Emissions of 22 elements from brown-coal combustion

The emissions of 22 elements from a large ligniteburning power plant have been measured. The elements S, Na, Zn, Pb, Hg, Cd, and Bi, less well retained by electrostatic precipitation, have been used to prepare a rough estimate of potential emissions from the combustion of 1.1·10⁸ metric tons of brown coal for power production in the Federal Republic of Germany. The amounts of Zn, Pb, Hg, Cd, and Bi emitted are far from negligible. The annual sulfur discharge of 1.6·10⁶ t requires effective control.