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ENVIRONMENT IMPACT OF COAL FIRED POWER PLANT

The electric power industry is the largest toxic polluter in a country .Among all fuel coal is the dirtiest
and so coal power plant source that puts a negative impact on environment Coal burning power
stations continue to speed up global warming by filling the atmosphere with vast amounts of carbon
dioxide and increase the damage of ecosystem .Coal burning leads to acid rain ,damage ozone layer
and smog and emits more than 60 different hazardous air pollutants .

Coal power plant produce plenty amount of CO2 ,on average one 500-megawatt coal-fired power
plant produces approximately 3 million tons/year of CO2 . Carbon emissions add to the concentration,
meaning that less radiation escapes. This means that the surface temperature of the Earth increases - by
0.6°C ± 0.2°C over the last century. This may not sound like much, but the warming will increase with
time, and could have disastrous consequences.Carbondi-oxide is the main reason behind ocean
acidification . One source of ocean acidification is the dissolution of carbon dioxide, which forms
carbonic acid with water and then dissociates into hydronium and bicarbonate. Lower pH impacts ocean
life, including their soft and hard materials, and also human-built structures in the ocean, such as
vessels.

Coal fired power plants produce large quantities of SO2 . The sulfur Dioxide emissions that lead to
high concentrations of SO2 in the air generally also lead to the formation of other sulfur oxides like
H2SO2 which scatters solar radiation, hence their increase in the atmosphere exerts a cooling effect on
climate that masks some of the warming caused by increased greenhouse gases A typical uncontrolled
coal plant emits 14,100 tons of SO2 per year. A typical coal plant with emissions controls, including flue
gas desulfurization (smokestack scrubbers), emits 7,000 tons of SO2 per year.

NOx which is also produced by coal power plant helps to form ozone and nitrates which is a threat to
environment. Ozone reduces the many economically important agricultural crops and nitrate
deposition over-enriches water bodies ,causing algal blooms that kill fish and reduce biodiversity and
also increase high cloud cover in winter which could result in depletion of the ozone layer .A typical
uncontrolled coal plant emits 10,300 tons of NOx per year. A typical coal plant with emissions controls,
including selective catalytic reduction technology, emits 3,300 tons of NOx per year. Over the last
century ,global ozone concentrations have become 2 times larger due to mainly increases in nitrogen
oxides.Ozone which is a major components of smog which is dangerous for environment .Recent
studies estimate that the global yields of key staple crops,like soyabean ,corn and wheat are being
reduced by 2-15% due to present day ozone exposure.

SO2 and NOx both are the major source of particulate pollutions. The largest part of particulate
emissions comes not from direct emissions but from the conversion of SO2 and NOx and into sulphate
and nitrate in the atmosphere which lead to acid rain . Acid rain occurs when SO2 and NOX interact
with water, oxygen, and other chemicals in the air to form sulphuric acid and nitric acid. This toxin can
fall from the sky in rain over a widespread area, killing fish and plants. Forests are also impacted via
direct damage to foliage and where forest soils have been stripped of nutrients by acid rain. The
shocking impacts of acid rain on forests around the world have led to progress, in curbing toxic rain in
the developed countries .

So it seems the toxic gas ,we get through coal burning power plant becoming a threat to
environment .Recently researcher are coming up with new plan to overcome it like using pulverized
coal ,reforming waste , using developed scrubber etc.

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