Sulfur dioxide emissions control, discussion

This model has been exercised on a variety of AQCR s for which an accurate emission inventory, meteorological data base, and measured ground level pollutant concentrations are available. The results discussed in this paper represent analyses of the New York, Philadelphia, Niagara Frontier, St. Louis, and Milwaukee AQCRs 13, 14). These AQCRs represent a reasonable cross-section of the eastern urban AQCRs where the primary sulfur dioxide ambient air quality problem exists. The results of these analyses indicate that the level of control required by emission source to achieve ambient air quality standards can be forecast with greatly increased assurance. The following conclusions from this exercise should be considered in the near-term achievement of ambient air quality standards. 

Acid rain is best controlled by limiting emissions to the atmosphere of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, discussed in Sections 8.6 and 8.7. Combustion of coal containing sulfur is a major source of atmospheric sulfur dioxide, the release of which can be limited by stack gas controls, fluidized bed combustion in a sulfur-sequestering medium, and removal of sulfur from coal before combustion... 

With the proliferation of diesel equipment in mining, emissions are a concern. Some of the previously mentioned gases (e.g., carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, and sulfur dioxide) are generated by diesel equipment, but diesel particulate matter (DPM) is also generated, which is classified as a carcinogen primarily because of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons it contains (Anon. 1988 Lowndes and Moloney 1996). The control of diesel emissions will also be discussed later. 

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