It is generally believed that coal-fired power plants are equipped with air pollution-mitigating measures like electrostatic precipitators for fly ash, flue-gas desulphurization (FGD) units to control SOx, NOx emissions, green belt cover, etc. Do we now understand that these measures are not enough to ensure healthy air in the environs of such plants?
All coal thermal power plants are equipped with the Air Pollution and Control (AP&C) equipment such as electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) and Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) units. The emissions that are generated from the coal combustion process are channeled through these equipment. ESP’s, FGDs, and scrubbers are very efficient in removing particulate pollutants (PM10 and PM2.5) and certain gases from the flue stacks.
However, every coal thermal power plant will also need to control fugitive emissions generated from coal piles, vehicular moment, coal residue and crustal dust. The current mitigation strategies for fugitive emissions (spraying of water, steel roads) are not sufficient to control air quality in and around the immediate vicinity of the plant. There is an urgent need for air pollution control equipment to improve ambient (outdoor) air across large areas, with a high degree of efficiency, and at a low cost.
Has the regulatory framework governing air quality in the environs of coal-fired power plants become stricter in recent times?
Absolutely. The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFC) has amended new rules for thermal power plants (TPP). According to Center for Science and Environment (CSE) TPPs contribute more than 60 per cent of total industrial emissions, 45 per cent of SO2; 30 per cent of NOx; and more than 80 per cent of mercury in India.
Initially, the ministry had revised norms in 2015 for PM, SOx, and NOx for TPPs, requiring them to install emission control systems by 2017. Now, coal fired thermal power plant must comply with new standards by December 2024.
Tell us, in some detail, on how Devic Earth’s “Pure Skies” solution works? Please elaborate specifically on the artificial intelligence (AI) component.
Pure Skies is a breakthrough technology that accelerates dry deposition to effectively reduce certain pollutants across large areas. The technology uses pulsed radio frequency (RF) waves in the Wi-Fi frequency band to induce a temporary charge on particulate pollutants. This speeds up the normal process of coagulation, thereby accelerating dry deposition.
Pure Skies targets only microscopic particulate pollution in the micron range (PM10 and PM2.5) and, to a lesser degree, certain pollutant gases such as NOx and SOx in the form of aerosols or secondary PM.
Because the pollutants we address are in the “parts per million” range and are microscopic in size, a visible layer of dust does not settle over surfaces when Pure Skies is on.
A typical Pure Skies system has a transmitter and a receiver, which is a custom-designed antenna. In addition, we use third-party air quality monitors to monitor the concentration of pollutants. Our AI-powered smart technology optimizes the system output according to local pollution levels, meteorological parameters, as well as plant output and other local factors.
Is “Pure Skies” a better alternative for similar conventional solutions?
The first step in reducing pollution—regardless of the setting—is to reduce pollution at the source. If this is not sufficient to bring air quality within the prescribed standards, then technological aids such as Pure Skies may be used.
The conventional solution for indoor air – filter based air purifiers – work poorly outdoors, even when enlarged to the “smog tower” size. Pure Skies takes an entirely different approach. Pulsed radio waves temporarily increase the charge on microscopic particle pollutants, increasing their natural clearance from the air. The technology works in the Wi-Fi range, which means the system is as safe as the Wi-Fi routers used in homes and offices. Multiple Pure Skies unit are networked together to cover large areas – our largest installations include a steel plant covering 750 acres, and short-term installations covering over 20 sqkm for marathons in Delhi and Kolkata.
Can you therefore summarize the advantages of Pure Skies?
Yes, the advantages are:
- Large area of coverage
- Adresses PM1, PM2.5, PM10 along with the gases such as SOx and NOx (the latter in the form of aerosols or secondary PM)
- Lowest cost per unit area, both capex and opex
- No toxic by-products
- Low power consumption – just 20W peak power
- 100% operation via our IoT linked devices; no manpower needed for operation
How is the improvement in air quality (post implementation of Pure Skies) measured? Is this a third-party service?
To measure air quality, we use third party air quality monitors that have been certified by an independent third-party lab for accuracy. To optimize Pure Skies’ performance, our engineers also incorporate meteorological data such as wind speed and direction, customer site data such as the number of shifts, number of employees, local point sources of pollution, etc. as well as regional data including crop burning and traffic density.
We understand that Devic Earth undertook an air quality improvement project for a mega coal-fired power plant in Uttar Pradesh. Tell us more. What has been the consequent improvement in air quality?
In a coal fired TPP in Uttar Pradesh, Devic Earth deployed Pure Skies for four months from January to May (pre-pandemic). Air quality was compared both at the customer site and, as a comparison, another coal TPP owned by the same company 3 km away, using reference grade monitors. Overall, PM2.5 and PM10 reduced by 40 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively with Pure Skies.
India today has an installed coal-based power generation capacity of around 203 GW. How much of this could be a potential case for Pure Skies, as per your estimates?
Pure Skies is an effective, breakthrough solution for reducing particulate pollutants in ambient air. While it is not a replacement for the stack pollution control systems such as ESPs, it is a great solution to reduce fugitive emissions and should service all coal TPPs in India.
“Pure Skies helps accelerate “dry deposition” — a natural process that is responsible for clearing 60 per cent of the pollutants from the air.”
Do you therefore see good business potential from existing coal-fired power plants? Given that much of coal-fired power capacity is in the government-sector, would you expect decision-making and order-placement to take longer (than in the case of private parties)?
All large industries, including coal-fired power plants, can benefit from our pulsed radio wave technology for clean ambient air. We are confident that when a technology demonstrates genuine value—cleaner air, better health, and improved employee productivity—for customers at an affordable price, both private and government customers will seek out this solution.
“We are confident that when a technology demonstrates genuine value at an affordable price, both private and government customers will seek out this solution.”
Tell us about the capital costs and the O&M costs of “Pure Skies”. The return on investment, as we can see, is through better breathing air and therefore better health of people. Please elaborate.
Pure Skies is software-enabled hardware that is available as a subscription plan. Customers subscribe to our Clean Air as a Service, pay a modest monthly fee-based on the area to be covered, and enjoy the benefits of clean air, better health, and improved productivity. Maintenance and repairs are included as part of the subscription. Data from our customers show that employee sick leaves decline by 11 per cent year-on-year, about four months after installation. This effectively results in an ROI of just 15-18 months.
Apart from coal-fired power plants, which other industries can benefit from “Pure Skies”?
Our customers come in two flavors: first, large industries where pollution is generated as part of manufacturing, such as cement, steel, mining, auto ancillaries and chemical industries. The second group includes businesses which do not generate pollution, but do not want their employees or customers to be affected by it. These include hospitality, schools and universities, hospitals, entertainment venues such as cinema halls, offices, and even sporting events such as marathons. We even covered a public “satsang” (a spiritual discourse attended by a very large gathering) in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. Over 3,500 attendees enjoyed 50 per cent cleaner air during the event that lasted over four weeks.
“It’s an exciting time for green technology, and we intend to lead the charge!”
In general, how do you see the road ahead for “Pure Skies”? Which industries are likely to drive business growth?
Our goal is to be the leading global green technology company within the next 5 years. The road ahead includes expansion into the Middle East and South Asia within six months, followed by the US and Europe in January next year. It’s an exciting time for green technology, and we intend to lead the charge!
