Navy Researchers Help Clean up Coal-Plant Emissions

Harmful emissions from coal plants could become much cleaner in the not-too-distant future, thanks to a technique developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). In simple terms, researchers have come up with a way to inject electron beams into the exhaust caused by burning fossil fuels. The beams break down the toxic exhaust into pure nitrogen and oxygen. To date, the research has worked in small-scale tests. More testing is needed, to determine if the process can clean up larger-scale emissions from real flues – which could include other elements and compounds.