Republic of the Philippines

Western Mindanao State University

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Department of Environmental
Engineering
Normal Road, Zamboanga City

ENGINEERS REPORT

AIR POLLUTION TREATMENT

SYSTEM
(COAL POWER PLANT)
Activity 3

Submitted by:

CHRISTINE FAITH R. LIMBANG

BSENE V

Submitted to:

ENGR. DEWEY J. SOJUACO

ENE 157 INSTRUCTOR

A. Objectives: At the end of the activity the student will be able to:
1. Be able to communicate information that were acquired during the virtual Plant Tour
2. Be able to extract information from the presentation (virtual Plant tour)
3. Be able to pursue further information from such a starting point and be able to present
the result of such an assessment.
B. Procedure:
1. Listen carefully and focus on what is being discussed in the video presentation
2. Make an Engineers Report.

C. Engineers Report Outline

I. Introduction
Coal-fired power plants are a major source of emissions for a number of air pollutants including
SO2, NOx, particulate matter (PM), HCl, HF, Hg, and so on. Hazardous air pollutants such as
As, Be, Cd, Cr, Pb, Mn, Ni, Se, and other metals are integral components of fine PM that are also
emitted directly from coal-fired power plants. The potential problem of coal-fired power plants
associated to the emissions of air pollutants can be treated by flue gas desulphurization (FGDs),
as the sulphur (S) will be retained in the FGD-gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O), and eventually be
disposed. Further, FGD chemistry (alkaline sorbent) allows the capture of many pollutants other
than sulphur, such as F, As, B, Cl, Se or Hg, in a gaseous form and/or as PM. The current
position of coal power generation and the generation of inorganic trace pollutants derived from it
are presented and discussed. The partitioning, speciation, and fate of inorganic trace pollutants
during pulverized coal combustion (PCC)-FGD are also reviewed.

Coal plays an essential role in our global energy scheme for power generation as most of the
world’s coal production is consumed mainly to generate electricity. However, coal is currently a
target especially for Europe, where political and social opposition to coal is mounting as efforts
intensify to limit CO2 emissions.

Coal-fired power plants currently fuel 40% of global electricity, and, in some countries, coal
fuels a higher percentage of electricity. Owing to the Paris climate agreement, in Europe, the use
of coal for power generation retreated for the fifth successive year in 2017. The European Power
Sector 2017 reported that coal’s share of Europe’s total power generation fell to 20% last year,
while the share from renewables increased to 30%. Nevertheless, Europe’s progress in reducing
the use of carbon-intensive power is gradual and uneven.

Figure 1: Configuration of a PCC plant equipped with an FGD system.

Coal is divided into three classes: anthracite, bituminous, and lignite. Empirical formulas
obtained by elemental analysis are C137H97O9NS for bituminous coal and C240H90O4NS for high-
grade anthracite. Anthracite coal is a hard rock with a metallic luster and it has jet black
appearance. Coal is used in a coal-fired power generation plant to turn water into steam and
steam drives turbine generators to generate electricity. In this process, coal is first pulverized and
the fineness achieved is as that of a talcum powder (200 mesh to 325 mesh). It is then stir
together with hot air in a skillful way and injected in the burning chamber (firebox) of a boiler.
The coal/air mixture is almost completely combusted, hence, generate maximum possible heat.
Purified water is pumped through tubes of the boiler, is converted into steam by the supplied
heat. The temperature of steam reaches up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and pressures is raised up
to 3,500 psi, and this high-pressure steam is conveyed to the turbine. The huge pressure of steam
pushes the blades of turbine which move the shaft of turbine. The shaft of turbine is coupled to
the shaft of a generator. The generator magnets spin inside the wire coils to produce
electromagnetic field to produce electricity. After moving turbines, the steam is injected into a
condenser where cooling water from a nearby source is pumped in the condenser through a
network of tubes. The cooling water in the tubes transforms the steam back into water that can be
recycled in the plant or returned to its source without being contaminated (not even at high
temperature, ideally), and the steam is returned to the boiler and this cycle is repeated. Heat is
obtained by combustion operation. The combustion involves combinations of coal with oxygen.

II. Description of the existing air pollution treatment system

1. Air Pollution Treatment Flow Diagram

III. Assessment of the Air Pollution Treatment System

One of our era's greatest scourges is air pollution, on account not only of its impact on climate
change but also its impact on public and individual health due to increasing morbidity and
mortality. There are many pollutants that are major factors in disease in humans. Among them,
Particulate Matter (PM), particles of variable but very small diameter, penetrate the respiratory
system via inhalation, causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, reproductive and central
nervous system dysfunctions, and cancer. Despite the fact that ozone in the stratosphere plays a
protective role against ultraviolet irradiation, it is harmful when in high concentration at ground
level, also affecting the respiratory and cardiovascular system. Furthermore, nitrogen oxide,
sulfur dioxide, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), dioxins, and polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) are all considered air pollutants that are harmful to humans. Carbon
monoxide can even provoke direct poisoning when breathed in at high levels.

IV. Recommendation for Improvement (upgrading of the existing treatment system)

Coal power plant is very useful since some other places lack energy but these plants also bring
hazard to human health, not only it affects human health, it also affects the environment and
cause global warming. There are ways to prevent air pollution, I recommend that someone or we,
environmental engineers can design and implement quality improvement solution to solve the
problem in air pollution.

V. Conclusion

Therefore, I conclude that coal power plant is very useful but it also bring hazard to
human health, affects our environment and cause global warming by emitting gas that cause air
pollution.