Cooling Water -
Any increase in water temperature could negatively affect endemic aquatic plant and animal life. From a list of suitable locations for the power plant, with all other factors being equal, the site that should be chosen would be the one with the least harmful effects on the local environment. Relevant literature should be consulted and monitoring should take place to ensure deterioration of local habitats is avoided or, at the least, kept to a minimum.
Wet Solids Disposal
The disposal of wet solids from the filter, predominantly water along with coal ash and calcium carbonates and sulphates like gypsum, can affect the environment adversely. Thus disposal of wet solids is vital consideration in plant design. The key issues affecting the disposal are:
- Compliance with environmental regulations for discharge of waste in ponds.
- Wet solids can be disposed in either surface wet ash ponds or in dry landfills. However, disposal in surface wet ash ponds are at higher risk of degradation compared to discharge in dry landfills as wet ash contains harmful heavy metals, which can be hazardous to humans and plant life.
- Wastewater containing insoluble solids undergoes a treatment process before disposal. The treatment process involves a number of steps like calcium sulphate desaturation, primary and secondary solids removal, etc. Hence this adds onto the operational cost of the plant.