Article
Energy & Fuels
Yanli Wu, Wenrui Chang, Marcos Millan, Yanhong Hao
Summary: A model for mercury transformations in a flue gas treatment process was established in this study. Concentrations, mass flow rates, and emission factors of mercury, NOX, PM, and SO2 were investigated in a coal-fired power plant. The mercury removal efficiency of different units, such as the SCR unit, ESP, and WFGD, were also analyzed. The proposed flue gas treatment process model is considered a feasible approach for quantitative evaluation of multi-pollutants emissions at plant level.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhonggen Li, Xufeng Chen, Wenli Liu, Taishan Li, Guangle Qiu, Haiyu Yan, Mingmeng Wang, Ji Chen, Guangyi Sun, Qingfeng Wang, Xinbin Feng
Summary: This study indicates that emissions from coal-fired power plants have a noticeable impact on ambient GEM and agricultural soil THg levels in the vicinity, with approximately 3.9% of the discharged mercury accumulating in nearby soils. The low retention rate of total emitted mercury by soils is attributed to the high proportion of Hg-0 in stack gas emissions and the potential loss of Hg through reemission from soil surfaces.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Dorcas Linda Ernesto Uaciquete, Takahiro Kato, Hirokazu Okawa, Katsuyasu Sugawara, Risehiro Nonaka
Summary: This study investigated the elution pattern and dissolvable amount of mercury in desulfurization gypsum through batch and semi-batch elution tests. The results revealed that the semi-batch method is more accurate for evaluating mercury elution from desulfurization gypsum.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Qingfeng Wang, Dan Wang, Zhonggen Li, Leiming Zhang, Xinbin Feng
Summary: The study revealed that the mercury content in flue gas desulfurization gypsum of coal-fired power plants primarily originates from the flue gas, with a lesser contribution from limestone. The mercury content in gypsum correlates positively with chlorine content and mercury content in coal, while coal characteristics play a significant role in influencing mercury contents in gypsum.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Mona Q. Dai, Benjamin M. Geyman, Xindi C. Hu, Colin P. Thackray, Elsie M. Sunderland
Summary: Hazardous air pollutants emitted by U.S. coal-fired power plants have been controlled by the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) since 2012. However, there are sociodemographic disparities in exposures to mercury from these power plants. Despite a significant decrease in atmospheric mercury deposition, communities near active power plants still face potential exposure risks, especially for individuals consuming self-caught fish. The study highlights the need for further efforts to address distributional justice and protect vulnerable populations.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hridesh Agarwalla, Tarit Baran Das, Rabinarayan Senapati, Monalisa Gangopadhyay, Reginald E. E. Masto, Manish Kumar, Vikram Singh
Summary: India is a major emitter of mercury, primarily from coal combustion in power plants. Mercury content in coal samples from the SECL region in India was positively correlated with ash and sulfur. In a coal-fired power plant, 65% of the mercury in the feed coal was emitted through the stack, while the remaining portion was associated with fly ash, bottom ash, and mill rejects. The concentration of mercury in the stack gas varied, with Hg0 being higher than Hg2+. The estimated mercury emission factor was higher due to the use of high ash coal and the lack of flue gas desulphurisation system.
JOURNAL OF MATERIAL CYCLES AND WASTE MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Boeun Kim, Jae-Goo Lee, Joungho Park, Hyojin Lee, Kyung Hwan Ryu
Summary: In line with global efforts to reduce emissions, the integration of coal-fired power generation plants with carbon capture technologies has been investigated. This study presents a comparative assessment of post-combustion CO2 capture and oxy-combustion retrofitted to a low-rank coal-based power plant from the viewpoints of economics and sustainability. The results show that oxy-combustion is more economically and environmentally attractive than post-combustion CO2 capture for low-rank coal-based power plants.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Keval Chandrakant Nikam, Ravinder Kumar, Ravindra Jilte
Summary: This study presents an economic and exergoeconomic analysis of a 660 MW coal-fired supercritical unit, evaluating various factors such as lifetime cost, payback period, relative cost difference, and exergoeconomic factors. The analysis reveals that the steam generator and turbine have the highest capital cost and exergoeconomic factor.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL ANALYSIS AND CALORIMETRY
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Dorcas L. E. Uaciquete, Kosuke Sakusabe, Takahiro Kato, Hirokazu Okawa, Katsuyasu Sugawara, Risehiro Nonaka
Summary: Mercury forms in coal-fired power plant fly ash were qualitatively and quantitatively determined using X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) analysis. The mercury content in fly ash increased linearly with an increase in unburned carbon content. The inflection point method was used to estimate the type and abundance of chemical forms present, with a linear combination fitting of control mercury compounds used for modeling the XANES spectrum of fly ash mercury.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shuai Yuan, Juepeng Zheng, Lixian Zhang, Runmin Dong, Ray C. C. Cheung, Haohuan Fu
Summary: In this study, a MUltistage Recursive Enhanced Detection Network (MUREN) is proposed for accurate and efficient detection of coal-fired power plants (CFPPs). The effectiveness of MUREN lies in the design of a symmetrically enhanced module, which includes a spatial-enhanced subnetwork (SEN) and a channel-enhanced subnetwork (CEN). MUREN also uses a recursive construction set on top of feature pyramid networks to strengthen feature learning for relatively small CFPPs.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Alphin Joy, Asif Qureshi
Summary: Coal combustion is the primary source of power in India and it emits hazardous substances such as mercury. India is one of the top mercury emitters globally, with coal combustion contributing to a significant portion of the emissions. Current regulations do not require specific technologies to control mercury emissions, and reductions can be achieved through controlling other pollutants or improving power plant efficiency. Accelerating the transition to renewable energy in India could further reduce mercury emissions.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Enhui Sun, Jiahao Shi, Lei Zhang, Wenbin Song, Yongyi Li
Summary: This paper investigates the differences between wind-coal and PV-coal integrated energy systems due to the influence of natural conditions on wind and PV. It analyzes the grid side and power supply side of the integrated energy system. The results show that the combined supply with wind/PV places higher demands on the operation of CFPP.
ENERGY SOURCES PART A-RECOVERY UTILIZATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Li Bing, Wang Hongliang
Summary: The study found that the main type of mercury emitted in coal-fired flue gas is gaseous mercury, and the mercury emissions from all units meet the standard requirements. SCR denitration facilities have a significant impact on mercury type, promoting the oxidation of elemental mercury into oxidized mercury that can be easily removed downstream. Particulate mercury and oxidized mercury are synergistically removed in dust removal and wet desulfurization facilities, respectively.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qing Ye, Yu Shen, Qi Zhang, Xi Wu, Wangbiao Guo
Summary: A life-cycle assessment was conducted to evaluate the energy conversion characteristics and environmental impacts of flue gas CO2 fixation by microalgae. The results indicate that improving CO2 aeration efficiency and microalgae growth rate are crucial for advancing this technology.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Mao Hung Huang, Wei Huan Chen, Minh Man Trinh, Moo Been Chang
Summary: This study examined the mercury emissions from a coal-fired power plant in Taiwan and found that the plant's air pollution control devices effectively reduced the mercury emissions. The dominant form of mercury emitted was Hg-0, and the emission factor was relatively low compared to other studies. However, controlling mercury released from fly ash and discharged seawater is still necessary to minimize environmental damage and health effects.
SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH
(2023)