Characterisation of atmospheric particulates around a coal-fired power station

Concentration and Sources of PM10 and its Constituents in Alsasua, Spain

“…The formation of secondary ammonium sulfate is enhanced in conditions when there are enough ammonia emissions to neutralize sulfuric acid and when photochemical activity is enhanced in summertime. In the Iberian Peninsula, nss-sulfate also exhibits seasonal variations with a summer maximum because of the higher SO 2 oxidation rate under high insolation conditions (Hidy, 1994;Querol et al, 1999Querol et al, , 2001Querol et al, , and 2004b. To illustrate the seasonal behavior of this and other factors, the source contributions were divided into winter (November-April) and summer (May-October) contributions (Figure 7).…”

Thermophilic biofilter for SO2 removal: Performance and microbial characteristics

“…SO 2 emission not only causes health risks to people but also instigates acid rain in the atmosphere (Smith et al, 2001). The primary sources of SO 2 emissions include the thermal conversion processing of liquid and solid fuels in power plants, refineries, coal-and oil-fired boilers, and paper pulp production (Kachur et al, 2003;Querol et al, 1999).…”

Arsenic Addition to Soils from Airborne Coal Dust Originating at a Major Coal Shipping Terminal

“…Environmental concerns over the use of coal as a fossil fuel have commonly focused on the impact that mining, coal combustion, and the resultant fly ash has on environmental quality (e.g., Querol et al 1991Querol et al , 1992Querol et al , 1999Kizilshtein and Kholodkov 1999;Feng et al 2000;Finkelman et al 2002Finkelman et al , 2006Fuge 2005;Yudovich and Ketris 2005;Greb et al 2006;Kolker et al 2006). It is generally accepted, for example, that combustion of high-sulfur coal has contributed to the occurrence of acid rain and the consequent acidification of watersheds with low acid buffering capacity (Gupta 1999).…”

“…It is generally accepted, for example, that combustion of high-sulfur coal has contributed to the occurrence of acid rain and the consequent acidification of watersheds with low acid buffering capacity (Gupta 1999). Moreover, because fly ash generated from coal combustion can be enriched in many trace elements, including a number of potentially toxic trace elements such as arsenic (As), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and mercury (Hg), studies have examined the impact of trace element loading to the environment from fly ash fall-out (Eskenazy 1995;Querol et al 1999;Fuge 2005;Mastalerz and Drobniak 2007). However, the environmental impact of and/or the potential human health issues arising from transport and shipping of coal, and subsequent inhalation of resulting "environmental" coal dust, have typically not been examined, although occupational inhalation has been extensively studied (e.g., coal workers' pneumoconiosis; Attfield et al 1997Attfield et al , 1998Finkelman et al 2002;Centeno et al 2005).…”

“…Recent investigation of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (also known as black lung disease) suggests that finely disseminated pyrite grains within coat dust may be responsible for the inflammation of lung tissue that leads to development of lung fibrosis (Finkelman et al 2006). Possible human health issues may also arise from inhalation of airborne "environmental" particulate coal owing to the fact that: (1) it can occur in size fractions (e.g., PM 2.5 ; <2.5 μm) that are potentially hazardous (Zheng et al 1999); and (2) because it may be enriched in pyrite and/or toxic trace elements such as As, Hg, Se, Cd, and Cr (Eskenazy 1995;Smith et al 1998;Querol et al 1999;Finkelman et al 2006).…”