Is there environmental problems in Coal based Thermal Power Plant?

Answer 1

Many. Burning coal is a crude way of making electricity. In the US, it's being used less and less. A problem is China, which is building many coal burning power plants.

Coal contains impurities such as sulfur and mercury. When burned sulfur dioxide and mercury vapor are emitted, which are very bad. Sulfur dioxide is regulated, but still causes some problems. Mercury is not regulated.

But the biggest problem is that, per watt of energy, coal burning power plants emit more greenhouse gas than any other form of energy. You can see what that's doing to our environment here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Climate_Change_Attribution.png

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL052735320070407

There is a natural "carbon cycle" that recycles CO2. But it's a delicate balance and we're messing it up.

Look at this graph.

http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/graphics_gallery/mauna_loa_record/mlo_record.html

The little squiggles are nature doing its' thing. CO2 falls a bit during summer when plants are active, and rises during the winter. The huge increase is us, burning fossil fuels (in addition to the shape of the graph, the increase numerically matches the increase in fossil fuel use). The scientists can actually show that the increased CO2 in the air comes from burning fossil fuels by using "isotopic ratios" to identify that CO2. The natural carbon cycle buried carbon in fossil fuels over a very long time, little bit by little bit. We dig them up and burn them, real fast. That's a problem.

Man is upsetting the balance of nature. We need to fix that.

Answer 2

Oh yes certainly coal based power plants burn fossil fuel i.e. coal which emits many gases which in turn increase green house effect. This helps in rise in temperature i.e. induces global warming. So even coal based plants increase changhes in climatic conditions. Keeping this in mind more and more countries are going in for nuclear based power plants which acording to scientists is safer.

We should try to reduce all fossile fuel based plants at the earliest.

Answer 3

s sir environmental problem is caused near the coal indutries as coal produces small particles of fly dust moves on
if u go and reach out to any coal plant station u could see they have been transporting with open source so check out u may find some dust getting in to ur eyes it wil be very very minute particle

Answer 4

The problem is in the peoples mind as the coal powered plants are all over New Mexico ,and they don't produce as much pollution as the gas powered plants we have in Texas. They have scrubbers on there chimneys.

Answer 5

Coal has to burn, in thermal plants, so there will be pollution but it is not as bad as petrol burning or other nitrogen, carbon monoxide,sulpherdioxide, etc emitting factories or industries.
In millions of Indian houses, "Diyas" (lamps of edible oil), will be burning day and night as it is supposed to be good omen to let the lamp burn always in low midle class houses to highest class houses, especially if there are old ladies who believe in such superstitions. When my mother in law died, the first thing I gave to my servant was all those lamps she cherished to burn.
But these lamps and coals emit only CO2 which is not extremely bad. But when they burn all over in temples, grave yards, homes, churches etc, they may be causing sufficient damage to environment

Answer 6

Yes........coal based thermal power plant produces poisonous gases like carbon monoxide,carbon dioxide,methane and also sulphur dioxide........so i guess these power plant also spread environmental pollution.

Answer 7

Modern plants with exhaust scrubbers burn relatively cleanly. They emmit CO2 which is, of course, a naturally occuring gas that has no environmental impact.

Answer 8

yes ...coal Scraps which burn for millions and millions of years which causes a severe air pollution when these coal scraps are not treated properly it will cause severe damage to the enviornment

Answer 9

They are a major source of CO2 which is believed to be a cause of global warming.

I also think that they produce CO

Answer 10

YES, there is as the waste materials dumped into water which is causing ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION