Impact of pollutants in the energy sector on the environment and technologies for treating liquid and solid waste from power plants

¹ Ph.D. student, Research Assistant, Energy Research and Modernization Institute – ICEMENERG, Bucharest, Romania
² Senior researcher, Energy Research and Modernization Institute – ICEMENERG, Bucharest, Romania
³ Senior researcher, Energy Research and Modernization Institute – ICEMENERG, Bucharest, Romania

^* Corresponding author: irina.chera@icemenerg.ro; irina.alina.chera@gmail.com.

Abstract

The main pollutants in the soil are composed of ash, clay, and calcium sulfur, which results from the desulfurization of flue gases. However, the infiltration of liquid fuels and lubricants, as well as transformation oil, may be neglected. Liquid residues result from several technological processes. The main source of pollution is the water treatment process that must be used in the water-steam circuit. Another important source of liquid residues is the cooling process of the thermal agent. A third major source of water pollution is the flue gas desulphurization process and the transport of slag and ash. Thus, it should not be neglected that power plants are large industrial installations, which require permanent maintenance, liquid residues resulting from cleaning operations of various equipment. To have the technology for treatment, disposal and storage of high-efficiency waste, we must take into account the following factors: the volume and type of waste, their properties, the likely evolution of the installation, the volume of waste generated by it, treatment possibilities and even limits imposed by environmental regulations.