Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are primary causes of acid rain. Since air is mostly nitrogen, combustion of coal often leads to production of nitrogen oxides. particulate matter or PM) and the sulfur forms sulfur dioxide ( SO 2). When coal is burned, the minerals become ash (i.e. Coal includes contaminants such as sulfur compounds and non-combustible minerals. However, since the late 2010s satellite measurements of some pollutants have been available.īy-products of coal combustion are compounds which are released into the atmosphere as a result of burning coal. Whereas in some countries, such as Turkey, they are only reported to the government not the public. In some countries, such as the EU, smokestack measurements from individual power plants must be published. Measurement of pollution and availability of pollution data Carbon capture and storage is applied at large point emitters of carbon dioxide with the objective of preventing it from entering the atmosphere.Īs a quarter of world energy consumption in 2019 was from coal, reaching the carbon dioxide reduction targets of the Paris Agreement will require modifications to how coal is used. Sequestered CO 2 may eventually leak up through the ground, may lead to unexpected geological instability or may cause contamination of aquifers used for drinking water supplies. Ĭarbon sequestration technology, to remove significant quantities of carbon dioxide from the air, has yet to be tested on a large scale and may not be safe or successful. Burning 1 ton of coal produces 2.86 tons of carbon dioxide. (See the UN IPCC Fourth Assessment Report).

According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the burning of coal, a fossil fuel, is a significant contributor to global warming. Combustion of coal-which is mostly carbon-produces carbon dioxide as a product of combustion.

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