Controlling Pollutants in Coal-Fired Power Plants in China - Mercury Emission and its Control in Chinese Coal-Fired Power Plants - page 1

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Controlling Pollutants in Coal-Fired Power
Plants in China
1.1 Introduction
Coal is an important source of energy in China. According to the data from the
National Bureau of Statistics of China, 3,570 million tons coal was consumed in
2011, which was about 72.8% of the primary energy used in China. Although new
sources of energy are now being used, it is estimated that the use of coal will still be
above 60% of the total primary energy production by the year 2020. The typical
way of utilizing coal is through burning. Emissions such as sulfur oxides (SO x ),
nitrogen oxides (NO x ), and trace mercury (Hg), etc., from burning coal have caused
serious pollution problems. In fact, coal-fired power plants are the main sources of
mercury emissions [1] . In 2005, about 495 tons of mercury came from coal-fired
power plants and other sources. Considering the rapid economic growth and in-
dustrial expansion of China, the annual growth of mercury emissions is expected to
reach 20 30 tons [2] . Hu estimated that there were about 193.6 tons of mercury
emissions from coal-fired power plants in China in 2005. This figure amounts to
12% of global mercury emissions [3] .
More than 140 countries, including China, reached an agreement under the
Environment Program Management Committee of the United Nations in February
2009. Through this agreement, the participating countries pledged to a treaty on
reducing global mercury pollution. At present, a few developed countries plan to fix
limit standards on mercury emissions in future. The United States Environmental
Protection Agency (US EPA) [4] proposed new mercury emissions control rules in
March 2011.
In China, government and related agencies have focused on measures to control
mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants in the country. The government has
started funding research on finding ways to control mercury emissions. In 2010, the
State Environmental Protection Department explicitly requested carrying out at-
mospheric mercury pollution control pilot projects in coal-fired power plants from
2011 to 2015. China has announced emission standards of air pollutants for thermal