Electron beams help Poland's coal driven power industry clean up its air

Radiation technology is expected to play an increasing role in Poland and other countries in cleaning up air pollution to meet regulatory requirements and to protect the environment. An IAEA-supported project in Poland has helped the country to build a full-scale electron beam accelerator facility to treat flue gases from coal-driven power plants, leading to a significant reduction in emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which threaten human health, damage the environment and can lead to economic losses. Acidic pollutants in the air can also drift to other countries through acid rain. Following the results achieved in treating flue gases, or combustion exhaust gases, produced by power plants in Poland, other countries are now working with the IAEA to draw on the Polish experience and develop the skills they need to adopt and benefit from this electron harnessing tool.