Sources apportionment of water-soluble inorganic salts in CPM from coal-fired power plants with different emission control technologies

Different control technologies to reduce emissions of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides from coal-fired boilers have been adopted globally, leading to significant reductions in these gas emissions, especially over the past several years in China. Comparatively, little attention has been paid to the potential effects of these control technologies on particulate matter (PM) emissions, especially condensable particulate matter (CPM), which is harmful to the atmosphere and human health. In this study, we measured filterable and condensable PM emissions in five coal-fired commercial-scale boilers installed with SNCR or SCR for NOx control and wet, semidry, or dry flue gas desulfurization (FGD) for SO2 emission controls. Water-soluble ionic components in PM were analyzed. The experimental results show that the CPM accounts for 55.9% to 95.1% of total particulate matter (TPM) and is composed primarily of water-soluble SO42-and NH4+, with (NH4)2SO4 being the dominant CPM aerosols. Experimental results also reveal that the flue gas emission control technology significantly affects CPM emission from coal-fired boilers. Since the production of (NH4)2SO4-rich CPM results from the use of ammonia solution for NOx reduction, boilers emit more CPM with SNCR than with SCR because the former operates with a higher ammonia/NOx ratio than the latter. Additionally, the CPM emission is related to the FGD technology installed. Boilers installed with wet FGD emit the lowest CPM, followed by semidry and dry FGDs, because of their decreased capabilities of dissolving and absorbing water-soluble components