ABSTRACT
Pollution is a wide topic, ranging from pesticide problems, noise, smog, ground water contamination to radiation effects, and soil degradation. This chapter concentrates on the environmental problem areas in connection with the production of energy. Water quality is of paramount importance for human existence. Any industrial activity interfering with the purity of ground water is an important community issue today. Aside from the acidity problem mentioned, public interest and concern has concentrated on thermal pollution from power plants. Chemical pollution of water from coal-conversion plants occurs mainly for coal-liquefication and coal-gasification projects. There are the usual sulfides, nitrates, and chlorides present in ash runoffs. The immediate impact of nuclear reactors such as light water reactors on the environment is mainly in the form of waste heat. There are new methods to dispose of this waste heat through cooling lakes where eventually fish can be kept.
