Decrease in SO2 levels in last decade: IIT Kharagpur

The reduction in emission and concentration of sulphur dioxide has been due to environmental regulation and adoption of effective control technologies such as scrubber and flue gas desulphurisation, says study. 

A study conducted by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has found that there has been a significant drop in sulphur dioxide (SO2) levels in India in the last decade as compared to the previous three decades.  

The study which has been conducted by a team of researchers from the Centre for Oceans, Rivers, Atmosphere and Land Sciences (CORAL) stated that the decrease in emission and concentration of SO2 has been due to environmental regulation and the adoption of effective control technologies such as scrubber and flue gas desulphurisation. 

Thermal power plants contribute 51% to SO2 concentration  

The study represents temporal changes in SO2 concentrations across India in the last four decades (1980-2020), an institute spokesperson said. While thermal power plants contributed 51 per cent to SO2 concentration, the construction sector’s share was 29 per cent, as per the estimate during that period, the study noted. The temporal analyses reveal that SO2 concentrations in India increased between 1980 and 2010 due to coal burning and the lack of novel technology to contain the emissions during that period.  

Economic growth and air pollution control can go hand-in-hand by adopting new technologies to reduce SO2 and greenhouse gas emissions, it said. “SO2 is an atmospheric pollutant and can be converted to sulfate aerosols in humid conditions. These aerosols can affect clouds reflectively, rainfall and regional climate. “At higher concentrations, SO2 adversely affects human health and the ecosystem,” said Jayanarayanan Kuttippurath, who led the study.  

Therefore, continuous monitoring of it is highly warranted, as these kinds of analyses would help in decision-making related to emissions, he said. “Our analysis identifies Indo-Gangetic plain and central and eastern Indian regions as SO2 hot-spots in India. Although there has been a relative reduction in SO2 levels in the last decade, its concentration is still very high in these regions.  

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