Energy production and the Environment
In the Netherlands electricity and heating are mainly produced from fossil fuels. Apart from CO2, this process also causes the emission of acidifying substances.
Fuels such as coal, gas, biomass and blast furnace gas can contain carbon, sulphur and nitrogen. During the incineration process for the generation of electricity, these substances are converted into carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxides (NOx) that are released into the air via chimneys.Various technologies exist for curtailing the emission of acidifying substances such as nitrogen or sulphur oxide into the environment. Flue gases can be cleaned with catalysts and washers. Good incineration technology can also counter the formation of nitrogen oxides. The same effect can be achieved by gasifying rather than burning fuels. The technologies for capturing carbon dioxide from flue gases are still under development and are unlikely to be ready for large-scale industrial application before 2015.
