emmission

Burning coal in the U.S. is a tough job that continues to get tougher. Every few years, the federal government decides that coal-fired power plants must reduce their emissions of yet another pollutant. First came limits on NOX, SO2, and particulates, which required plants to install cleaner burners, scrubbers, and baghouses or electrostatic precipitators. The latest air-quality nemesis to show up on the radar screen is mercury. But the difference this time is that regulations for removing it are coming not just from Washington but from states as well.

By Dr. Robert Peltier, PE, Editor-in-Chief of POWER