ENV6932

SpecialProblemsinEnvironmentalEngineeringCoursewillfocusoncomplexitiesoftreatingwaterforinorganiccompoundsusing

physical/chemical/biologicaltreatment

Professor:Dr.DavidW.Mazyck

HowisElectricityProduced?

• Oneofthemostcomplexwatersrequiringtreatmentisthatfromcoal-firedpowerplants.• USEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyhasimplementednewregulationstoremoveinorganiccompoundsfrom”contaminated”watergeneratedduringelectricityproduction.• Needtohaveanappreciationforhowelectricityisproduced.• Needtohaveanappreciationfororiginofcontaminants.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Vb6hlLQSg

SimplisticOverviewofElectricityProduction:MissingAirPollutionControlDevices

IntroductiontoCoalCredited:KennethM.Klemow,Ph.D.

atWilkesUniversity

Whatiscoal?• Aformofrockrichinorganiccarbon• Abletobeburnedasasourceofenergy• Contains• Organiccarbon(ringsandstraightchains)• Inorganicelements(Fe,Al,clay,CaCO3,tracemetals– forexample,As,Hg,Se)• Formash

• Water

• Elementalanalysis• Bituminous:C137H97O9NS• Anthracite:C240H90O4NS

Differentformsofcoal

Anthracite Bituminous Sub-bituminous

PeatLignite

Howiscoalcreated?

• Fromspecialformoffossilizationofplantsthatlivedhundredsofmillionsofyearsago.• Carboninbodiesnotdecomposed

http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/images/coal_rank_white_med.jpg

Coal seams in Alaska

http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/mining/aml/nlmrws2011/usibelli/ZC5R1226.html

Coal seams in Colorado

http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ci-Co/Coal.html

Coal seams in Pennsylvania

http://www.bucknell.edu/x17745.xml

Coaldepositsworldwide

http://www.kuzka.org.tr/ContentDownload/HV3W5Boyabat_Sinop_Komur_ithalati_Analizi.pdf

Recoverablecoalreservesworldwide

http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=2930

CoaldepositsinUnitedStates

http://www.coaleducation.org/lessons/primary/summary/coalpro.htm

Coalfueledtheindustrialrevolution• Poweredsteamgenerators,locomotives,andeventuallyelectricgenerators.•Madeindustrializationpossible.• FirstinBritishIsles(18thCentury),thencontinentalEuropeandUSby19th Century.

http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/adlane/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/0/20979973

CoalimportantinUS• AnthracitefromNEPennsylvaniathoughttobeworthlessin18th Century.• Techniqueforburningdiscoveredin1808.• Becameminedextensivelyby1850,replacingwood.• Usedforheating,transportation,industrial• Scranton,Wilkes-Barre,Hazleton,Pottsville,andsurroundingtownsgrewgreatly• Railroadspreferredwayofgettingcoaltomarket.

https://sites.google.com/a/ignatius.edu/mpecot/apush

Coalconsumption

USElectricityProductionfromCoal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_power_in_the_United_States

Benefitsofcoal

• Highenergydensity• Abundantfuel• Relativelyinexpensive• Employsmanythousandsofworkers• Oftenfoundwhereenergyneeded• Reliable• Easytotransport

http://cenvironment.blogspot.com/2012_04_01_archive.html

Drawbacks• Terrestrialimpacts• Habitatdestruction

• Aquaticimpacts• Abandonedminedrainage

• Atmosphericimpacts• Particulates• Sulfur• Greenhousegases• Heavymetals

http://republicanherald.com/polopoly_fs/

http://klemow.wilkes.edu/images/AMD_stream.gif

ContaminantsGenerated/ReleasedDuringCoalCombustion

• Particulatematter– alsoreferredtoasflyash• NOx– coalrequiresair(79%ofwhichisnitrogen)forcombustion• SOx – coalhassulfur(%variesbasedontypeandregionofcoal)• Heavymetals(e.g.,arsenic,Hg,selenium)

AirPollutionControlDevicesforPowerPlants

EPARegulations• MATS– MercuryandAirToxicsStandards• ~90%Hg removalfromcoal-firedpowerplants(April2015)• Manyutilitiesrequestedandreceivedone-yearextension(April2016)

• ELGs– EffluentLimitationGuidelines• BeginningNovember1,2018• NolaterthanDecember31,2023(NPDESRenewals)

• Air-phase/liquid-phaseregulationsrequireholisticsolution,buttimingoflegislationvaries

20

Pollutant(units) MonthlyAverage DailyMaximumMercury,Hg (ppb) 0.356 0.788Arsenic,As(ppb) 8 11Selenium,Se(ppb) 12 23Nitrate-Nitrite(ppb) 4,400 17,000

FinalRuleFGDWastewaterDischargeLimitsforexistingsourcesofelectricgeneratingunits

MATSTechnologyOptions• Coaladditive(CaBr2)– oxidization• Powderedactivatedcarbon(PAC)- adsorption• Wetfluegasdesulfurization(WFGD)- absorption

21