Distribution and bioavailability of mercury in size-fractioned atmospheric particles around an ultra-low emission power plant in Southwest China

Ultra-low emission(ULE)technology retrofits significantly impact the particulate-bound mercury(Hg)emissions from coal-fired power plants(CFPPs);however,the distribution and bioavailability of Hg in size-fractioned particulate matter(PM)around the ULE-retrofitted CF-PPs are less understood.Here,total Hg and its chemical speciation in TSP(total suspended particles),PM_(10)(aerodynamic particle diameter≤10μm)and PM_(2.5)(aerodynamic particle diameter≤2.5μm)around a ULE-retrofitted CFPP in Guizhou Province were quantified.Atmospheric PM_(2.5)concentration was higher around this ULE-retrofitted CFPP than that in the intra-regional urban cities,and it had higher mass Hg concentration than other sizefractioned PM.Total Hg concentrations in PM had multifarious sources including CFPP,vehicle exhaust and biomass combustion,while they were significantly higher in autumn and winter than those in other seasons(P<0.05).Regardless of particulate size,atmospheric PM-bound Hg had lower residual fractions(<21%)while higher HCl-soluble fractions(>40%).Mass concentrations of exchangeable,HCl-soluble,elemental,and residual Hg in PM_(2.5)were higher than those in other size-fractioned PM,and were markedly elevated in autumn and winter(P<0.05).In PM_(2.5),HCl-soluble Hg presented a significantly positive relationship with elemental Hg(P<0.05),while residual Hg showed the significantly positive relationships with HCl-soluble Hg and elemental Hg(P<0.01).Overall,these results suggested that atmospheric PM-bound Hg around the ULE-retrofitted CFPP tends to accumulate in finer PM,and has higher bioavailable fractions,while has potential transformation between chemical speciation.

Environmental consequences of an ultra-low emission retrofit in coal-fired power plants from a life cycle perspective

To make coal-fired power generation more environmentally friendly,China has initiated a series of ultra-low emission ret-rofits to the air pollution control(APC)system of the existing power plants.In this study,a life cycle assessment(LCA)is conducted to analyze the environmental net benefits for the typical ultra-low emission retrofit of a 1000 MW power plant.The key processes,substances,and APC devices are verified and discussed.The results confirm that the retrofit effectively decreases the environmental stress of acidification potential(AP),eutrophication potential(EP),and photochemical ozone creation potential(POCP)by 69%-79%,which can be attributed to significantly reduced emissions at the stack.However,the retrofit has also increased other impact categories by 24%-79%,primarily due to the consumption of additional elec-tricity and adsorbents.The retrofit of selective catalytic reduction,electrostatic precipitator(ESP),and wet limestone flue gas desulfurization devices has a dominant effect on the impacts of EP,human toxicity potential(HTP),and AP.A newly installed wet ESP shows some environmental benefits(only for AP),but causes considerable burdens,in particular for the investigated impact categories global warming potential(GWP),marine aquatic ecotoxicity(MAETP),and abiotic depletion fossil(ADP fossil).The obtained results indicate that the hidden environmental consequences,which are associated with the production of energy and materials,need to be examined more comprehensively to inform the development of ultra-low emission technologies and strategies effectively.

Permitted emissions of major air pollutants from coal-fired power plants in China based on best available control technology

Based on the activity level and technical information of coal-fired power-generating units(CFPGU)obtained in China from 2011 to 2015,we,1)analyzed the time and spatial distribution of SO_(2) and NOx emission performance of CFPGUs in China;2)studied the impact of installed capacity,sulfur content of coal combustion,and unit operation starting time on CFPGUs’pollutant emission performance;and 3)proposed the SO_(2) and NOx emission performance standards for coal-fired power plants based on the best available control technology.Our results show that:1)the larger the capacity of a CFPGU,the higher the control level and the faster the improvement;2)the CFPGUs in the developed eastern regions had significantly lower SO_(2) and NOx emission performance values than those in other provinces due to better economic and technological development and higher environmental management levels;3)the SO_(2) and NOx emission performance of the Chinese thermal power industry was significantly affected by the single-unit capacity,coal sulfur content,and unit operation starting time;and 4)based on the achievability analysis of best available pollution control technology,we believe that the CFPGUs’SO_(2) emission performance reference values should be 0.34 g/kWh for active units in general areas,0.8 g/kWh for active units in high-sulfur coal areas,and 0.13 g/kWh for newly built units and active units in key areas.In addition,the NOx emission performance reference values should be 0.35 g/kWh for active units in general areas and 0.175 g/kWh for new units and active units in key areas.