Fluoride Emissions from Coal-Burning Power Plants

Fluoride Emissions from Power Plants 1998 marked the first time in which the electric utilities industry reported their emissions to the EPA. According to their data, Hydrogen fluoride is the 3rd main pollutant, due predominantly to the burning of coal.

(The above chart comes from Clear the Air: The National Campaign Against Dirty Power which issued a report in August 2000 on power plant pollution.

Power Industry Primer on Toxics Release Inventory (pdf file)

Of the chemicals that leave a typical plant through its stacks, and therefore must be reported under the right-to-know program, by far the largest are diluted hydrochloric acid (HCl), hydrogen fluoride (HF), and sulfuric acid (H2 SO4 ).

Electric Power Research Institute - Hydrogen Fluoride.

Hydrogen fluoride from power plants is about 84% of all the hydrogen fluoride from human activities released into the air each year in the United States. Almost all hydrogen fluoride from power plants comes from burning coal. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that U.S. power plants burning coal released about 32,100 tons of hydrogen fluoride into the air in 1994.

To the problem of trace elements and hydrocarbons emissions from combustion of coal. J Hyg Epidemiol Microbiol Immunol 1984;28(2):129-38

The air pollution emission data presented here are a result of systematic measurements of actual emissions. The measurement included virtually all larger power plants in Czechoslovakia and were carried out between 1975 and 1981...Apart from organics the condensate was found to contain a relatively large amount of fluoride compounds. There is suspicion that this fluorine may occupy an important position among the factors responsible for the ecologic damage caused by emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Fluoride Pollution from Coal Burning in China Compilation of recent studies, 1990-2001

Recently a huge amount of fluoride in coal has been released into indoor environments by the combustion of coal and fluoride pollution seems to be increasing in some rural areas in China...Since airborne fluoride from the combustion of coal pollutes extensively both the living environment and food, it is necessary to reduce fluoride pollution caused by coal burning. ("Health effects of fluoride pollution caused by coal burning." Sci Total Environ 2001 Apr 23;271(1-3):107-16)

Florida Power Companies Release Pollution Reports: Hydrogen Fluoride 3rd Main Emission Tampa Tribune artuckes June-July 1999 Power to Kill: Death and Disease from Power Plants Charged with Violating the Clean Air Act (pdf file) Clean the Air July 2001 Going Backwards: Bush Expected to Weaken Portions of Clean Air Act Baltimore Sun December 23, 2001 Most Dirty Power Plants Getting Dirtier Clean the Air
[link to www.fluoridealert.org]

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Fuel System Icing Inhibitor Ice can form in fuel tanks at the very low temperatures encountered at high altitude. Generally, this ice is formed from water that was dissolved in the fuel when it was loaded onto the aircraft but separated from the fuel as the fuel temperature dropped. Most commercial aircraft have heaters on their main fuel filters to melt any ice that is collected. However, many military aircraft do not have these heaters and are susceptible to reduced fuel flow if ice crystals form. Fuel system icing inhibitors (FSII, pronounced "fizzy") work by combining with any free water that forms and lowering the freezing point of the mixture so that no ice crystals are formed.

The only FSII currently approved for Jet A, Jet A-1, and U.S.military fuels is di-ethylene glycol monomethylether (di-EGME). A similar compound, ethylene glycol monoethylether, is allowed in Russian TS-1 fuel. di-EGME is only slightly soluble in fuel but is very soluble in water, which leads to various handling problems. Since the additive is only slightly soluble in fuel, it must be added in small amounts with good mixing to ensure that it is completely dissolved in the fuel, especially when it is added at low ambient temperatures. In practice, the additive must be injected at a controlled rate into a flowing stream of fuel. di-EGME

If a fuel containing FSII comes into contact with free water, the additive will be extracted out of the fuel and form a thick, gelatinous phase with the water, an obviously unacceptable situation. To avoid contact with free water, FSII is usually not added to fuel at a refinery but at some point in the fuel distribution system. For the military, it may be added at the airport or on delivery to the aircraft itself. Similarly, when required by small jets, it may be added during delivery to the aircraft. FSII is not used in jet fuel by large commercial carriers.

[link to www.chevron.com]

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Unfortunately, the CF6 has reached its limits and GE must design a brand-new engine, the GE90, for the B777. At the time, GE was convinced that there would be a strong market for the growth B777 and 600- to 800-seat large-capacity aircraft. As a result, the GE90 was designed with ample room to grow, and it is significantly larger (and, hence, significantly heavier) than the competitiors' derivative engines. The GE90 has the largest fan (123" diameter vs. competitors' 110" [Trent 800] and 112" [PW4084], or 20% more in frontal area), it has the highest bypass ratio (~9 vs. ~6), and the highest pressure ratio (~40 vs. ~35). The high bypass ratio helps to increase the engine propulsive efficiency, while the high pressure ratio helps to increase the thermal efficiency. However, all of the recent proposals for NLA-type aircraft--such as the B747X and A3XX-- require engines in 70K-lb (310 kN) thrust range. Although GE may offer a derated GE90 with a smaller fan, an improved CF6 derivative may be a more competitive product. Then, with only the B777 platform, the future of the GE90 is not exactly bright. Nevertheless, the GE90--developed by GE, SNECMA, Fiat, and IHI of Japan--is supposedly the most (specific-)fuel-efficient and environmental-friendly engine. [link to www.cris.com]

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The atmosphere is like an enormous chemist's beaker - a vessel where gases mix, mingle, and react, often turning into poisonous substances capable of returning to earth as rain or snow. Acid rain has been blamed for the "death" of several lakes and rivers in North America and may be responsible for world-wide forest depletion as well.

Each day, thousands of tons of sulfur and nitrogen oxides are pumped into the air by fossil fuel burning plants and automobile exhaust systems. Sunlight converts these gases into sulfuric and nitric acids which then are absorbed by the water particles in clouds. Mixed with rain and snow, they fall back to earth, usually hundreds of miles from the original source of the pollution.

The term acid rain is somewhat misleading. In addition to the "wet" substances of rain, snow, and fog, dry particles of sulfur and nitrogen oxides also fall and are absorbed by plants and soil. These particles, known as acid deposition, turn acidic when mixed with surface moisture.

A substance's pH factor, a figure on a scale of 0 - 14, determines a substance's acidity. A pH value of 7 is average. A figure less than 7 indicates higher acidity, more than 7 greater alkilinity. Rainfall with a pH lower than 5.6 is considered abnormally acidic.

Acid rain releases aluminum from soil into the rivers and lakes restricting the growth of aquatic plant roots. Aluminum also clogs the gills of aquatic animals, attacks calcium in their bodies, and causes life-threatening deformities in their young.

As plants, insects, fish, amphibians and reptiles disappear, the structure of the lake's ecosystem weakens and collapses. When the lake is completely unable to support life, mammals and birds which rely on the lake as a food source become endangered. Sadly, "dead" lakes and streams often appear clear and beautiful.

Some scientists think that acid rain affects forest growth by weakening trees so that they are less likely to survive droughts, insect attacks, diseases, or storm damage.

Natural habitats are not the only ones endangered. Man-made office buildings, houses, and automobiles also erode due to repeated soakings of acid rain.

Several government agencies are currently investigating acid rain. They are expected to recommend technology which will clean up sulfur emissions made by factories.

[link to pao.cnmoc.navy.mil]