Investigating the impacts of coal-fired power plants on ambient PM2.5 by a combination of a chemical transport model and receptor model.
Aimed at evaluating the impacts of coal-fired power plants on urban air quality and human health, a one-month intensive observation campaign was conducted in a typical polluted city located in the 2 + 26 city cluster (Beijing, Tianjin and 26 other cities) of the North China Plain in December 2017. The observation results illustrated that the coal-fired power plant in this city increased the monthly average fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration by ~5% at the city scale. The impacts differed under various diffusion conditions. A three-dimensional nested air quality condition model (the Nested Air Quality Perdition Model System or NAQPMS) with source apportionment was employed to analyze the impacts. The results indicated that power plants had the largest effect on regional air quality during the severe-pollution period, while any influence could be ignored during periods with excellent dissipation under robust winds. PM2.5 contributed by the power plant mainly occurred below 150 m, diffused 100 km away, and reached a level of approximately 5 μg m-3 during the light-pollution period. During the accumulation period, the plume reached a height of 500 m, diffused to the downwind area approximately 100 km away within half a day, and contributed at most 40 μg m-3 to PM2.5. The affected area expanded to 250 km during the severe-pollution period, and the contribution to PM2.5 was at least 10 μg m-3 at different distances. The affected height reached approximately 500 m, with PM2.5 exceeding 10 μg m-3, mainly constrained below 150 m. Overall, regional integrated control strategies should be implemented for the power plants in the 2 + 26 city cluster during pollution episodes to further improve air quality.
['Chen|Xi|X|', 'Yang|Ting|T|', 'Wang|Zifa|Z|', 'Hao|Yufang|Y|', 'He|Litao|L|', 'Sun|Huanhuan|H|']
Coal-fired power plant 2 + 26 city cluster Air quality impacts