Power Plant Engineering

13.2 ENVIRONMENT POLLLUTION DUE TO ENERGY USE
A considerable amount of air pollution results from burning of fossil fuels. Fuels are primarily
derived from fossilized plant material and consist mainly of carbon and/or its compounds. The house-
hold sector is the largest consumer of energy in India, accounting for 40-50% of the total energy con-
sumption. As per a report of Planning Commission the share of the household sector in the final use of
energy declined although retaining its dominant share at 58.9% in 1987. The most abundantly used
fossil fuel for cooking is the wood, which is almost 61% of the total fuel demand for cooking. Burning
of traditional fuels introduces large quantities of CO
2
when the combustion is complete, but if there is
incomplete combustion and oxidation then Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced, in addition to hydrocar-
bons. Incomplete combustion of coal produces smoke consisting of particles of soot or carbon, tarry
droplets of unburnt hydrocarbons and CO. Fossil fuels also contain 0.5-4.0% of sulphur which is oxi-
dized to SO
2
during combustion.
The environmental effects of various fuels namely coal; oil, nuclear, etc. are of growing concern
owing to increasing consumption levels. The combustion of these fuels in industries and vehicles has
been a major source of pollution. Coal production through opencast mining; its supply to and consump-
tion in power stations; and industrial boilers leads to particulate and gaseous pollution, which can cause
pneumoconiosis, bronchitis, and respiratory diseases. Another major impact of coal mining is land
degradation, especially of forest areas.

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POLLUTION AND ITS CONTROL
415
The consumption of petroleum products in vehicles, industries and domestic cooking activities
results in the emission of pollutants in large quantities. Radioactive emissions from nuclear power
plants are of grave concern as they can cause serious impact both in terms of spatial and inter-generational
concerns. In addition, two key problems are long-term waste disposal and the eventual decommissioning
of plants. Due to limited reserves of petroleum, main emphasis needs to be given to non-conventional
energy sources such as wind energy, solar energy and ocean energy.