Assessment of elemental content of milled coal, combustion residues, and stack emitted materials: Possible environmental effects for a Canadian pulverized coal-fired power plant

The rates of input of elements of environmental concern (As, Cd, Hg, Pb and Ni) for this station were 23.65, 1.24, 0.54, 98.2 and 95.2 kg/day, respectively, of which only 0.20, 0.02, 0.31, 0.48 and 0.36 kg/day were emitted from the stack. Thus only a small amount of these elements found in the milled coal was emitted while most were captured in the bottom and the ESP ashes. Nickel has the highest rate of emission (0.48 kg/day) within the elements of environmental concern group. However, the Ni emitted from this station does not belong to the toxic species. The element with the lowest rate of emission is Cd (0.02 kg/day). The total emission of elements of environmental concern is 1.37 kg/day, which is low as compared their ambient concentrations in either rural or urban air. The total rate of emission of B, Ba, Be, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Se, Th, U, V, and Zn is 56.51 kg/day and is mostly comprised of the total emission of Ba (21.73 kg/day) and Zn (19.14 kg/day).