The emission of trace elements in coal-fired power plant has caused widespread concern in the world. The experimental study on the distribution and co-removal through air pollutant control devices (APCDs) and emission of trace elements (Cr

Mn

Co

Ni

Cu

Zn

As

Mo

Cd

Sb

Ba

Pb) was conducted on a 320 MW coal-fired power plant equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR)

electrostatic precipitator (ESP) and wet desulfurization unit (WFGD) in this study. US EPA Method 29 was used for the sampling of trace elements in flue gas. The results showed that mass balance rate of trace elements across the boiler

SCR

ESP

WFGD and the whole system was in an acceptable range. The trace elements were mainly distributed in bottom ash and fly ash with the proportion of 1.90%-27.6% and 72.3%-98.0% accounting for the sum of trace elements in bottom ash

ESP ash

stack and that removed by WFGD

respectively. The trace elements in stack and removed by WFGD accounted for little with sum in the range of 0.11%-0.66%. Co-removal rate of trace elements in flue gas across ESP and WFGD was 99.39%-99.95% and 40.39%-78.98%

respectively. The overall removal rate through SCR + ESP + WFGD was 99.79%-99.99%. The great removal rate across ESP was the main reason for high synergistic removal efficiency of APCDs. The concentration of trace elements in the stack is 0.01-12.88 μg·m-3

while the emission factor is (0.002-4.57)×10-12 g·J-1. More studies on the emission of trace elements in coal-fired power plant should be carried out

which was beneficial for the establishment of emission models of trace elements in China's coal-fired power plants and the development of relevant standards.