Industrial boilers in Sri Lanka are essential to fulfilling energy requirements in production processes in many industries. However, burning fuels to get needed energy for boiler operations has become a problem for the environment. Many different solid, liquid and gaseous fuels are used in industrial boilers to generate enough heat to produce steam or hot water. The most widely used fuels in the world for boilers are non-renewable energy sources. In Sri Lanka, the primarily used fuel for boilers is furnace oil and biomass. The boiler occasionally uses a combination of fuels to increase efficiency and maintain operating costs. It falls within the categories of biomass fuel and fossil fuel. Fossil fuels include coal, petroleum-based oils, and natural gas. The most harmful fossil fuel for the environment is coal because coal has more dangerous combustion products than other fossil fuels. According to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assessment, burning fossil fuels in industrial plants or boilers for energy production is a significant cause of air pollution. Because they give off a large amount of carbon dioxide when burned, causing a greenhouse effect. This is also the main contributor to the global warming experienced by the earth today.
Biomass boilers also have environmental impacts, but the effects on air molecules are less here. The main goal should be reducing air pollution while taking the necessary energy to operate boilers. In alternative fuels, we have to accept both advantages and disadvantages; however, the ultimate objective is to reduce the air pollution generated by fossil fuels.