Clean Air Technologies

Baghouses
Power plants often use more than one device to stop pollutants from escaping smokestacks. Baghouses are filtration structures such as the one seen here that have been retrofitted to many power plants nationwide. They work by catching fine particulates—tiny clumps of soot, dirt, and chemicals that can damage lungs and collect in the atmosphere, creating smog. Baghouses function as massive vacuum cleaners. They are lined with many fabric filter "bags," which plant engineers periodically clean or replace, carting away the particulates they collect.