Abstract: Improved processes and improved compositions reduce the environmental damage caused by large-scale combustion, especially in the field of NO.sub.x reduction by selective noncatalytic reduction (SNCR) in the gas phase. In one aspect, the process improves the reliability of known means, compositions and methods for reducing the concentration of pollutants in a gas stream by: preparing an aqueous solution comprising a pollutant-reducing agent and a water-dispersible polymer, and introducing the solution into the gas stream. Preferred polymers comprise high molecular weight polymers selected from the group consisting of homo and copolymers of acrylic acid and acrylamide with RSV values of at least 10, sodium acrylate acrylamide copolymers with RSV values of at least 10, sulfonmethylated acrylamide/acrylamide/acrylic acid terpolymers of RSV of at least 18, alkylene oxide polymers and copolymers, and mixtures of any of these and like polymers.