Coal fired power plants are major major source of:

• A. Waste Water
• B. Air Emissions
• C. Noise
• D. Solid Waste

Answer: (A)

Burning coal in power plants releases a large volume of pollutants into the atmosphere as a direct result of combustion. The most significant impacts come from air emissions such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, mercury, and carbon dioxide. These emissions drive acid rain, smog, respiratory and cardiovascular health problems, and climate change, making air pollution the dominant environmental concern associated with coal plants. They do produce wastewater from cooling systems and pollution-control processes and solid waste like coal ash, but these wastes are not generated in the same scale or with the same broad health and climate effects as the airborne pollutants released during operation. Therefore, coal-fired power plants are best characterized as a major source of air emissions.