Impact Assessment of Coal Power Plant Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Abstract

The electricity production using coal starts with the process of transforming heat energy into mechanical energy which drives turbines and generators to produce electricity. These activities produce emissions that can cause environmental impacts. Air pollutants causing impacts generated by coal power plants are mainly CO2, CH4, N2O, SOx, and Particulate Matter (PM). These emissions may increase global warming and decrease air quality which affects humans and the environment. This study identifies the impacts that occur from the activities of electricity production with coal using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. LCA is an analytical method that is used to evaluate and compare the environmental impacts of a product. Identification of environmental impacts was carried out using the SimaPro 8.5.2 software. The cycles of coal production activities analyzed include coal bunkers, coal mills, boilers, turbines, and generators. The results of emission calculation, obtained in the production process of the steam power plant boiler unit at one of the coal power plants in East Java, are as follows: 1,085 kgCO2/kWh; 1,01 10-5 kgCH4/kWh; 1,52 10-5 kgN2O/kWh; 3,18 10-4 kgSOx/kWh; 1,12 10-4 kgNOx/kWh; 1,19 10-5 kgPM/kWh.