Construction of a regional inventory to characterize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions from coal-fired power plants in Anhui, China from 2010 to 2030

The infrastructures of coal-fired power plants in China have changed significantly since 2010, but the magnitude and characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions remain to be updated. In the present study, a unit-based PAH emission inventory for coal-fired power plants between 2010 and 2017 was constructed for Anhui Province, China. Atmospheric PAH emissions from pulverized coal (PC) and circulating fluidized bed (CFB) units in 2017 were 8600 kg and 7800 kg, respectively. The emission rates and intensities for CFB units (7.2 kg ton⁻¹ and 2.1 kg MW⁻¹) were significantly higher than those for PC units (1.1 kg ton⁻¹ and 0.19 kg MW⁻¹), primarily because CFB boilers were operated at lower combustion temperatures and poor combustion conditions compared to PC boilers. The distribution patterns of PAH emissions across different age groups largely reflected the time periods for constructing coal-fired units in Anhui and for the transition of small units to large ones. The accomplishment of ultralow emission technologies and phase-out of outdated coal-fired units were responsible for the decreasing trend of PAH emissions between 2012 and 2017. The warmer summer in 2013 and 2017 and colder winter in 2011 compared to other years probably caused increased use of air conditioners, resulting in increased electricity consumption and PAH emissions. Future PAH emissions would decrease by 45–57% during 2017–2030, benefitting from power plant fleet optimization, i.e., phasing out outdated coal-fired units and replacing them with large ones. With the best available optimized power plant fleets and end-of-pipe control measures accomplished in Anhui’s CFPPs, PAH emissions in 2030 would potentially be reduced by 56–65%.