Courtesy : Coal Emission Secondary pollutants include: Minor air pollutants include: Persistent organic pollutants are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation due to chemical, biological, or photolytic processes (POPs). As a result, they’ve been discovered to survive in the environment, be capable of long-range transmission, bioaccumulate in human…

Courtesy : Coal Emission Emission factors Main article: AP 42 Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors Beijing air in 2005 after rain (left) and a smoggy day (right) Air pollutant emission factors are reported representative values that aim to link the quantity of a pollutant released into the ambient air to an activity connected with…

Courtesy : Coal Emission Sources of air pollution Anthropogenic (human-made) sources Aviation is a major source of air pollution. Controlled burning of a field outside of Statesboro, Georgia, in preparation for spring planting Smoking of fish over an open fire in Ghana, 2018 These are mostly related to the burning of fuel. There…

Courtesy : Coal Emission Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different types of air pollutants, such as gases (including ammonia, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, methane, carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons), particulates (both organic and inorganic), and biological…

Courtesy : Coal Emission Radiation exposure Coal also contains low levels of uranium, thorium, and other naturally occurring radioactive isotopes which, if released into the environment, may lead to radioactive contamination. Coal plants emit radiation in the form of radioactive fly ash, which is inhaled and ingested by neighbours, and incorporated into crops. A 1978 paper from Oak…

Courtesy : Coal Emission Mercury emissions In 2011 U.S. power plants emitted half of the nation’s mercury air pollutants. In February 2012, EPA issued the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) regulation, which requires all coal-fired plants to substantially reduce mercury emissions. In New York State winds deposit mercury from the coal-fired power…

The presence of acid-forming materials exposed as a result of surface mining can affect wildlife by eliminating habitat and by causing direct destruction of some species. Lesser concentrations can suppress productivity, growth rate and reproduction of many aquatic species. Acids, dilute concentrations of heavy metals, and high alkalinity can cause…

Courtesy : Coal Emission Water pollution Coal-fired boilers, using either coal or lignite rich in limestone, produces fly ash containing calcium oxide (CaO). CaO readily dissolves in water to form slaked lime (Ca(OH)2) which is carried by rainwater to rivers/irrigation water from the ash dump areas. Lime softening process precipitates Ca and Mg ions / removes temporary hardness in the water…

Courtesy : Coal Emission Clean coal and the environment Further information: Health and environmental impact of the coal industry According to United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the burning of coal, a fossil fuel, is a major contributor to global warming. (See the UN IPCC Fourth Assessment Report). As 26% of the world’s electrical generation…