Article
Environmental Sciences
Tonni Agustiono Kurniawan, Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan Othman, Xue Liang, Hui Hwang Goh, Petros Gikas, Tutuk Djoko Kusworo, Abdelkader Anouzla, Kit Wayne Chew
Summary: Digitalization and sustainability are key in addressing solid waste issues in a circular economy. While digitalization can improve efficiency, it doesn't always lead to sustainability. This study investigates the role of digitalization in waste recycling, highlighting its benefits and potential in a post-pandemic era. By leveraging digital solutions, the waste sector can contribute to a resource-efficient, low-carbon circular economy, saving costs and reducing environmental impacts.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhixiong Weng, Yuqi Song, Cuiyun Cheng, Dan Tong, Meng Xu, Minghao Wang, Yang Xie
Summary: The Chinese government's strict policies on coal-fired power plants have had considerable environmental benefits, but further testing is needed to determine whether these plants still contribute to air pollution. Using a Difference-In-Differences model, this study compared air quality stations with varying degrees of influence from nearby coal-fired power plants during pandemic lockdowns. The results showed that reduced operation of coal-fired power plants during the lockdowns led to improvements in air quality, but the extent of the impact varied across cities with different economic levels, electricity usage, population sizes, and between capital and non-capital cities. Technological upgrades are crucial for addressing emission control issues and improving air quality.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Takuma Watari, Damien Giurco, Jonathan Cullen
Summary: This study highlights the unequal distribution of future scrap availability worldwide, with the Global North having abundant scrap while the Global South faces impending scarcity. The scrap endowment is a consequence of the Global North's historical carbon emissions, and equity-focused mechanisms are needed to assist the Global South.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Sarah Komisarow, Emily L. Pakhtigian
Summary: Closing coal-fired power plants in Chicago led to a 12% decrease in emergency department visits for asthma-related conditions among 0- to 4-year-old children in nearby zip codes. The study showed that such closures can result in improvements in the respiratory health of young children.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maureen Cropper, Ryna Cui, Sarath Guttikunda, Nate Hultman, Puja Jawahar, Yongjoon Park, Xinlu Yao, Xiao-Peng Song
Summary: The study found that coal-fired power plants in India have significant impacts on environmental pollution, PM2.5 concentration, and human health, resulting in a large number of premature deaths each year. Avoiding the construction of planned coal-fired power plants could prevent at least 844,000 premature deaths.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shurui Sun, Wenbin Liu, Weisheng Guan, Shuai Zhu, Jing Jia, Xiaolin Wu, Rongrong Lei, Tianqi Jia, Yunchen He
Summary: This study investigated VOC concentrations in flue gas samples from coal-fired power plants and industrial boilers. It found that SCR systems and ESP can synergistically remove VOCs, while WFGD affects different VOCs in varying ways. Wet electrostatic precipitators (WESP) were found to increase VOC emissions.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jonilda Kushta, Niki Paisi, Hugo Denier Van der Gon, Jos Lelieveld
Summary: This study examined the impact of coal-fired power plant emissions on air pollution levels and health in Europe, revealing a significant underestimation of annual excess mortality attributed to the emissions. The phase-out of coal-fired power plant emissions could lead to substantial health benefits, emphasizing the need for coordinated air pollution control strategies at the European level.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaolin Wu, Wenbin Liu, Hanfei Gao, David Alfaro, Shurui Sun, Rongrong Lei, Tianqi Jia, Minghui Zheng
Summary: Coal-fired power plants are significant sources of PAH emissions, with different air pollution control devices showing varying effects on PAH emissions. WESPs and LLT-ESPs were found to be effective in reducing PAH emissions, offering potential for adoption in other plants for PAH reduction.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Rui Wang, Shiyan Chang, Xueqin Cui, Jin Li, Linwei Ma, Amit Kumar, Yaoyu Nie, Wenjia Cai
Summary: The study shows that in order to achieve carbon neutrality, coal power plants need to be retrofitted with a biomass co-firing ratio between 40% and 50%, but sometimes lower co-firing ratios may achieve better carbon emission reduction benefits. Different power plants should consider differentiated retrofit strategies based on their own characteristics.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY BIOENERGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Juin Yau Lim, Sin Yong Teng, Bing Shen How, Adrian Chun Minh Loy, Sungku Heo, Jeroen Jansen, Pau Loke Show, Chang Kyoo Yoo
Summary: This study evaluates the air pollutant control system of a coal-powered plant and proposes an upgraded configuration. Untreated flue gas is reconstructed using a variational autoencoder based on a year-long dataset collected from the plant's telemonitoring system. A superstructure model with different technology options is developed to treat NOx, SOx, and particulate matter. An artificial intelligence model is used to identify the most sustainable configuration, which includes reburning, desulfurization with seawater, and dry electrostatic precipitator, fulfilling economic, environmental, and reliability targets. The proposed system is evaluated through a Monte Carlo simulation for various scenarios with tightened discharge limits, resulting in a total annual cost of 44.1 x 106 USD/year, an environmental quality index of 0.67, and reliability indices of 0.87.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kun Wang, Yali Tong, Tao Yue, Jiajia Gao, Chenlong Wang, Penglai Zuo, Jieyu Liu
Summary: From 2015 to 2017, China implemented strong air pollution control measures for coal-fired industrial boilers, including elimination, promoting clean fuels, and updating air pollution control devices. Updating air pollution control devices was identified as the major measure to reduce air pollutants, accounting for more than 35% of emission reductions and mitigated concentration.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Mikalai Filonchyk, Michael P. Peterson
Summary: The United States is a leading producer of electricity in the world, with coal accounting for 21.8% of the total electricity generated, which amounted to about 4116 billion kWh in 2021. This study examines emissions from coal-fired power plants and their spatial extent using both terrestrial and satellite data, and emphasizes the effectiveness of government policies in reducing emissions. The research reveals a steady decline in pollutant emissions from the US energy sector, with sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) decreasing by 93.4% and 84.8% respectively between 1990 and 2020, and carbon dioxide (CO2) decreasing by 37% between 2007 and 2020. However, while overall emissions from coal-fired power plants are declining, some individual plants still lack environmental equipment to control emissions, and certain power plants remain major emitters of SO2, NOx, and CO2. The use of TROPOMI satellite data enables the detection of point emissions from individual power plants, including those in rural areas, highlighting the ongoing pollution concerns from coal-fired power plants despite the progress made.
GEOSCIENCE FRONTIERS
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Fangqi Liu, Dunxi Yu, Jingkun Han, Jianqun Wu, Xin Yu, Xun Gong
Summary: This study investigated the PM evolution in an ultra-low emission CFPP. The results showed that PM generally decreased along with flue gas steam, but PM1 increased at SCR outlet and GGH outlet. The proportion of WSIs in PM increased with the increase of flue gas steam, with SO42-and Ca2+ being the main components. ESP had high removal efficiency for PM1, PM2.5, and PM10, and PM reduced by more than 50% after WFGD and WESP. PM emissions met ultra-low emission requirements, with average emission factors of 8.73, 15.90, and 21.04 g/t_fuel for PM1, PM2.5, and PM10.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Anna C. O. 'Regan, Marguerite M. Nyhan
Summary: Climate change is a significant challenge for society, with cities being major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. As urbanization continues to rise, cities will play a crucial role in reducing emissions and combating climate change.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Pradip Mondal, Samiran Samanta, Sk Arafat Zaman, Sudip Ghosh
Summary: This study focuses on the design and optimization of a novel municipal solid waste fired combined cycle power plant, using response surface methodology to improve efficiency and reduce cost. The results show significant improvements in electricity generation and environmental damage cost savings compared to traditional landfill methods.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)