Polluting Power Plants

Music: One on a million

2008-07-04T18:29:00.000+02:00

What is air Pollution?

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· A gas that is not supposed to be where it is called pollution.
· A toxic gas coming out of electricity power plants,factories,buses,cars,motorcycles,etc.
· Not a reusable toxic gas.
· Some gases that cause air pollution are: Sulfur dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide,carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides and lots other toxic gases.

I think it’s better not to do too much!!!!!!!!!!!!

The air pollution caused by a coal power plant over a year

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The coal burnt in a power plant causes lots of toxic gases like:
-3,700,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).
-10,000 tons of sulphur dioxide (SO2). It causes acid rain that damages forests, lakes and buildings.
-10,200 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx). NOx causes smog.
-720 tons of carbon monoxide (CO). It causes more stress on people with heart diseases.
-220 tons of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). It changes the ozone layer and makes it less effective.
-170 pounds of mercury. It makes the fish food not good for the fish.
-225 pounds of arsenic. It will give cancer to one person out of a hundred who drinks the contaminated water.
· -The power plant provokes smog, acid rains, the greenhouse effect and holes in the ozone layer.
- It provokes health problems (cancer), and the air pollution makes the air not good to breathe.

Wastes of a coal power plant

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In one year a coal power plant producing 500 megawatt
puts in the bin:
-125,000 tons of burnt coal in powder.
-193,000 tons of thick and sticky mud.
-There are toxic things like arsenic, mercury. It is
negative to our society because when the materials
Are disintegrating, it releases CO2.

Water problems in a coal power plant

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When the 2.2 billion gallons of water passes through the coal power plant back into lakes, rivers and oceans the temperature of the water is 20-25F° hotter than when it came in . It is a problem because it does extinction of fish.
The water goes out with chlorine and other chemicals. The problem is that it can kill fish.
Just 33-35% of the heat made by the coal burnt is used, the rest is absorbed by the water or released into the atmosphere . The problem is that the water is heated which again kills fish.
21 million fish eggs are taken by accident into the coal power plant each year.
1,5 million adult fish are taken by accident into the coal power plant each year .

Improvements for coal, gas and fuel power plant

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fuel, coal and gases can have filters to limit the air pollution.
The heat made by coal, gas, fuel, nuclear can be used more (e.g.: Just 35% of the heat made in a coal power plant is used.)
Use more alternative energy (solar panels, water turbines, wind turbines, etc.).

The Negative consequences of nuclear power

2008-05-20T17:56:00.000+02:00

The two problems of nuclear power is radioactive waste and the possibility of melt downs like Tchernobyl.
The waste is dangerous because it can cause cancer and other health problems. The radioactive waste stays radioactive for at least one million years.
The other problems are melt downs. Heat makes more electricity. The nuclear power station is 100 times more heated than it is supposed to be. Melt downs are provoked by too much heat in the power plant. During a melt down the power plant makes more electricity. The biggest melt down in the world was Tchernobyl, in Russia in 1986. After the melt down of Tchernobyl, there was a fire and then a radioactive cloud formed. The cloud was made of radioactive chemicals. Those chemicals caused the cancer of the thyroid. They are glands in the neck sensitive to radiations. 5 million Russians got the cancer and hundreds died. About 125,000km2 of fields was unusable because of the radioactive clouds. Forest were damaged by the radioactive clouds.
Once every 2000 years there will be an accident like Tchernobyl (theoretically).

Health problems caused by radiations

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There are two types of health problems caused by radiation: short term and long term.
-In the short term the radiations provokes a modification of the DNA really fast and you can die instantly.
-The long term: The DNA is changed but slowly, so you don’t die. If the cancer is not repaired totally there will be more chances to have the cancer of the thyroid in the next generations (your children). You’ll have more chance because the bad cells will multiply.

Did you know? Some insects (such as cockroaches) survive radiation because they are less complicated than the human body.

Water problems in nuclear power station

2008-05-20T17:54:00.000+02:00

Nuclear power station use water to cool themselves. If the system to cool the water doesn’t work the water comes out hotter than before and if the water is released in a river it can bring about the extinction of fish.

Improvements for nuclear power

2008-05-20T17:53:00.001+02:00

A new system in nuclear power has been found, but it doesn’t exist yet it’s just a good idea. It’s called ITER. So it is based on fusioning atoms. There will be between 250kg of waste to 350kg a year, which is nothing compared to before, now we produce tonnes!!! If this system works it will start being constructed in 2030.
An other system of the fusion is VHTR( Very high temperature reactor). 12 countries and the European union are trying to make it work later. The projects goal is to do more electricity with no CO2. This operation is called 4th generation. Nuclear power stations like that are already in construstion but just test power plants. If the system ITER works it will be built in masses in the years 2080.
If you want more information about nuclear power visit the web site:
http://www.arxam.com/

Solar and wind power

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Solar and wind power is a big advantage. It does not pollute air or water. The problem is that when there is no wind or sun a coal power plant replaces the alternative energy. Why? Because Nuclear is too slow to start . Just 2,4% of the electricity made in the U.S. in 1999
was made by alternative energy. The U.S. government decided to have 5% before 2010.
Maybe you think solar panels and turbines are not beautiful and
turbines do noise but I think these are clean ways of producing energy. I prefer having lots of solar panels and turbines than one ugly factory, plus I did not hear any noise by a wind turbine when I
visited.

Conclusion

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Electricity is useful in every day life. But its impacts to make the electricity are horrid.

Thank you for have looked and had an interest to my project.

Bibliography

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http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c01.html
http://www.arxam.com/tpe-la-generation-IV.html
http://www.arxam.com/tpe-les-consequences-sur-la-sante-et-lenvironnement.html
http://www.lbl.gov/education/ELSI/pollution-main.html
http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/air/aq4kids/pollution.asp
http://www.aep.com/