Emissions of Hazardous Air Pollutants and Acid Gases from Coal-fired Power Plants: Issues and Impacts Related to Low Rank Fuels

摘要

Low rank fuels are important components of the nation's supply of coal for electric power generation. Sub-bituminous coals from the Western United States are burned all over the country, owing to the low sulfur and ash contents of these coals. Lignites, while higher in both sulfur and ash, are important regionally in the Gulf Coast and Northern Plains; the ability to burn these coals at the mine means that the cost of producing power is considerably lower that it would be otherwise. As with any coal- fired power plant, the use of low rank fuels must meet environmental regulations. In this paper, the issues related to mercury emissions and sulfur emissions from low rank fuels are reviewed, particularly related to the potential for mercury control in plants burning low rank fuels. The impact of low rank fuels on emissions of SO2 and SO3 is also reviewed, particularly in situations in which low rank fuels are co-fired with bituminous fuels.