 Power generating units are

mega projects
 Require huge capital
investment
 Require natural resources
like fossil fuels
 Large amount of water
 Changes the local eco-
system
 Huge Impacts on the
Environment and Health
 In keeping with the policy of liberalization set in
motion since 1991, welcoming private sector
participation, Thermal Projects identified for private
sector Participation in Karnataka
 Mysore Stage I 2x250 MW
 Mysore Stage II 2x500 MW
 Hospet Thermal Power Station 2x250 MW*
 Raichur Thermal Power Station 2x250 MW *
 Mangalore Thermal Power Station 1000 MW
 Fossil fuel

Different types of coal used

Coal , a non-renewable resource
Mining site


Land that cannot be reused

Occupational hazard

Air Quality
 Around the coal based plants the ambient
concentrations of Sulphur Dioxide, Oxides of
Nitrogen and SPM are high.
 Epidemiological Studies have shown that of
the area surrounding coal based thermal
plants, population living within a 2 -5 km
radius of the plant suffers from respiratory
disorders .
 Two other gases, carbon dioxide and ozone are
emitted. The high amount of carbon dioxide
emission from thermal power plants
contribute to global warming leading to
climate change is significant Ground level
ozone, which is formed due to photolytic
reactions of NOx and its impacts are under
study
 Mercury vapour is also emitted with these
gases and its toxicity has far reaching
consequences on all life forms
Gases produced
 increase mean ambient tempera
ture for all beings within the
ecological niche
 Coal produces carbon dioxide,the main
greenhouse gas
 Produces oxides of sulfur and nitrogen
 Mercury a poisonous gas
 Coal dust
 Particulate matter in the air
 Fly ash contains a toxic brew of dangerous chemicals and is the largest
contributor to mercury pollution
 Composition of Fly ash
It contains as main chemical components SiO2 (51.4
wt%), Al2O3 (22.1 wt%) and Fe2O3 (17.2 wt%; ignited
weight basis). As commonly observed, many toxic
elements and heavy metals are highly enriched in the
fly ash relative to the original coal. For example,
considerable amounts of Be (16.4 ppm), Cu (106 ppm),
Zn (578 ppm), As (40.4 ppm), Cd (2.6 ppm), Hg (18
ppm), Pb (71 ppm), and U (21.8 ppm) is found in Fly
ash.
 Water slurry is used to take the ash from the power plant to
the ash pond for disposal.
 Water slowly seeps into the ground while carrying with it
the ash leachate( Lye). This Water contains harmful heavy
metals like boron, which have a tendency to leach out over
a period of time.
 When fly ash comes into contact with water, leaches into
groundwater supplies which get polluted and unsuitable
for domestic use.
 The release of ash pond decant into the local water bodies-
water dries up, dust nuisance, increases turbidity, decreases
primary productivity, affects fishes and other aquatic biota
 The exposure of
employees to high noise
levels is very high
 Increased transportation
activities due to the
operation of the power
plants lead to increase in
noise levels in the
adjacent localities.
 Large amount of land is used
to dispose flyash from the coal
based plants
 Due to this there is change in
natural soil properties. It
becomes more alkaline due to
the alkaline nature of fly ash.
 Soft bodied soil workers like
earthworms will die out
 Food will contain a wider
cocktail of chemicals as
farmers try to correct the poor
productivity of crops
 Minamata disease sometimes referred
to as Chisso-Minamata disease is a
neurological syndrome caused by severe
mercury poisoning. Symptoms include
ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet,
general muscle weakness, narrowing of
the field of vision and damage to
hearing and speech. In extreme cases,
insanity, paralysis, coma and death
follow within weeks of the onset of
symptoms. A congenital form of the
disease can also affect fetuses in the
womb.
 Minamata disease was first
discovered in Minamata city in Japan
in 1956. It was caused by the release
of methyl mercury in the industrial
Waste water from the Chisso
Corporation's chemical factory,
which continued from 1932 to 1968.
This highly toxic chemical
bioaccumulated in shellfish and fish
in Minamata Bay and the Shiranui
Sea, which when eaten by the local
populace resulted in mercury
poisoning. While cat, dog, pig and
human deaths continued over more
than 30 years, the government and
company did little to prevent the
pollution.
 As of March 2001, 2,265
victims had been officially
recognised (1,784 of whom
had died)and over 10,000 had
received financial
compensation from Chisso.
Lawsuits and claims for
compensation continue to
this day.
 A memorial service was held
at the Minamata Disease
Municipal Museum on 1 May
2006 to mark 50 years since
the official discovery of the
disease.
 Toxicology:
 How Mercury Harms Humans Elemental (metallic) mercury and all of its
compounds are toxic, exposure to excessive levels can permanently damage or
fatally injure the brain and kidneys.
 Elemental mercury can also be absorbed through the skin and cause allergic
reactions. Ingestion of inorganic mercury compounds can cause severe renal
and gastrointestinal damage.
 Organic compounds of mercury such as methyl mercury are considered the
most toxic forms of the element. Exposures to very small amounts of these
compounds can result in devastating neurological damage and death.
 For fetuses, infants and children, the primary health effects of mercury are on
neurological development.
 Even low levels of mercury exposure such as result from mother's consumption
methyl mercury in dietary sources can adversely affect the brain and nervous
system.
 Impacts on memory, attention, language and other skills have been found in
children exposed to moderate levels in the womb.
 Each year power plants and chemical facilities create
many tons of mercury pollution, which makes its way
into our homes and bodies in fish.
 Two of the biggest sources of mercury pollution are
chlorine chemical plants and coal-fired power plants.
Chlorine plants, which use massive quantities of
mercury to extract chlorine from salt, "lose" dozens of
tons of mercury each year; power plants emit around
50 tons of mercury pollution annually. Coal is naturally
contaminated with mercury, and when it is burned to
generate electricity, mercury is released into the air
through the smokestacks.
 The cycle of mercury in nature is complex. This illustration
summarizes how methyl mercury accumulates at the higher levels of
the food chain and becomes concentrated in fish and animals that eat
fish.
 Methylmercury in the water and sediment is taken up by tiny animals
and plants known as plankton.
 Minnows and juvenile fish eat large quantities of plankton over time.
 Larger predatory fish consume many smaller fish, accumulating
methylmercury in their tissues. The older and larger the fish, the
greater the potential for high mercury levels in their bodies.
 Fish are caught and eaten by humans and animals, causing
methylmercury to accumulate in human tissues.
 Most people are exposed to mercury by eating fish containing mercury.
There is no method of cooking or cleaning them that will reduce the
amount of mercury in a meal.
 Air borne mercury is highly toxic when inhaled. How does it
get in the air?
Metallic mercury slowly evaporates when exposed to the air.
The air in a room can reach unhealthy levels just from the
mercury in a broken thermometer;
 Mercury may be released into the air when coal, oil, or wood
are burned as fuel or when mercury-containing wastes are
incinerated. The resulting mercury concentrations in
outdoor air are usually low and of little direct concern.
However, mercury in the air can fall to the ground with rain
and snow, landing on soil or in bodies of water, causing
contamination. Lakes and rivers are also contaminated when
there is a direct discharge of mercury-laden industrial or
municipal waste into the water.
 When mercury enters bodies of water, biological processes
transform it to methylmercury, a highly toxic and
bioaccumulative form. Fish can absorb methylmercury from
their food and directly from water as it passes over their gills.
 Water pollution


Vital sources of water culminated

Effects of thermal plants on us


•The air
•The water
•The food

Nothing will be spared

contamination
Temperature rising……
 Coal and water slurry must be heated to 800 degrees
 Water, already a scarce global resource will be needed
in ever bigger quantities both at the plant and in
surrounding areas
 The used slurry will be released into water bodies and
warm them, killing many sensitive life forms
 The cap of smog will mean more heat: greenhouse
effect
 Enzyme activity in all life forms including human
completely stops at 48 degrees celsius
 Consequences of loss in the natural pest predator
balance will create a higher occurrence in
bacteriological diseases on an epidemic scale
 Learning from the past

 Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of
mercury air emissions worldwide. As the price of oil
rises, coal becomes a more economically attractive
source of energy in countries where it is abundant and
inexpensive.
 Currently, coal-fired power plants supply seventy-five
percent of China's energy; in the next eight years,
China is expected to add more than 560 plants coal
plants -- a pace of more than one new plant each week.
 Economic growth at what price?
 Loss of habitats ,loss of assets


River Kabini, Chamalapura and

forests belts
 Loss of wildlife

 Loss of fertile land


Is this what we want?

 Uses of Fly ash
Fly ash is used in producing
very strong high power
concrete. Which is called self
compacting Concrete(SCC),
soil stabilization, fly ash fills
roads, precast products like
tiles and blocks, fly ash
bricks also called green
bricks , agricultural use ,
raising of dykes, mine filling
etc.
 Bio
fuel
Clean technologies ?
 Prevention of transmission losses
 Hydoelectricity
 Solar and wind power
 Biofuels