Burnt waste worse than coal plant emissions
The team collected samples of raw lignite, fly ash, topsoil, crop ash and solid waste burning ash in and around NLC between October 2020 and April 2022, and studied Pb (Lead) isotopic compositions and elemental concentrations.

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CHENNAI: A study conducted by a team of scientists from IIT-Madras, Jadavpur University in Kolkata and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has revealed that burning of solid waste in the open is a bigger contributor to air pollution than coal combustion in thermal power plants.
Aimed to investigate and quantify primary sources of PM2.5 in Neyveli, which houses a lignite-fired power plant, the study found that the atmosphere is predominantly influenced by the open burning of solid waste and biomass rather than coal combustion, suggesting a promising decrease in coal emissions.
The team collected samples of raw lignite, fly ash, topsoil, crop ash and solid waste burning ash in and around NLC between October 2020 and April 2022, and studied Pb (Lead) isotopic compositions and elemental concentrations. The results showed that the heavy metals in PM2.5 aerosols were primarily linked to the open burning of waste, not coal combustion.
Pointing out that certain areas in Tamil Nadu are recognised as hotspots for PM emissions resulting from the burning of crop residues generated from rice, wheat, maize, and sugarcane cultivation, the study explained that the open burning of biomass and solid waste, together with emitting signatures from vegetation and solid waste also dehydrates the soil, increases local atmospheric turbulence due to fire-related convective currents and subsequently mobilises dehydrated soil particles in the air.
Another study conducted at an industrial site in Delhi, 56 km away from a major thermal power plant (NTPC Dadri) also finds no significant contribution of coal combustion towards atmospheric Pb. Moreover, previously sampled aerosols from Delhi's waste dumping site Okhla also overlaps with April–June aerosols from Neyveli, indicating a strong presence of metals generated from solid waste and biomass burning, the study said.
The dominance of open burning as a pollution source concurs with the Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS) model, which suggests that emissions from coal have plateaued in India, and highlights the pressing necessity for better waste management strategies to reduce its environmental impact. Thus, India needs to redefine her pollutant priorities and act accordingly to mitigate their effect, the study report recommended.