Trade-off in emissions of acid gas pollutants and of carbon dioxide in fossil fuel power plants with carbon capture

• Published in: Energy policy Vol. 35; no. 8; pp. 3991 - 3998
• Main Authors: Tzimas, Evangelos, Mercier, Arnaud, Cormos, Calin-Cristian, Peteves, Stathis D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2007; Elsevier
• Series: Energy Policy
• Subjects: Acid gas emissions; Air pollution caused by fuel industries; Applied sciences; Atmospheric pollution; Capture ready plant; Carbon capture; Combustion and energy production; Emissions trading; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Environmental degradation; Exact sciences and technology; Fossil fuels; Gas; Installations for energy generation and conversion: thermal and electrical energy; Metering. Control; Pollution; Pollution sources. Measurement results; Power plants; Thermal power plants; Capture ready plant; Carbon capture; Acid gas emissions; Nitrogen oxide; Gas fired power station; Thermal power plant; Sulfur oxide; CO2 sequestration; Pollutant emission; Combined cycle; Environment impact; Coal power plant; Pulverized coal; Air pollution
• ISSN: 0301-4215; 1873-6777
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2007.01.027

This paper investigates the impact of capture of carbon dioxide (CO 2) from fossil fuel power plants on the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO X ) and sulphur oxides (SO X ), which are acid gas pollutants. This was done by estimating the emissions of these chemical compounds from natural gas combined cycle and pulverized coal plants, equipped with post-combustion carbon capture technology for the removal of CO 2 from their flue gases, and comparing them with the emissions of similar plants without CO 2 capture. The capture of CO 2 is not likely to increase the emissions of acid gas pollutants from individual power plants; on the contrary, some NO X and SO X will also be removed during the capture of CO 2. The large-scale implementation of carbon capture is however likely to increase the emission levels of NO X from the power sector due to the reduced efficiency of power plants equipped with capture technologies. Furthermore, SO X emissions from coal plants should be decreased to avoid significant losses of the chemicals that are used to capture CO 2. The increase in the quantity of NO X emissions will be however low, estimated at 5% for the natural gas power plant park and 24% for the coal plants, while the emissions of SO X from coal fired plants will be reduced by as much as 99% when at least 80% of the CO 2 generated will be captured.