Alternatives for effective emissions control

Alternative technologies commercially available for control of sulfur dioxide emissions at coal-fired boilers are reviewed in the article against the background of the political conflicts created by acid rain concerns. The writer finds that flue gas desulfurization, the option favored by most recent legislative proposals, is the least desirable because of excessive cost and a parasitic character. Of the available commercial technologies, he finds that physical coal cleaning is the only negative-cost alternative because the cost of cleaning is more than offset by increased performance and availability of the power plant. Thus it should be the first measure employed in any least-cost control strategy. The alternatives of fuel switching or blending are intermediate in cost. The writer concludes that legislative proposals addressing the acid rain issue should provide appropriate financial incentives for industry, including electric utilities, to invest voluntarily in productive facilities which minimize any need for scrubbing. 26 references, 1 figure, 1 table.