Fossil fuels mercury pollution from

Interest in trace element emissions received impetus from published reports of widespread atmospheric dissemination of these substances (1), especially mercury (2, 3), as a consequence of fossil fuel use. More current information indicates that the original mercury discharge estimates were overstated, since they were based on nonrepresentative, ore-associated coal samples (4). Of the fossil fuels, coal is considered the major source of atmospheric pollution (5) and, compared with oil and... 

Appreciable interest has been generated in the use of activated carbons for flue gas cleanup, especially for the removal of SOx and NO the adsorption of mercury from flue gases was discussed earlier. From the environmental point of view, emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels in power plants and similar industrial processes are major contributors to a lowering of air quality. The flue ga.ses carry traces of SOi and NO, which can be oxidized and converted to their acid forms in the presence of atmospheric water vapor, and they may also combine with other volatile organics to form ozone and smog. Similarly, low level SOj and NOx emissions from automobiles, while insignificant for individual vehicles, become a large source of pollution when multiplied by the millions of vehicles that are on the roads. 

Bullock (1997) used the Regional Lagrangian Model of Air Pollution (RELMAP) to simulate the emission, transport, chemical transformation, and wet and dry deposition of elemental mercury gas, divalent mercury gas, and particulate mercury from various point and area source types to develop an atmospheric mercury emissions inventory by anthropogenic source type. The results of the RELMAP model are shown in Table 5-3. On a percentage basis, various combustion processes (medical waste incinerators, municipal waste incinerators, electric utility power production [fossil fuel burning] and nonutility power and heat generation) account for 83% of all anthropogenic emissions in the United States. Overall, of the emissions produced, 41% were associated with elemental mercury vapor (Hg°), 41% with the mercuric form (Hg2+), and 18% was mercury associated with particulates. 

A large majority of air polluting emissions comes from mobile sources. The automobile is an obvious example, but other vehicles, such as semi-trucks, trains, and aircraft also contribute. Emissions from mobile sources include CO2, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), NO, and particulates. The latter may also have heavy metals, such as lead or mercury, or hazardous organics attached. Stationary sources typically burn or produce fossil fuels - coal, gasolines, and natural gas. These produce gaseous sulfur compounds (H2S, SO2, etc.), nitrogen oxides (NOJ, CO2, and particulates. Fuel producers and distributors also typically produce VOCs. 

Environmental Protection Agency, National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, From Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units and Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Electric Utility, Industrial-Commercial-Institutional, and Small Industrial-Commercial-Institutional Steam Generatirtg Units, 76 Fed. Reg. 23,399 (2011) EPA Finalizes Rule to Reduce Mercury, Air Toxics Emissions From Power Plants, 42 BNA Env. Rept. 2877 (2011) Amy Harder, Mercurial, National Journal, September 17, 2011, at 54 (Obama Speech). 

Many toxic metals are spewed into the air during fossil fuel combustion. For example, mercury, cadmium, and other toxic metals are emitted during the burning of coal. Lead is emitted principally from motor vehicles using leaded gasoline. These pollutants are now accumulating in the environment. Analysis of sediment cores from the bottom of acidified lakes in the Adirondacks has shown that the level of trace metals (and other pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which cause cancer) has increased three- to four-fold over the past thirty years, with lead showing the most pronounced increase. ... 

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