Emissions of Inorganic Trace Pollutants from Coal Power Generation

Abstract

Coal-fired power plants are a major source of emissions for a number of air pollutants including SO 2 , NOx, particulate matter (PM), HCl, HF, Hg, and so on. Hazardous air pol - lutants such as As, Be, Cd, Cr, Pb, Mn, Ni, Se, and other metals are integral components of fine PM that are also emitted directly from coal-fired power plants. The potential problem of coal-fired power plants associated to the emissions of air pollutants can be treated by flue gas desulphurisation (FGDs), as the sulphur (S) will be retained in the FGD-gypsum (CaSO 4 .2H 2 O), and eventually be disposed. Further, FGD chemistry (alkaline sorbent) allows the capture of many pollutants other than sulphur, such as F, As, B, Cl, Se or Hg, in a gaseous form and/or as PM. In this chapter, the current position of coal power generation and the generation of inorganic trace pollutants derived from it are presented and discussed. The partitioning, speciation, and fate of inorganic trace pollutants during pulverised coal combustion (PCC)-FGD are also reviewed.