ABSTRACT
Coal is the dirtiest of the fossil fuels and has the potential to pollute the environment as it releases several pollutants when it is combusted. The burning of coal results in relatively higher emissions of CO2 than oil and gas, due to coal’s ratio of hydrogen over carbon, and power generation efficiency is relatively low compared to other fossil fuels. The emissions of particulates, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, mercury and other metals, including some radioactive materials during the combustion of coal are also in a much higher proportion than when other fossils, oil or natural gas, are burned. Burning of coal not only causes local and regional pollution but extends to the global level leading to climate change and its distressing effects. Coal is also responsible for methane emissions, especially from mining. These pollutants cause severe human health problems sometimes proving fatal, besides affecting environment in general (Jayarama Reddy 2010).
