Reducing CO2 from Coal

A group of physicists recently reported that refrigerating the emissions from coal-fired power plants could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) being pumped into the atmosphere by up to 90 percent. The system being proposed would capture CO2 as a solid, then heat it to form a gas that could be transported by pipelines to remote storage facilities. The process would also be capable of removing other chemicals, such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury from exhaust gases.

Although there is a cost associated with the method (about a 25 percent reduction in efficiency) it is more than offset by the healthcare savings that would be realized through reducing emissions. Currently, in the U.S. alone, there are approximately 600 power plants using coal to generate electricity. The economic impact in terms of increased healthcare costs is as high as $380 billion annually including an estimated 46,000 premature deaths, 540,000 asthma attacks, 1,300 visits to the emergency room and two million lost days at work and/or school.