How Power Plants Control Their NOx Emissions for Cleaner Air

Electricity generated by coal fires is cleaner today than it was a several years back. Modern coal plants have been found to reduce pollution and experts predict that the NOx emissions from power plants fired by coal will continue to improve as technology gets more advanced and improved.

In the recent years, power plants have been controlling their NOx emissions by using the latest technologies available. This has led to a scenario where most power plants are producing more electricity, and even less criteria pollutants. Credible organizations have done research which points to the fact that a new pulverized coal plant, operating at low temperatures can reduce emissions of NOx by almost 86% and 98% for SO2. The emission of particulate matter in the same coal plant is reduced by an incredible 99.8%. Important to note that all the above percentages are in comparison to a similar plant that does not have any pollution controls. This tells you how using technology and controls can be used to reduce NOx emissions as well as other harmful pollutants in the air. As such, one may be correct to state that as technology keeps on getting better, the quality of air is bound to get cleaner in future.

Governments too are not being left behind in ensuring that power plants adhere to rules and guidelines, aimed at reducing the emissions by power plants. In America for example, there is the Clean Air Act that was passed by Congress in 1970, and which over the years, has been modified and amended to make sure that air cleanliness is made an attainable dream. It requires the Environment Protection Agency, better known as the EPA, to come up with proper standards meant to control any pollutants that can harm the public health, or the environment itself. Although most people have heard of the term acid rain, they really do not know that it is to some extent caused by emissions of SO2 and NOx. They react with water vapor and other chemicals in the air to form this acid rain.

In this regard, the power plants have been forced to come up with new ideas and ways of complying with the Clean Air Act of 1990. They have had to ensure that electric utilities can either be switched to low sulfur coal or by adding equipment like scrubbers. This equipment is added to existing power plants using coal to enhance the removal of SO2 emissions. Besides, operating high sulfur units is a sure way of lowering the capacity utilization. The EPA too has had to devise ways of cutting out emissions from power plants. The first way they did so was by coming up with rulemaking that aimed to reduce NOx emissions by over 40,000 tones annually between the year 1996 and 1999. The second way, or phase devised by the EPA commenced in the year 2000. This one aimed at reducing the emissions of NOx by over 2 million tones per year.

Anthony Onaf is an expert writer in association with Cormetech Inc., a leading producer of titania-based ceramic honeycomb catalyst for NOx emissions used in selective catalytic reduction systems (SCR) for air pollution control.