Environmental Impacts of Absorption-Based CO sub(2) Capture Unit for Post-Combustion Treatment of Flue Gas from Coal-Fired Power Plant

For post-combustion treatment of flue gas from coal-fired power plant, environmental impacts of absorption based CO sub(2) capture are assessed. The aim is to find mitigation measures, which can be applied to reduce the adverse impacts within reasonable environmental and economic constraints. The results conclude that the integration of a CO sub(2) capture unit to coal-fired power plants may create mild impacts and unintentional burdens on human health and the environment through four pathways, including treated gas, reclaimer waste, fugitive emissions and accidental release. Among the three, reclaimer waste is the largest in quantity and contributes most due to the presence of heavy metal and heat-stable salts. Treated gas contributes less because it does not contain corrosion inhibitors. Fugitive emissions are the smallest and contribute the least to environmental impacts.