What type of facility primarily contributes to industrial air pollution?

Power plants primarily contribute to industrial air pollution due to their reliance on fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas for electricity production. The combustion of these fuels releases a variety of pollutants into the atmosphere, including sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter, among others. These emissions can lead to serious environmental issues, such as acid rain, smog formation, and respiratory health problems in humans.

While manufacturing plants can also be significant sources of air pollution, particularly through processes that emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or particulate matter, power plants are specifically designed to generate energy and generally have higher aggregate emissions compared to other types of industrial facilities. Water treatment facilities typically focus on cleaning and purifying water rather than emitting pollutants into the air, and agricultural operations, while they can produce some air pollution (like ammonia from livestock), are not primarily classified as industrial sources in the same way that power plants are.