.
• Two basic variations exist, using thermal energy or a catalyst:
• selective non-catalytic reduction – SNCR – typically ammonia/urea is
injected into the boiler above the combustion zone – efficiency ~50 %,
• selective catalytic reduction – SCR – a catalyst vessel is installed
downstream of the boiler, catalysts can be made inactive by ash,
efficiency ~85 %,
• hybrid process – SNCR and SCR can be used in conjunction with each
other.
Controlling particulate emissions:
• Controlling particulate emissions are the easiest of the power plant pollutants to
control.
• The particulate matter is usually classified by the particle size and source.
• In the power plant boiler, the particulate mater from coal ash is called fly ash.
• There are five basic methods for reducing particulate emissions:
• mechanical collectors,
• wet collectors,
• granular bed filters,
• electrostatic precipitators,
• fabric filters.
References:
• Weisman, J. L., Eckart, L.: Modern Power Plant Engineering, Prentice Hall, 1985.
• The Babcock & Wilcox Company, Steam, Its Generation and Use, Lynchburg.
• The US Department of Energy “Clean Coal Technology – Topical Report”, Nr 12
– 20.
• Rozporządzenie Min. Środowiska z 4 VIII 2003 w sprawie standardów
emisyjnych z instalacji, (Dz.U. Nr 163, poz. 1584).
• Rozpondek M. Redukcja SO2 z procesów konwersji energii w kotłach parowych,
Ochrona Środowiska a aglomeracje wielkoprzemysłowe, Nr 4, 2007.
• Chrupała, B.: Master’s thesis, Silesian Technical University, Katowice, 2002.
• Zorawik, G.: Master’s thesis, Silesian Technical University, Katowice, 2000.