Before flue gas desulfurization was installed, the emissions from this power plant in New Mexico contained excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide. Flue gas desulfurization (FGD is the technology used for removing Sulfur dioxide (SO2 from the exhaust flue gases in power plants that New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America.

Flue gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion refers to the combustion product gas resulting from the burning of fossil fuels ^[1]. Combustion or burning is a complex sequence of Exothermic chemical reactions between a Fuel and an Oxidant accompanied by the production of Fossil fuels or mineral fuels are fossil source Fuels that is Hydrocarbons found within the top layer of the Earth’s crust. Most fossil fuels are combusted with ambient air (as differentiated from combustion with pure oxygen). Oxygen (from the Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys (acid literally "sharp" from the taste of acids and -γενής (-genēs (producer literally begetteris the Since ambient air contains about 79 volume percent gaseous nitrogen (N₂)^[2], which is essentially non-combustible, the largest part of the flue gas from most fossil fuel combustion is uncombusted nitrogen. Nitrogen (ˈnaɪtɹəʤɪn is a Chemical element that has the symbol N and Atomic number 7 and Atomic weight 14 Flue gas is Gas that exits to the atmosphere via a Flue, which is a pipe or channel for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace oven Furnace, Boiler The next largest part of the flue gas is carbon dioxide (CO₂) which can be as much as 10 to 15 volume percent or more of the flue gas. Carbon dioxide ( Chemical formula:) is a Chemical compound composed of two Oxygen Atoms covalently bonded to a single This is closely followed in volume by water vapor (H₂0) created by the combustion of the hydrogen in the fuel with atmospheric oxygen. Much of the 'smoke' seen pouring from flue gas stacks is this water vapor forming a cloud as it contacts cool air. A flue gas stack is a type of Chimney, a vertical pipe channel or similar structure through which Combustion product gases called Flue gases are exhausted

A typical flue gas from the combustion of fossil fuels will also contain some very small amounts of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and particulate matter. The term nitrogen oxide typically refers to any Binary compound of Oxygen and Nitrogen, or to a mixture of such compounds Nitric Particulates, alternatively referred to as particulate matter (PM or fine particles, are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in a gas ^[1] The nitrogen oxides are derived from the nitrogen in the ambient air as well as from any nitrogen-containing compounds in the fossil fuel. The sulfur dioxide is derived from any sulfur-containing compounds in the fuels. Sulfur or sulphur (ˈsʌlfɚ see spelling below) is the Chemical element that has the Atomic number 16 The particulate matter is composed of very small particles of solid materials and very small liquid droplets which give flue gases their smoky appearance.

The steam generators in large power plants and the process furnaces in large refineries, petrochemical and chemical plants, and incinerators burn very considerable amounts of fossil fuels and therefore emit large amounts of flue gas to the ambient atmosphere. A power station (also referred to as generating station, power plant or powerhouse) is an industrial facility for the generation of A furnace is a device used for Heating The name derives from Latin fornax, Oven. An oil refinery is an industrial Process plant where Crude oil is processed and refined into more useful Petroleum products, such as Gasoline Petrochemicals are chemical products made from raw materials of Petroleum or other Hydrocarbon origin A chemical plant is industrial process plant that manufactures (or otherwise processes Chemicals usually on a large scale Incineration is a waste treatment technology that involves the Combustion of organic materials and/or substances The table below presents the total amounts of flue gas typically generated by the burning of fossil fuels such as natural gas, fuel oil and coal. Natural gas is a Gaseous Fossil fuel consisting primarily of Methane but including significant quantities of Ethane, Propane, Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from Petroleum Distillation, either as a distillate or a residue The data in the table were obtained by stoichiometric^[3] calculations. Stoichiometry (sometimes called reaction stoichiometry to distinguish it from composition stoichiometry is the Calculation of Quantitative (measurable ^[4]

It is of interest to note that the total amount of flue gas generated by coal combustion is only 10 percent higher than the flue gas generated by natural gas combustion.

Note:  Nm³ at 0 °C and 101. 325 kPa, and scf at 60 °F and 14. 696 psia.

See also

• AP 42 Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors
• Emission standard
• Flue gas stacks
• Flue gas
• Flue gas desulfurization
• Gas stoichiometry
• Stoichiometry

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors
2. ^ Perry, R. Emission standards are requirements that set specific limits to the amount of Pollutants that can be released into the environment A flue gas stack is a type of Chimney, a vertical pipe channel or similar structure through which Combustion product gases called Flue gases are exhausted Flue gas is Gas that exits to the atmosphere via a Flue, which is a pipe or channel for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace oven Furnace, Boiler Flue gas desulfurization (FGD is the technology used for removing Sulfur dioxide (SO2 from the exhaust flue gases in power plants that Stoichiometry (sometimes called reaction stoichiometry to distinguish it from composition stoichiometry is the Calculation of Quantitative (measurable Stoichiometry (sometimes called reaction stoichiometry to distinguish it from composition stoichiometry is the Calculation of Quantitative (measurable H. and Green, D. W. (Editors) (1997). Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook, 7th Edition, McGraw Hill. Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook was first published in 1934 and the most current eighth edition was published in October 2007. ISBN ISBN 0-07-049841-5.  
3. ^ Zumdahl, Steven S. (2005). Chemical Principles, 5th Edition, Houghton Mifflin College Division. ISBN 0-618-37206-7.  
4. ^ Air Dispersion Modeling Conversions and Formulas