SOME ASPECTS OF THE DESTRUCTIVE IMPACT OF FOSSIL FUEL COMBUSTION AND MINING ON THE ENVIRONMENT

摘要

In Poland, over 80% of the power is generated by combustion of coal and lignite. In the process of coal fired power generation, SO_2, NO_x, heavy elements and trace elements are emitted into the air, and the water is contaminated by saline water discharged from mines. During combustion, significant quantities of natural radioactive elements are mobilized and emitted into the environment together with gases, ash and water. The total amount of water pumped daily from all coal mines in Poland is about 920 000 m~3. The quantity of salts contained in this water is about 9000 t. The concentration of ~(226)Ra in highly mineralized water may be as high as 390 kBq/m~3. Water purification leads to the formation of radioactive deposits with an activity of about 400 kfiq/kg. The presence and concentration of ~(222)Rn gas in mines is measured and controlled using portable radiometers. Using the RFX method and spectrum analysis, the concentrations of 15 elements in products of coal and lignite combustion were determined. Large emissions of radioactive elements were found. Combustion of coal in power stations of 1000 MW(e) causes emissions of 138 × 10~3 t SO_2 and 20.9 × 10~ t NO_x per year. New technologies for removal of gas pollutants were developed. A pilot plant based on the electron beam technology for simultaneous SO_2 and NO_x removal was constructed and tested. Over the last years, many nuclear devices for quality control of coal and lignite have been developed. Devices have been constructed for measuring the ash contents, dust concentration, and sulphur and moisture contents of fossil fuel both for laboratory and industrial applications. The opponents of nuclear power generation in Poland argue that a nuclear power plant emits significant quantities of radioactive gases to the atmosphere and produces liquid and solid radioactive wastes. The practice in other countries has shown that the daily releases to the atmosphere of one WWER-440 type power reactor are about 2.1 × 10~(11) Bq noble gases, 2.4 × 10~6 Bq ~(131)I, 4 × 10~5 Bq ~(137)Cs and 7.8 × 10~3 Bq ~(89)Sr, and that about 30 m~3 liquid low level radioactive wastes per day are generated. It is pointed out that power production based on coal combustion generates amounts of radioactive materials comparable with those of nuclear power plants and, in addition, large quantities of gases (SO_2, NO_x, CO_2), dust and ash.