Resources for the Future (RFF), located in Washington, D.C., offers the full text of the December 2000 discussion paper entitled "Cost-effective Reduction of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Emissions from Electricity Generation," written by Dallas Burtraw, Karen Palmer, Ranjit Bharvirkar, and Anthony Paul. The text is available in PDF format. The authors examine the benefits and costs of policies to reduce NOx emissions from electricity generation in the United States and suggest the implementation of an annual reduction.
Nitrogen oxide (NOx) is a common air pollutant that has impacts on human health and is a precursor to the formation of tropospheric (ground-level) ozone. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency therefore regulates the emissions of nitrogen oxides through the Clean Air Act and the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Approximately 14% of all NOx emissions are produced by the electric power sector and as a result, regulations are often applied directly to the sector. However despite the success of regulations at reducing the amount of NOx emissions over the last several decades, areas not meeting the ozone NAAQS still persist. Further reductions of emissions using current approaches result in rapidly increasing marginal costs. As a product, new research is needed to design and evaluate the effectiveness of alternative regulatory designs in reducing ground-level ozone. This thesis seeks to evaluate and compare three regulatory designs: undifferentiated pricing, time differentiated pricing, and time and space differentiated pricing. Undifferentiated pricing is used to represent the current Cross-state Air Pollution Rule with constant emissions prices. Time differentiated pricing sets a higher emission price on days designated as having increased ozone formation. Time and space differentiated pricing would operate similarly to time differentiated pricing, except that different emission prices are applied to different regions. A unit commitment model is used to simulate the different regulatory designs for a study region based on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and to evaluate the cost and emissions impacts on the system. The short-term impacts result from the redispatching of resources to lower emitting generators and to generators not located within a region marked by higher permit prices. The results show that of the scenarios analyzed, time and space differentiated pricing is cost effective at reducing NOx emission prices in the nonattainment region on high ozone days, while time differentiation was the most cost-effective method at reducing system-wide emissions on high ozone days. The study also demonstrates the importance of the relative price differential between the emission prices of regions when utilizing time and space differentiated pricing. In particular, smaller differentials result in the greatest reduction in both the nonattainment and system-wide emissions. Very large differentials induce a shift of lower emitting gas generation in nonattainment regions to higher emitting coal generation in attainment regions, which increases the net NOx emissions for the system as a whole.
Over the past decade the topic of emissions reduction and control has remained an important area of research due to the enforcement of various Government policies in an attempt to minimize the impact on the environment. One area in which a great deal of research has been conducted to address this policy is NOx/SOx suppression. However, despite the progress that has been made over this time period, further research into the most effective method of reducing NOx/SOx emissions is still urgently required. In developed countries, a more stringent requirement in the level of emissions (such as is NOx/SOx component of less than 10ppm) will be enforced in the near future. Developing countries will also need a new technology that is effective and that is suited to each countries needs. Additional research and development efforts are thus necessary to meet such requirements. This compendium contains a collection of key papers themed around NOx/SOx emissions from combustion of hydrocarbon resources and the attempts to secure an efficient and effective method for reducing these emissions. These key papers are taken from the journals Fuel, Fuel Processing Technology and Progress in Energy and Combustion Science.
The Clean Coal Technology Demo. Program (CCTDP) is an effort to demonstrate a new generation of innovative coal utilization processes in a series of facilities built across the country. These projects are carried out on a commercial scale to prove technical feasibility and provide the info. required for future applications. Projects have demonstrated technical options with the potential to meet the needs of energy markets while satisfying environ. requirements. Part of this program is the demo. of technologies designed to reduce emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from existing coal-fired utility boilers. This report summarizes the status of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology for the control of NOx emissions from high-sulfur, coal-fired boilers. Illus.
Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works. Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property, and Nuclear Safety
Resources for the Future (RFF), located in Washington, D.C., offers the full text of the April 2000 discussion paper entitled "Cost-effective Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Control in the Eastern United States," written by Alan Krupnick and others. The text is available in PDF format. This paper discusses many aspects of the debate over the appropriate approach for incentive reductions in NOx emissions from point sources beyond those called for in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
New and Future Developments in Catalysis is a package of seven books that compile the latest ideas concerning alternate and renewable energy sources and the role that catalysis plays in converting new renewable feedstock into biofuels and biochemicals. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts and catalytic processes will be discussed in a unified and comprehensive approach. There will be extensive cross-referencing within all volumes.The use of solar energy during various catalytic chemical processes for the production of an array of chemical products is the theme of this volume. Photocatalysis is a topic of increasing importance due to its essential role in many of today’s environmental and energy source problems. The use of solar energy for catalytic reactions results in a carbon dioxide–neutral process. All photocatalytic processes and the future developments in this area are discussed, including an economic analysis of the various processes. Offers in-depth coverage of all catalytic topics of current interest and outlines future challenges and research areas A clear and visual description of all parameters and conditions, enabling the reader to draw conclusions for a particular case Outlines the catalytic processes applicable to energy generation and design of green processes
Describes international technologies for controlling NOx emissions, primarily from coal combustion. Over 115 control systems are documented with, as available, system descriptions, process applications, pollution reduction capability, system diagram, supplier/manufacturer.
