Before flue gas desulfurization was installed, the emissions from this power plant in New Mexico contained excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide.

Flue gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion refers to the combustion product gas resulting from the burning of fossil fuels ^[1]. Most fossil fuels are combusted with ambient air (as differentiated from combustion with pure oxygen). Since ambient air contains about 79 volume percent gaseous nitrogen (N₂)^[2], which is essentially non-combustible, the largest part of the flue gas from most fossil fuel combustion is uncombusted nitrogen. The next largest part of the flue gas is carbon dioxide (CO₂) which can be as much as 10 to 15 volume percent or more of the flue gas. This is closely followed in volume by water vapor (H₂O) created by the combustion of the hydrogen in the fuel with atmospheric oxygen. Much of the 'smoke' seen pouring from flue gas stacks is this water vapor forming a cloud as it contacts cool air. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Flue gas desulfurization is technology that employs a sorbent, usually lime or limestone, to remove sulfur dioxide(SO2) from the gases produced by burning fossil fuels. ... For other uses, see New Mexico (disambiguation). ... Sulfur dioxide (or Sulphur dioxide) has the chemical formula SO2. ... This article is about the chemical reaction combustion. ... Fossil fuels or mineral fuels are fossil source fuels, that is, hydrocarbons found within the top layer of the earth’s crust. ... This article is about the chemical element and its most stable form, or dioxygen. ... General Name, symbol, number nitrogen, N, 7 Chemical series nonmetals Group, period, block 15, 2, p Appearance colorless gas Standard atomic weight 14. ... Flue gas is gas that exits to the atmosphere via a flue, which is a pipe or channel for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, oven, furnace, boiler or steam generator. ... Carbon dioxide (chemical formula: ) is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. ... Flue gas stack at GRES-2 Power Plant in Ekibastus, Kazakhstan is 420 meters tall[1] A flue gas stack is a type of chimney, a vertical pipe, channel or similar structure through which combustion product gases called flue gases are exhausted to the outside air. ...

A typical flue gas from the combustion of fossil fuels will also contain some very small amounts of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and particulate matter.^[1] The nitrogen oxides are derived from the nitrogen in the ambient air as well as from any nitrogen-containing compounds in the fossil fuel. The sulfur dioxide is derived from any sulfur-containing compounds in the fuels. The particulate matter is composed of very small particles of solid materials and very small liquid droplets which give flue gases their smoky appearance. // The term nitrogen oxide typically refers to any binary compound of oxygen and nitrogen, or to a mixture of such compounds: Nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen(II) oxide Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen(IV) oxide Nitrous oxide (N2O), nitrogen (I) oxide Dinitrogen trioxide (N2O3), nitrogen(II, IV) oxide Dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4), nitrogen... Sulfur dioxide (or Sulphur dioxide) has the chemical formula SO2. ... Particulates, alternately referred to as Particulate Matter (PM) , aerosols or fine particles are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in the air. ... This article is about the chemical element. ...

The steam generators in large power plants and the process furnaces in large refineries, petrochemical and chemical plants, and incinerators burn very considerable amounts of fossil fuels and therefore emit large amounts of flue gas to the ambient atmosphere. The table below presents the total amounts of flue gas typically generated by the burning of fossil fuels such as natural gas, fuel oil and coal. The data in the table were obtained by stoichiometric^[3] calculations.^[4] A power station (also power plant) is a facility for the generation of electric power. ... A furnace is a device for heating air or any other fluid. ... View of Shell Oil Refinery in Martinez, California. ... Petrochemicals are chemical products made from raw materials of petroleum (hydrocarbon) origin. ... A Chemical plant is an industrial process plant that manufactures chemicals, usually on a large scale. ... This article needs cleanup. ... For other uses, see Natural gas (disambiguation). ... -1... Coal Example chemical structure of coal Coal is a fossil fuel formed in ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... In chemistry, stoichiometry (sometimes called reaction stoichiometry distinguishing itself from composition stoichiometry) is the study and calculation of quantitative (measurable) relationships of the reactants and products in chemical reactions (chemical equations). ...

It is of interest to note that the total amount of flue gas generated by coal combustion is only 10 percent higher than the flue gas generated by natural gas combustion.

Note:  Nm³ at 0 °C and 101.325 kPa, and scf at 60 °F and 14.696 psia.

See also

• AP 42 Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors
• Emission standard
• Flue gas stacks
• Flue gas
• Flue gas desulfurization
• Gas stoichiometry
• Stoichiometry

The AP 42 Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors, was first published by the U.S. Public Health Service in 1968. ... Emission standards are requirements that set specific limits to the amount of pollutants that can be released into the environment. ... Flue gas stack at GRES-2 Power Plant in Ekibastus, Kazachstan is 420 meters tall Flue gas stacks are large vertical pipes, channels or similar structures through which combustion product gases (called flue gases) produced when coal, oil, natural gas, wood or any other fuel is combusted in an industrial... Flue gas is gas that exits to the atmosphere via a flue, which is a pipe or channel for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, oven, furnace, boiler or steam generator. ... Flue gas desulfurization is technology that employs a sorbent, usually lime or limestone, to remove sulfur dioxide(SO2) from the gases produced by burning fossil fuels. ... Stoichiometry is the quantitative relationship between reactants and products in a chemical reaction. ... Stoichiometry (sometimes called reaction stoichiometry to distinguish it from composition stoichiometry) is the calculation of quantitative (measurable) relationships of the reactants and products in chemical reactions (chemical equations). ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors
2. ^ Perry, R.H. and Green, D.W. (Editors) (1997). Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook, 7th Edition, McGraw Hill. ISBN ISBN 0-07-049841-5. 
3. ^ Zumdahl, Steven S. (2005). Chemical Principles, 5th Edition, Houghton Mifflin College Division. ISBN 0-618-37206-7. 
4. ^ Air Dispersion Modeling Conversions and Formulas