An international research team used the COVID-19 induced lockdown to pinpoint the climate impact of power plant emissions. The research team included 27 researchers from 17 institutions across eight countries.
The team studied atmospheric conversion of gaseous emissions from power plants to particulate matter results in particles that are rich in sulphate and consequently have high cloud forming potential compared to natural counterparts.
Sachin S. Gunthe from the institute’s Centre for Atmospheric and Climate Sciences in the Department of Civil Engineering led the research that delved into the impact of emissions from Neyveli coal-fired power plant, located about 200 km south of Chennai, on aerosol growth and cloud-forming properties during the COVID-19 induced lockdown.
The research findings were reported in the peer-reviewed journal Climate and Atmospheric Science. Mr. Gunthe, who is the coordinator, said the study provided a rare opportunity to examine the sensitivity of cloud-forming aerosol particles to new particle formation and growth due to SO2 emissions from a coal-fired power plant under relatively cleaner conditions.
According to him, the findings had important implications to assess the climate impacts of anthropogenic aerosols and highlight the need for comprehensive emission control measures.
Mr. Gunthe said the study’s outcome implied that the existing strategies aimed at reducing particulate matter 2.5 levels from traffic and industries in the coastal clusters need thorough revaluation.
The study found that the conversion of gaseous sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from power plant into particulate matter contributes to an elevated mass load of aerosols rich in sulphates with high cloud-forming potential within the atmosphere.
The study revealed an event where long-range transport of SO2 gas emitted from the Neyveli power plant resulted in new particle formation in Chennai, generating particles generally known as secondary aerosols.
The findings demonstrated that SO2 plume from the power plant resulted in high particulate sulphate concentrations and subsequent particle growth.
