Air pollution

AIR POLLUTION
airaitaitraia
 Air Pollution

 Pollution is the effect of undersirable

changes in our surroundings that have
harmful effects on plants, animals and
human beings.
 This occurs when only short-term economic
gains are made at the cost of long-term
ecological benefits for humanity.
 Air pollution

 Air pollution is ‘the excessive concentration of

foreign matter in the air which adversely affects
the well being of individuals or causes damage to
property’
 Air pollutants

 Air pollutants are substances which when present

in the atmosphere , adversely affect the health,
damage materials, or interfere with the
enjoyment of life and use of property.
 Sources of pollution

 Natural sources: volcanic , disasters

 Domestic sources: cooking, cleaning,
painting,washing,heating,gardening etc.
 Commercial sources:drycleaning clothes, hotels,
schools, printing
 Agricultural sources:slaughter houses, animal
feedlot operations
 Industrial sources: fertiliser, chemical explosives
 Transportation related sources
 Primary pollutants

 Pollutants that are emitted directly are primary

pollutants, produced from dust, storms and
volcanic eruptions and from human activities
(emission from vehicles, industries, etc).
 There are five primary pollutants which are
carbon oxides (CO and CO2), nitrogen oxides,
sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds
(mostly hydrocarbons), and suspended,
particulate matter, contributing almost to 90%
of the global air pollution
 secondary pollutants
 When certain chemical reactions take place
among the primary pollutants, then
secondary pollutants are formed e.g.
sulfuric acid, nitric acid, carbonic acid, etc.
 pollutants….
 Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and
toxic gas produced when organic materials,
like natural gas, coal or wood, are
incompletely burnt.
 Vehicular exhausts are the single largest
source of carbon monoxide.
 pollutants….
 Sulfur oxides are produced when sulfur
containing fossil fuels are burnt
 Nitrogen oxides are found in vehicular
exhausts. Nitrogen oxides are significant,
as they are involved in the production of
secondary air pollutants such as ozone
 pollutants..
 Hydrocarbons are a group of compounds
consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms.
They either evaporate from fuel supplies or
are remnants of fuel that did not burn
completely. They cause an oily film on the
surface and they react to form secondary
pollutants
 pollutants..
 Particulates are small pieces of solid material
(e.g. smoke particles from fires, bits of
asbestos, dust particles and ash from
industries) dispersed into the atmosphere.
 What is Particulate Matter?
 particles of different substances suspended in the air
 in the form of solid particles and liquid droplets
 particles vary widely in size
 Where does Pm come from?
Fine particles come from a variety of sources:
• diesel trucks and buses
• construction equipment
• power plants
• woodstoves
• wildfires

Also, Chemical reactions in the atmosphere

can transform gases into fine particles.
Types of particulates as aerosol :

Term Meaning Examples

Aerosol General term for particles suspended in air Sprays from
pressurized cans
Mist Aerosol consisting of liquid droplets Sulfuric acid mist
Dust Aerosol consisting of solid particles that are Dust storm
blown into the air
Smoke Aerosol consisting of solid particles or a Cigarette smoke,
mixture of solid and liquid particles smoke from burning
produced by chemical reaction such as fires garbage
Fume Smoke refers to aerosols produced by Zinc / lead fumes
condensation of hot vapors of metals
Plume Geometrical shape or form of the smoke
coming out of a chimney
Fog Aerosol consisting of water droplets
Smog Term used to describe a mixture of smoke
and fog
 Lead is a major air pollutant that remains
largely unmonitored and is emitted by
vehicles.
 High lead levels have been reported in the
ambient air in metropolitan cities.
 Leaded petrol is the primary source of air-
borne lead emissions in Indian cities. The
use of unleaded petrol is one way of
reducing this pollutant.
 Global effects of air pollution
 Stratosphere
 Cfc
 Halons
 Global worming
 Greenhouse effect
Effects of air pollution on the stratosphere
ozone, acting as screen for UV light. This region, called the
‘ozone layer’, extends up to 60 km above the surface of the
Earth. Although the ozone is present up to 60 km, it is
densest in the region between 20 – 25 km from the Earth’s
surface.
The ozone layer is a mixture of other common atmospheric
gases. In the densest ozone layer there is only one ozone
molecule in 100,000 gas molecules. Therefore, even small
changes in the ozone concentration can produce dramatic
effects on the life on Earth.
 Effects…

 The presence of certain pollutants

accelerates the breakdown of ozone.
Sometimes accompanied by a little ozone
depletion. ‘Ozone Hole’ came into the
limelight in 1985 when some British
researchers published measurements
about the ozone layer which convincingly
established that CFCs were leading to its
depletion
CFCs :
CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) are extremely stable, non-flammable,
non-toxic and harmless to handle. This makes them ideal for many
industrial applications like aerosols, air-conditioners, refrigerators and
fire extinguishers. Many cans, which give out foams and sprays, use
CFCs (e.g., perfumes, room-fresheners, etc.) CFCs are also used in
making foam for mattresses and cushions, disposable Styrofoam cups,
glasses, packaging material for insulation, cold storage, etc. However,
their stability also gives them a long life-span in the atmosphere.

Halons :
Halons are similar in structure to the CFCs but contain bromine atoms
instead of chlorine. They are more dangerous to the ozone layer than
CFCs used as fire-extinguishing agents
Ozone depletion : What does it do?
Changes in the ozone layer have serious implications for mankind.

Effects on human health : Sunburn, cataract, aging of the skin and skin
cancer are caused by increased UV radiation. It weakens the immune
system.

Food production : UV radiation affects the ability of plants to capture

light energy during the process of photosynthesis, growth of plants
hampering.

Plant and animal : planktons are damaged by UV radiation. The

breeding period is shortened by changes in radiation including changes in
their number and species composition influencing fish and shellfish
production.

Effect on materials : Increased UV radiation damages paints and fabrics,

causing them to fade faster.
Effect on Climate :

Global warming, a phenomenon which is caused due

to the increase in concentration of certain gases like
carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, methane and CFCs.

Observations of the Earth have shown beyond doubt

that atmospheric constituents like water vapor,
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides and CFCs
trap heat in the form of infrared (IR) radiation near
the Earth’s surface. This is known as the
‘Greenhouse Effect’.
There could be several adverse effects of global warming.

 The polar ice caps will melt due to warming earth

causing a rise in ocean levels and flooding of
coastal areas.
 Disastrous for countries like Bangladesh or the
Maldives this would be catastrophic. If the sea
level rises by 3 m, the Maldives will sink
completely beneath the waves.
 The rise in temperature will bring about a fall in
agricultural produce.
 Effects…
 Changes in the distribution of solar energy can bring about
changes in habitats. A previously productive agricultural area will
suffer severe droughts, while rains will fall in locations that were
once deserts. This could bring about changes in the species of
natural plants, agricultural crops, insects, livestock, and
microorganisms.

 In the Polar Regions, temperature rise caused by global warming

would have disastrous effects. Vast quantities of methane are
trapped beneath the frozen soil of Alaska. When the permafrost
melts, the methane that will be released can accelerate the
process of global warming.
Air Pollution Laws

Central air Act 1981 (Prevention and Control of Pollution) according to this
act :

1. There is a Central Board for the prevention and Control of Air

Pollution.
2. The state governments have the power to declare air pollution areas
and to prohibit the use of fuels or burning of any material likely to
cause pollution in any pollution control area.

Control of Air Pollution :

I. Source Correction Methods

a) Substitution of raw materials :low sulfur fuels, LPG ,LNG

b) Process modification:WASHING OF COAL, AIR INTAKE ADJUSTMENT
c) Modification of existing equipment:CHANGE STORAGE TANK DESIGN
d) Maintenance of equipment:routine checkup
II. Pollution Control Equipment

1. Control devices for particulate contaminants

a) Gravitational Settling Chamber: particles exceeding 50 µm

b) Cyclone Separators (Reverse Flow Cyclone):centrifugal force
c) Fabric Filters (Baghouse Filters)
d) Electrostatic Precipitators: simple, economic
e) Wet Collectors (Scrubbers): particulates in to liquid droplets

i) Spray tower: size exceeding 10µm

ii) Venturi Scrubber: size 0.5-5 µm
iii) Cyclone Scrubber
2. Control devices for gaseous pollutants

i) Wet absorption method

ii) Dry absorption method

III. Diffusion of Pollutants in Air

Dilution of the pollutants in the atmosphere is accomplished

through the use of tall stacks – Dilution of the pollutants depend
on atmospheric temperature, speed and direction of the wind.

IV. Vegetation:plant take in co2 and give o2

V. Zoning (setting of industries in appropriate zones)
 Effects on human beings
 Each pollutant affects the human body
differently,
 The intensity related to the period of exposure for
various pollutants.
 Effects…
 Air pollutants have many acute and chronic effects on
human health, namely;
 Irritation of the respiratory tract.
 Irritation of eye, nose and throat
 Lead particulates from automobile exhausts cause lead
poisoning resulting in convulsions delirium, coma and even
death.
 Cadmium particulates through cigarette smoking cause
cardiovascular diseases, kidney and liver damage and even
death.
 Effects…

 Nickel particulates in tobacco smoke

result in respiratory damage
 Mercury Combustion of fossil fuels, plants
result in nerve, brain and kidney damage.
 Radio-active fallout has somatic and
genetic effects on future generations.
 Effects..
 Particulate matter alters the body’s defense
system against foreign materials, carcinogenesis,
aggravation of existing respiratory and
cardiovascular diseases.
 Ozone reduces lung function

in association with coughing, sneezing, chest

pain, and pulmonary congestion.
 Effects of Pollutants on Animals

 When the animals (cattle and sheep) feed

upon the particulate coated plants
(especially with Fluorine, Lead, Arsenic)
they get affected with Arsenic poisoning.
Lead poisoning results in bronchitis and
lack of appetite in pet animals.
 Effects of Pollutants on
Plants
 Spraying of pesticides, and other
agricultural practices have exposed the
plants to a large number of air pollutants,
adversely affecting their growth and
metabolism by destroying chlorophyll and
disrupting photosynthesis.
 Effects..
a) SO2 bleaches the leaf surface and causes chlorosis (i.e.,
loss of chlorophyll and yellowing of the leaf) especially in
leafy vegetables.
b) NO2 causes premature leaf fall (abscission) and
suppressed growth of plants resulting in reduced yields of
crop plants.
c) Ozone causes necrosis (dead areas on a leaf structure)
and damages leaves.
d) PAN (peroxyacylnitrate) damages leafy vegetables
causing premature fall, discolouration and curling of
sepals.
 Effects..

a) SO2, Acid rains and aerosols damage the building

materials. Attack metal surfaces
b) Paints are discoloured by SO2, H2S and particulates
c) Metals undergo corrosion and tarnishing by SO 2 and
Acid gases.
d) Paper becomes brittle and leather undergoes
disintegration by SO2 and Acid gases.
e) Ozone, SO2, NO2 and acid gases discolour, deteriorate
and reduce the tensile strength of textiles.
Thank you