89% of emissions from coal sources came from power plants in 2005, and geographic areas

where the inclusion of non power-plant sources was likely to have most impact (Henneman et al. 2019).
Coal plays a vital role in electricity generation worldwide. Coal-fuelled power plants currently fuel 38%
of global electricity and, in some countries, coal fuels a higher percentage of electricity. China is the
world’s largest producer and user of coal. Coal supplies about two-thirds of China’s energy. The second-
leading coal producer and user is the United States (Nataly et al. 2014).
The National Emissions Inventory prepared by EPA indicates that emissions to the atmosphere
from coal-fired power plants contain 84 of the 187 hazardous air pollutant identified by EPA as posing to
human health and the environment; Release 386,000 t of hazardous air pollutants annually that account
for 40% of all hazardous air pollutant emissions from point sources, more than any other point source
category; and are the largest point source category of hydrochloric acid, mercury, and arsenic release to
air; Coal-fired power plants are also a major source of emissions for several criteria air pollutants
including sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, and particulate matter.
During coal combustion, the sulfur present in coal is released into the atmosphere and causes
air, water and land pollution. In the majority of power plants, sulfur appears due to coal burning which is
used to generate electricity. In the case of uncontrolled coal power plants, the emission of sulfur oxides
and PM into the air was found to be double when compared to the emissions of cars, trucks and
factories every year. In addition to SO2, other Sox, like sulfate (SO 32-) which contains PM, pollute the air
and water by travelling hundreds of miles from the power plant and producing sulfuric acid (H2SO4), a
major constituent of acid rain. NO2, another main pollutant with highly corrosive properties and strong
oxidizing ability, is released and accumulates in the air and cumulatively damages the environment and
health. Domestic use of coal also increases the level of NO2 exposure. Dust were emitted annually to
contribute to the formation of PM, and, therefore, underlying risks to life expectancy (Munawer 2018)

Henneman, L.R.F. et al., 2019. Characterizing population exposure to coal emissions sources in the
 United States using the HyADS model. Atmospheric Environment, 203(December 2018), pp.271–
280. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2019.01.043.
Munawer, M.E., 2018. Human health and environmental impacts of coal combustion and post-
combustion wastes. Journal of Sustainable Mining, 17(2), pp.87–96. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsm.2017.12.007.
Nataly, R., Huaman, E. & Jun, T.X., 2014. Energy related CO 2 emissions and the progress on CCS
projects : A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 31, pp.368–385. Available at:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.12.002.
https://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses-coal/coal-electricity
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/net/2008inventory.html; 2008.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – EPA. Report on the environment: science report;2007.