ESTIMACIÓN DE EMISIONES DE MERCURIO EN LAS PLANTAS CARBOELÉCTRICAS DE MÉXICO

To reduce mercury emissions in the atmosphere is one of the agreements reached at the International Convention of Minamata, held in Kumamoto, Japan in 2013. In view of this commitment the main objective of this study was estimating monthly temporal variation of mercury emissions per generation unit for each of the three coal-fired power plants in Mexico during the years 2012 and 2013. Emissions were estimated based on the method of the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), from mercury content in coal and emission factors, knowing the actual fuel consumption. The results show that the greatest emission was presented in the coal-fired power plant located in Petacalco, Guerrero, with the generating unit number seven presenting the major emissions. Furthermore, in all cases it was during the summer when a major amount of mercury was emitted due to a large requirement of electricity. This study is important as a preliminary tool for decision making in the process of prevention, minimization and control of toxic pollutants, which contribute to international agreements for the protection of the environment and society.