title: Identifying/Quantifying Environmental Trade-offs Inherent in GHG Reduction Strategies for Coal-Fired Power.
abstract: Improvements to coal power plant technology and the cofired combustion of biomass promise direct greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions for existing coal-fired power plants. Questions remain as to what the reduction potentials are from a life cycle perspective and if it will result in unintended increases in impacts to air and water quality and human health. This study provides a unique analysis of the potential environmental impact reductions from upgrading existing subcritical pulverized coal power plants to increase their efficiency, improving environmental controls, cofiring biomass, and exporting steam for industrial use. The climate impacts are examined in both a traditional-100 year GWP-method and a time series analysis that accounts for emission and uptake timing over the life of the power plant. Compared to fleet average pulverized bed boilers (33% efficiency), we find that circulating fluidized bed boilers (39% efficiency) may provide GHG reductions of about 13% when using 100% coal and reductions of about 20-37% when cofiring with 30% biomass. Additional greenhouse gas reductions from combined heat and power are minimal if the steam coproduct displaces steam from an efficient natural gas boiler. These upgrades and cofiring biomass can also reduce other life cycle impacts, although there may be increased impacts to water quality (eutrophication) when using biomass from an intensely cultivated source. Climate change impacts are sensitive to the timing of emissions and carbon sequestration as well as the time horizon over which impacts are considered, particularly for long growth woody biomass.
authors.affiliation: †Booz Allen Hamilton, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15220, United States.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schivley
authors.affiliation: ‡National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220, United States.
authors.forename: Wesley W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Ingwersen
authors.affiliation: †Booz Allen Hamilton, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15220, United States.
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marriott
authors.affiliation: ‡National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220, United States.
authors.forename: Troy R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.affiliation: §National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15236, United States.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Skone
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D018533:Biomass; D057965:Carbon Sequestration; D003031:Coal; D017752:Greenhouse Effect / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011210:Power Plants; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D003031:Coal