Sulfur dioxide (SO_2) is a highly reactive, toxic gas that is linked with a number of adverse effects on human health and the environment, and is a major contributor to acid rain. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), combustion of fossil fuels at power plants accounts for 73% of total SO_2 emissions. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) (Palo Alto, California) reports that most large coal-fired power plants, in response to strengthened National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for SO_2 emissions set by the EPA in recent years, have installed state-of-the art flue gas desulfurization (FGD) technologies to remove the SO_2 from the flue gas exhausted when coal is burned.
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