Limit Coal Consumption to Clean Air in China (Nature)

To reduce airborne soot, organics and sulphates, tailored strategies for each must be established and coal use limited, say Qiang Zhang, Kebin He and Hong Huo.



The control of air pollution in China is in a race with the economy. The country has maintained an annual economic growth rate of more than 8% for years, largely through the energy-intensive construction of infrastructure such as highways, railways and cities. Between 2005 and 2010, China increased its thermal-power generation by 63%, pig-iron and cement production by 74% and 76%, respectively, and vehicle production by 220.

Addressing air pollution in China is a unique platform for researchers in atmospheric chemistry. Many scientific issues — such as secondary organic aerosol formation — remain to be explored. Practical control technologies for ultrafine particles and volatile organic compounds must be developed. Multinational collaboration is urgently needed; the government should make funds available to bring outstanding international scientists to China to help combat its air-pollution challenges. We all stand to benefit.

Download the full article @ Nature, April 11th, 2012