TABLE OF CONTENTS Control of air pollution it's an issue of tremendous importance to power plant owners past, present, and future. While the industry focus for years has been on nitrogen oxides (NO x), sulfur dioxide (SO 2), and particulate emissions, other pollutants are receiving increased scrutiny. Plant owners face certain or potential regulations for mercury, fine particulate matter (particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter), and carbon dioxide (CO 2).
Earlier chapters outlined several boiler types that inherently limit pollutant emissions. These include fluidized-bed and coal gasification steam generators. This chapter examines other technologies, including traditional and cutting-edge methods that are most popular and promising for air pollutant control. In many cases, combinations of methods may be necessary, or most economical, to bring specific pollutant emissions within established or future guidelines. The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has sponsored many important pollutant control projects through their Clean Coal Technology program, and illustrations of some of them appear in this chapter.
Power generation from fossil fuels other than coal, particularly natural gas, is much simpler with regard to pollution control, with the exception of NO x. One of the advantages that is touted about natural gas-fired units is that they produce about half the CO 2 as coal-fired plants. This issue will also be covered.
Air pollution control laws have been on the books for almost 40 years. The actual laws as written by Congress are quite complicated; a condensed compilation...
