Pollution from Coal Burning: IEACCC | 17 Feb 2021

Why in News

A study by the International Energy Agency’s Clean Coal Centre (IEACCC) has stated that coal burning is responsible for heavy air pollution in India.

• Recently, a Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has also discussed the measures to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) footprints of India’s coal-based power sector and cautioned the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) against extending the deadline of meeting emission norms for coal-based thermal power plants in the country.

Key Points

• Findings:
  • Pollution from Coal-Based Thermal Power Stations:
    • Coal-based thermal power stations contribute over half sulphur dioxide (SO₂), 30% oxides of nitrogen (NOx), about 20% particulate matter (PM), etc.
    • Persistent burning of coal in thermal power stations and a delay in implementation of latest carbon capture storage technology are among major reasons of air pollution in India.
  • Pollution from Other Sectors:
    • Transport and other industrial sectors stand second to coal-based thermal power stations as a contributor to air pollution.

• Suggestions:
  • Retirement of Old Fleet of Power Stations:
    • To limit pollution and improve the fleet efficiency by adopting clean coal technology.
  • Investment in Cleaner and Advanced Technology:
    • The most new advanced technology plants in India - such as Mundra and Sassan in Gujarat are struggling financially, causing stakeholders to lose confidence in investing in cleaner and advanced technology.
  • Launch More Ambitious Schemes:
    • The current energy efficiency schemes, including performance and achieve trade scheme, efficiency standards scheme and carbon pricing schemes, are not ambitious enough to drive significant improvement.
  • Adopting Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS):
    • It is equally important to reduce emissions. It suggested India to include it as a part of its climate commitment.
    • CCUS is the process of capturing waste CO₂, transporting it to a storage site and depositing it where it will not enter the atmosphere.

Coal Burning and Pollution

• Coal Formation:
  • Formed deep underground over thousands of years of heat and pressure, coal is a carbon-rich black rock that releases energy when burned.
• Air Pollution:
  • When coal is burned, it releases a number of airborne toxins and pollutants.
  • They include mercury, lead, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates, and various other heavy metals.
  • Health impacts can range from asthma and breathing difficulties, to brain damage, heart problems, cancer, neurological disorders, and premature death.
• Water Pollution:
  • The coal-fired power plants produce more than 100 million tons of coal ash every year.
    • More than half of that waste ends up in ponds, lakes, landfills, and other sites where, over time, it can contaminate waterways and drinking water supplies.
  • Other water impacts include acid rock drainage from coal mines, the destruction of mountain streams and valleys by mountaintop removal mining, and the energy-water collisions that occur when coal plants rely too heavily on local water supplies.
• Climate Change:
  • Coal is a large contributor to Global Warming.
• Initiatives to Control Emissions from Power Plants:
  • Exploring CCUS:
    • India is exploring its potential, as a plant at the industrial port of Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin has begun capturing CO₂ from its own coal-powered boiler and using it to make baking soda.
  • Emission Standard:
    • India has issued orders for thermal power plants to comply with emissions standards for installing Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) units that cut emissions of toxic sulphur dioxide.
  • Graded Action Plan:
    • The Ministry of Power has proposed a "graded action plan," whereby areas where plants are located would be graded according to the severity of pollution, with Region 1 referring to critically polluted areas, and Region 5 being the least polluted.

Source:DTE