География
и геология/6.Продопользование и экологический мониторинг
R.D. Islamgulov
Bashkir
State Agrarian University, Russia
Thermal power plants and the environment
Environment - the basis of human life and mineral
resources and generated energy from them are the basis of modern civilization.
Without energy, mankind has no future it is an obvious fact. However, modern
energy is causing considerable damage to the environment, worsening the living
conditions of the people.
The basis of modern energy - different types of power
plants. At the dawn of the development of the domestic industry, 70 years ago,
the main stake was made on major thermal power plants. At that time about the
impact of TPP on the environment thought a little as the first priority was to
obtain electricity and heat.
Technology of production of electricity at TPP
associated with a large amount of waste emitted into the environment. Today the
problem of the influence of energy on nature becomes particularly acute because
the pollution of environment, atmosphere and hydrosphere each year increases.
Thermal power plants are based on relatively cheap
fossil fuel - coal and fuel oil, is irreplaceable natural resources. Today, the
main energy resources in the world are coal(40%), oil (27%) and gas (21%).
According to some estimates, these reserves will last for 270, 50, and 70 years
respectively and that under condition of preservation of present rates of
consumption. Fuel combustion at thermal power plants produces combustion products,
which contain: fly ash, unburned particles of pulverized fuel, sulfur and
sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, gaseous products of incomplete combustion. With
the ignition oil formed of vanadium compounds, coke, sodium salt, soot
particles. In the ash of certain types of fuel there is arsenic free calcium
oxide, free silica. In the transition from solid to gas fuel cost of generated
electricity increases significantly, however, it has its advantages, when using
a liquefied gas is not formed of ash, but this transition does not solve the
main problem - the pollution of the atmosphere. The fact that the combustion
gas as the combustion fuel, the atmosphere gets sulfur dioxide and emissions of
nitrogen oxides in the combustion gas is almost equal to fuel oil. Quality fuel
for thermal power plants is not enough, and most of the stations forced to
operate on low quality fuel, the combustion of such fuels into the atmosphere
together with the smoke gets a large amount of harmful substances, in addition,
harmful substances in the soil with the ashes. The products of combustion into
the atmosphere, cause acid rain and increase the greenhouse effect that negatively
affects the overall environmental situation.
Another topical
problem associated with coal-fired power plants - ash disposal areas, not only
for their construction requires significant areas, they also are centers of
accumulation of heavy metals and have high radioactivity. Heavy metals and radiation
into the surrounding environment, either by air or ground water. In addition,
thermal power plants pollute water bodies, dumping them in warm water,
resulting in a chain reaction, the pond is overgrown with algae, it violates
the oxygen balance, which in turn threatens the lives of all its inhabitants.
Land near water reservoirs immediately adjacent to the thermal power plants,
are constantly sinking due to the increase in groundwater level, resulting in
waterlogging of large areas. Under the action of water in the formation of the
coastline destroyed large portions of the soil occurs abrasion.
Pollute the environment and waste production water TES
containing oil. These water drops after chemical cleaning equipment, steam
boilers heating surfaces and ash removal systems. Improvement of equipment
design of thermal power plants, strict compliance with its operating permit to
minimize the amount of oil entering the waste water and the use of traps and
settling tanks almost prevents their release into the environment, but only
with the full technical serviceability of these treatment facilities. The
impurities contained in the emissions of thermal power plants into the
biosphere in the area surrounding the station, upon interaction with the
environment, undergo a variety of changes. Washed precipitation, they fall into
soil and waterways. In addition to the main components from the combustion of
fossil fuels, the emissions of thermal power plants contains dust particles
having different composition, nitrogen and sulfur oxides, metal oxides,
fluorides and gaseous products of incomplete combustion. Once in the
atmosphere, they cause great harm to not only the main components of the
biosphere, but also businesses, other city facilities, transport and local
population.
The highest biological activity is nitrogen dioxide,
it has a strong irritant effect on the mucous membrane of eyes and respiratory
tract. Huge negative impact on human health have heavy metals. Large quantities
of penetrating the body in a short period of time they are able to cause acute
poisoning.
In the emissions
of thermal power plants running on coal fuel, there are oxides of aluminum and
silicon. These abrasive substance can destroy lung tissue, resulting in the
development of such a disease as silicosis before the disease suffered mainly
from the miners. Now silicosis is quite often determined in children living
close to coal power plants. In the areas of the TPP, along with an increase in
the fraction of carbon dioxide decreases the percentage of oxygen in the
atmosphere, since a large amount of oxygen is consumed during combustion of the
fuel. The sulfur dioxide entering with the emissions into the atmosphere,
causing great damage to flora and fauna, it destroys the chlorophyll present in
plants, damages leaves and needles.
The spread of harmful emissions from TPP depends on
several factors: terrain, ambient temperature, wind speed, cloud cover, and
rainfall intensity. Speeds up the dissemination and increases the area of
contamination with harmful substances such phenomenon as the fog. Harmful
substances when interacting with mist form stable highly contaminated fine
cloud of smog, has the greatest density at the earth's surface.
Literature
1. The regulation and reduction of environmental
pollution: a textbook for bachelors / M. M. Redina, A. Khaustov, P.; Russian
University of friendship of peoples. - Moscow : Yurayt, 2015. - 431 p.
2. State report on the state
of environment of Bashkortostan in 2015 /the Ministry of
natural resources and environment of
Bashkortostan.- Ufa, 2016.-217с.
3. Zalmanov A. S.,
Leont'eva, T. L. Environmental certification. In the book: a Student of
agricultural science proceedings of the IV all-Russian student conference. 2010.- P.213