Using Clean Coal Technologies to Reduce Air Pollution
Using Clean Coal Technologies to Reduce Air Pollution
ASDF
SCI/275
September 4, 2011
Kristal Davis Fadtke
Using Clean Coal Technologies to Reduce Air Pollution
Air pollution is of pronounced concern in the media lately. Some of the effects of air pollution include the increase of carbon in the atmosphere which contributes to the global warming effect. The effects have been felt with record temperatures on the east coast and in the Midwestern United States this summer. One major contribution to the pollution is the use of coal to generate electricity. Approximately 50% of the power in the United States comes from coal fired electrical generation plants (UCSUSA, 2009). A typical 500 megawatt generation plant burns 1.4 million tons of coal per year (UCSUSA, 2009). Not only is the pollution evident from the exhaust stacks of the generation plant, there is the pollution created from the mining and transportation to the power-plant (UCSUSA, 2009). Because of the amount of air pollution generated, there needs to be a concentrated effort to use the newer clean technologies to reduce the impact on the environment.
Air pollution is of great concern because of the widespread damage it can cause. The damage caused just from electricity generation from coal does not just affect the area where the power-plants are at. The effects are usually felt in other areas. This could be as simple as the next town downwind of the power-plant, or in some cases it can be other nations as pollution knows no boundaries (Berg & Hagar, 2007). Stories have shown that there is an increase in the ozone levels on the three states on the west coast, California, Oregon, and Washington. It has been shown that the ozone is carried over from Asia, as the countries there start to industrialize (CBSNews, 2010).
Because the use of coal in electrical generation is considered the primary source of atmospheric pollution, there have been several technologies developed since the 1970s to
ASDF
SCI/275
September 4, 2011
Kristal Davis Fadtke
Using Clean Coal Technologies to Reduce Air Pollution
Air pollution is of pronounced concern in the media lately. Some of the effects of air pollution include the increase of carbon in the atmosphere which contributes to the global warming effect. The effects have been felt with record temperatures on the east coast and in the Midwestern United States this summer. One major contribution to the pollution is the use of coal to generate electricity. Approximately 50% of the power in the United States comes from coal fired electrical generation plants (UCSUSA, 2009). A typical 500 megawatt generation plant burns 1.4 million tons of coal per year (UCSUSA, 2009). Not only is the pollution evident from the exhaust stacks of the generation plant, there is the pollution created from the mining and transportation to the power-plant (UCSUSA, 2009). Because of the amount of air pollution generated, there needs to be a concentrated effort to use the newer clean technologies to reduce the impact on the environment.
Air pollution is of great concern because of the widespread damage it can cause. The damage caused just from electricity generation from coal does not just affect the area where the power-plants are at. The effects are usually felt in other areas. This could be as simple as the next town downwind of the power-plant, or in some cases it can be other nations as pollution knows no boundaries (Berg & Hagar, 2007). Stories have shown that there is an increase in the ozone levels on the three states on the west coast, California, Oregon, and Washington. It has been shown that the ozone is carried over from Asia, as the countries there start to industrialize (CBSNews, 2010).
Because the use of coal in electrical generation is considered the primary source of atmospheric pollution, there have been several technologies developed since the 1970s to
References: Berg, L. R., & Hagar, M. C. (2007). Visualizing environmental science. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons in collaboration with the National Geographic Society. CBSNews. (2010). Another Made in China Import: Smot. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/02/tech/main6120513.shtml EPA. (2011, August 11). Summary of the Clean Air Act. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/caa.html EnergyBoom. (2010, March 14). Big Wind in Texas Gest Bigger. Retrieved from http://www.energyboom.com/wind/big-wind-texas-gets-bigger Eskin, N., & Hepbasil, A. (2006). Development and Applications of Clean Coal Fluidized Bed Technology. Energy Sources Part A: Recovery, Utilization & Environmental Effects, 28(12), 1085-1097. doi:10.1080/10407780600622778 Sen, S. S. (2010). An Overview of Clean Coal Technologies I: Pre-combustion and Post-combustion Emission Control. Economics, Planning & Policy, 5(3), 261-271. doi:10.1080/15567240903567639 UCSUSA. (2009). Coal generates 54% of our electricity, and is the single biggest air polluter in the U.S.. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c01.html