1

Acid Rain and its affects

Introduction.......................................................................................3
Affected Areas in the World.............................................................3
Sources..............................................................................................5
1) Fossil Fuels....................................................................................5
2) Industry..........................................................................................5
3) Automobiles..................................................................................5
4) Wars...............................................................................................5
Chemical Processes............................................................................6
Sulpher................................................................................................6
Nitrogen and Oxides...........................................................................7
Measurement of Acid Rain.................................................................7
Acid rain Effects..................................................................................8
1) Forest...............................................................................................8
2) Geology............................................................................................9
3) Effects on Buildings and materials....................................................9
4) Eeffect on water surface.....................................................................9
2

5) Human Health.......................................................................................10
Reduction of Acid Rain.............................................................................11
Biblography................................................................................................12











3


Introduction
Pollutant might be arranged into two aggregations first there are man made
materials, for example, tireless engineered chemicals like DDT, which are not a
piece of common ecological cycles and hence don't promptly break down when
discharged into the natural. The second assembly involves materials that exist
regularly in nature t and that characteristic natural procedures and cycles can cop
with or neutralize,break down,disperse and reuse yet that show up in much higher
focuses than would typically be the case.pollutant of this sort are not so much
hurtful in themselves they make issues just when they over-burden common bio
Geo chemical cycles. Acid rain falls in this second aggregation on the grounds that
its essential parts Sulfur dioxide,nitrogen oxide and ozone do seem regularly in the
earth .Acid rain is usually incompetent form of describing the atmospheric
pollution( Park, C., 1987) .It is a blend of wet and dry impeachment (deposited
material) from the atmosphere having large amount of nitric and sulfuric acid than
the normal quantity .The acid rain becomes a global environmental problem
because of the increase in population , Brisky advancements and increase in
number of vehicles Lv et al.(2014).In Chian the policies were changed to control
the emission of SO2 Due to this change there was big declined in Sulphate
ions(SO
4
2
) in precipitation (Tu et al., 2005 and Wang et al., 2010) . Now a days
there is phase changing of the acid rain first Sulfuric acid mixed with rain then
there when we controlled the emission of SO2 now there is increase of nitric acid
might be in future another acid will also contribute its role to destroy the
ecosystem (Xu and Ji, 2001).

Affected Areas in the World
According to the survey the total consumption rate of the emission of the SO2 is
2000 from Asia which is double then the combination of Europe and North
America quantity.India and China consumes more coal for energy generation and
the demand of the coal increases by 6.5% a year.National Envoirnmental
Protection agency indicates that 40% of the agricultural land was affected by acid
rain.In Thailand the power generation at Mae Moh used high sulfur lignite mined
4

in the areas was responsible for the cause of serious diseases and affected the
crops and forest in that area in 1992.Many countries like Indonesia
,Malaysia,Thiland and Philipines experience sulfur deposition level of 5-10gram
per squre meter per year where as in case of Chian suffers more than 18 grams in
the industrial areas specially.India Northen parts are more affected by acid rain these
areas soil already had more acidity then other parts but due to industrial evolution the
acidity of the soil is increased which causes to effect the eco system. .( Downing, R.,
Ramankutty, R. and Shah, J., 1997). The most acid rain in the UK was recorded in
Pitlochry ,Scotland, on 20 April 1974 It had a pH of 2.4 like that of lemon juice and a
thousand times more acidic as this yet it has turned into 10-70 times more acidic than
ordinary downpour (pH 4.1 to 1.4) and this has as of recently had harmful
consequences for the environment( Elsworth, 1984) . Numerous parts of
Scandinavia,canada,and the North east United States and northern Europe
(Particularly West Germany and upland Britain) impart as taking after properties

They are packed in the industrialized sash of the northern
hemisphere,downwind of thick centralizations of force stations,smelters and
substantial urban communities.
2) They are frequently upland or sloping territories which are overall watered
by rain and snow
3) Being generally watered they are frequently analyzed by lakes and streams
and regularly secured by backwoods
4) Being unpland they regularly have dainty soil and glaciated bedrock
(Park , 1987)






5

Sources
Fossil Fuels
.Naturally, when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide fossil fuel combusted these
gases are discharged into the atmosphere where they react with water,oxygen and
other gases to form sulfuric and nitric acid these acids disperse over large areas
with the help of wind and they fall over wide areas in the shape of rain
(Seinfeld and Pandis 1997)
Industry
Paper and mash factories,petroleum refineries,fertilizer plants, steel
industries,thermal force plants are the principle wellspring of pollution.they add an
extremely destructive vapor to the atmosphere.in Tokyo something like 34% of
carbon blended with other suspend particles settle for every square Km
consistently
Automobiles
Vehicles are primarily answerable for more than 80% of the aggregate air
pollution.Pollutant discharged from automobiles, trains, air crafts include CO, un
burnt hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide
Wars
Various forms of explosive material are used in war they are the big source of
Pollution and the emission of NOx and SOn particales in air
( Y.K.Singh 2006 )




6

Chemical Processes

Gas Phase reaction

CO2(g) + H2O(aq)...............HNO3(aq)
Due to presence of CO2 in the atmosphere the natural rain itself form carbonic
acid

SO2 + 1/2O2 + H2O...(Hydrocarbon.smog,metal oxides)....H2SO4
In air SO2 is transferred by the reaction with oxygen and water into H2SO4
(Anwer et al.2001)


Sulpher
Sulpher dioxide is a respiratory aggravation and can result in shortness of breath
improved probability of easier respiratory tract ailment and ceaseless lung malady
even moderately short presentation to the higher focus found in contaminated
territories can result in provisional harm to human health.this toxin is infrequently
discovered alone and its strength is oftentimes upgraded by synergistic association
with different contaminants.This gas can also damage the plants




7



Concentration/ppm Period Effects
0.03-0.5 Continuous Condition of bronchitic
patients worsened
0.3-1 20 Sec Brain activity changed
1-5 1 Minute Odur Perceived increased
eye
5-20 6 Hours Lung damage reversible if
exposure ceases
(Andrew and Jackson, 1996)
Nitrogen and Oxides
No2 diffuses into the circulation system and diminish oxygen transport. Smoking
of tobacco , tobacco also contains large amounts of oxides of carbons which will
cause cancer growth in your body. Oxides of Nitrogen decrease the crop yield. The
Nitrate and Phosphates broke up in water quicken the development of micro
organic entities which expend much of disintegrated oxygen denying fish and other
sea-going life (Andrew and Jackson, 1996)
Measurement of Acid Rain
Acid rain is measured with pH scale." The bring down a substance's pH, the more
acidic it is. Unadulterated water has a pH of 7.0. Notwithstanding, ordinary drizzle
is somewhat acidic in light of the fact that carbon dioxide (Co2) disintegrates into
its framing frail carbonic corrosive, giving the ensuing mixture a pH of give or take
5.6 at regular environmental amassing of Co2. Starting 2000, the most acidic
drizzle falling in the US has a pH of about 4.3. (Epa.gov.com)



8

Acid rain Effects
Forest
A Forest is not only an accumulation of trees,passively remaining in the daylight it
is a capable living creature determined by immediate and aberrant sun powered
vitality which nourishes biological community procedures like photosynthesis
,supplement uptake ,nitrogen obsession and development the amounts of force
utilized by these environment are huge in England,Usa for instance the Forests
devour 30 times the measure of vitality utilized by individual living as a part of the
range .Woodland are reproducing spots for many types of plants,animals and
organisms which retreat nearby several natural and inorganic exacerbates all
connected together by biotic and physical methods. At the point when a acid.
bearing cloud lands over a woodland it influences the tree as stated by their
position their species and their tallness above ocean level.in bumpy nation those
trees at a higher height will get more rain than those underneath and frequently a
cloud will sit on a mound encompassing everything in an acidic fog .Similarly tree
presented to the wind or taller than their neighbors will accept a lopsided does not
all die at the same time some will kick the bucket while the rest keeps on
appearring flawlessly solid in the surface at least.Various trees are more delicate
than others to air contamination evergreens are substantially more helpless than
deciduous tree,probably in light of the fact that the last dispose of their leaves in
the fall consequently shedding a substantial a piece of acidic data. (Elsworth, 1984)
Geology
The effect of acid rain on nature depends not just on the level of acidity in the rain
additionally on the way of the earth itself.areas underlain by granitic or quartzitic
bedrock,for example are especially helpless to harm since the dirts and water are
now acidic and fail to offer the capability to cradle or kill extra corrosiveness from
the precipitation.acid levels in this manner climb the ecological offset is
exasperates and genuine environmental harm is the inexorable consequence
(Kemp, 1990)



9

Effects on Buildings and materials
Air Pollution strikes stone,metals and fabrics and there is no lack of proof of the
harming impacts of numerous manifestations of air contamination on structures
and buildings.Acid deposition is generally ensnared as the most genuine of the
damage.the issue is vividly represented in Cracow ,Poland's real city,regarded as
having one of the world's most noticeably awful contamination issues which
accepts corrosive affidavit from upwind katowice (a heavy industial area)
subsequently Cracow is crumbling.the brilliant roof of the church had to be
evacuated on the grounds that it was dissolving .The faces of statues were melted
steeples were fallen down ,overhangs breaking down (Park, 1987). The best concern
over impacts of corrosive rain on materials has focused on harm to structures
particularly those manufactured of sandstone,limestones and marble.rates of rot and
harm to stone in urban zones are regularly two to three times as high as in rustic
regions(Winkler 1970). Air contamination speeds the natural chemical weathering and
erosion of uncovered materials in a mixture of routes for instance ferrous metals are
ambushed by sulpher oxides iron rust all the more rapidly and zinc items are all the
more severely consumed in urban zones Sulpher oxides scratch the surface of the
metals and when iron rusts the surface gets flaky and the chips tumble off to lay open
more metal to the scratching process.consequently steel structures ,Railway rails and
different structures constructed of iron might be genuinely influenced via air
contamination with broad financial misfortunes.(Lynn,1976;Anon1984)
Eeffect on water surface
In numerous regions like Scandinavia and the North east United States it has been
recommended that expanded acidity(declining pH) of precipitation has been
paralleled by a decrese in the pH of stream and lake waters.surface waters offer
substantially less prospect of buffering corrosive inputs than do soil and
plants.consequently streams and lakes regularly hint at clear fermentation some
time before it gets obvious in soils,plants and woods . The most sensational
manifestations are the decay and conceivable misfortune of population of fish and
different species from acidic lakes , rivers and reservoirs . It is troublesome to point
out at what exact point a lake or stream gets acidified on the grounds that surface of
waters in some (well buffered) regions can endure much larger amounts of causticity
than others .The defination ought to be dependent upon natural criteria (e.g harm of
fish) yet this is nearly connected with a basic synthetic defination .It is broadly concur
that once the pH of surface water falls underneath 6.0 substance and living conditions
change so altogether that for all aims and reason the water might be viewed as
acidified .As pH falls considerably bring down the fermentation escalates and the
10

issues amplify and broaden(Park, 1987). Human Health has been antagonistically
influenced in Sweden by acidification of water supplies, fundamentally as an after
effect of contamination from acidic ground water .Acidity gets into private wells more
than one million Swedes utilization water drawn from a well of their own and 50% of
these live in territories touchy to acidification and the acidity can then influence
copper piping,especially if the water remains in the pipes overnight .The Swedes have
watched instances of looseness of the bowels in babies which have been connected
with the vicinity of high measures of copper in water.A Danish based magazine called
Taraxacum carried this report in 1982 (Elsworth, 1984).
Human Health
The OECD notes that there is a causal connection between climatic contamination
and human health ,however it accepts that an alternate result of the fossil fuel chain
sulphate(SO4) is the principle animated operators handling antagonistic impacts .
SO4 speaks to a little, however critical part of suspended particles ( i.e. dust, and
so forth) circulating everywhere .The association directs its breaks down on this
supposition, while surrendering likewise that there is significant proof interfacing
SO2 and aggregate suspended particulates with wellbeing impacts(Elsworth, 1984).
Sulphr dioxide is an aggravation ,Irrespirable gas ,moderately non dangerous in
correlation with carbon monoxide of nitogen or oxides of nitrogen.very high
fixation when the exploited person can't escape may cause demise from respiratory
fits and asphyxia.A mellow level of sulfur dioxide harming produces migraine,
anoxia ,uncontrollable hack, sneezing,hemoptysis,bronchitis,constricting of
chest,gastrointestinal disorder,conjunctivitis,smarting of eyes,lacrimation and
anaemia,ulceration of the mucous layer might additionally come about (Thorpe,
1921). The notorious London exhaust cloud of 1952 created as a consequence of
meteorological conditions which permitted the construct up of poison inside the urban
environment. Smoke, Produced by household fires,power stations and coal blazing
commercial enterprises was the most clear poison yet the most risky was sulphuric
corrosive, gliding free in vaporized structure or appended to the smoke particles.
Drawn Deep into the lungs the sulphuric acid created or irritated breathing issues and
huge numbers of the 4000 people passed away by the effect of sulphuric acid on
humanrespiratory(Williamson,1973 ;Bach,1972)



11

Reduction of Acid Rain
Each nation in Europe is discharging acidic contamination into the air and every
nation is additionally enduring the impacts of corrosive affidavit a few spots as a
result of wind momentums and the topographical make up of the area have
generally arrived at the corrosive limit point and are encountering ecological
corruption on an evident and disturbing scale.other zones are accepted to be
moderately unaffected by the contamination and this conviction unwarranted
through it may be as a general rule has colored national state of mind towards
cleaning up mechanical outflows (Elsworth, 1984. )
One conceivable proposal is the expansion of lime which might handle a prompt
diminishment in acidity and permit the recovery systems to work more
effectively.lime has been utilized as a method for sweetening corrosive soil for a
long time and may be the reason that in ranges of corrosive soils farming area is
less influenced by acid rain than the regular environment.In zones where natural
regeneration is no more conceivable the rebuilding of the first synthetic
equalization of the dirt by liming and suitable compost requisition may permit
reforestation to be fruitful. in (Kemp, 1990).
One of the least complex methodologies to the issue is fuel switching,which includes
the displacement of high sulfur energizes with low sulfur alternatives this may mean
the utilization of oil or common gas as opposed to coal .In Britain for instance the as
of late privatized force industry is energetically investigating the increaseed
utilization of North ocean gas as a mean of decreasing SO2 yield in spite of worry
that this methodology is a waste of a high premium fuel with a generally short life
compass (Stevenson,1991). The measure of So2 discharged throughout burning
might be diminished if the coal or oil is dealt with in advance to evacuate a portion of
the included sulpher in a procedure called fuel desulphurization, the system could be
very straightforward and calm savvy smashing and washing the coal for instance can
diminish resulting So2 outflows by 8 to 15 % which speaks to a decrease of 1.5 to 2
million tons of So2 for every year in the eastern United States alone .There is another
technique which can reduce the level of sulphur during the combustion by the
addition of lime although this technique was studed in 1950s but did not adopted on
large scal(Park,1987;Cortese,1986 ;Ramage,1983). Flue gas desulpurization (FGD) is
12

the name given to an aggregation of techniques which evacuates So2 from the
gasses given off throughout the burning the gadget included are called scrubbers and
may be either dry or wet operations.the easiest dry scrubbers act much like
filters,removing the gas on contact by concoction or physical methods Sulfur dioxide
passing through a dry pummeled limestone channel for instance will respond
synthetically with calciuam carbonate to desert the sulfur in calciuam sulphate.wet
scrubbers are more regular than the dry mixed bag .The pipe gasses may be risen
through a basic fluid reagent which kills the So2 and produce calcium sulfate in the
process.japanese business had introduced scrubbers on more than 500 plants,in USA
approximately 70,000mw of power is at present being processed from plants utilizing
FGD innovation and in Canada FGD retrofit project is set up with the objective of
lessening So2 emissions by about half by 1994
(Williamson,1973;Kyte,1981;LaBastille,1981 el al.)

Referenceing

Anwer, J., Ahmed, I., Kashmari, A., Elahi, K., Qasier, N., Chugtai, N., Zafer, Z., Khan, S.,
Iqbal, J., Ghani, N., Jehangire, S. and Ahmed, I., 2011. CHEMISTRY 12. 1st ed. Lahore:
M.Arshed & Bilal Printer, p.310.
Downing, R., Ramankutty, R. and Shah, J., 1997. Rains-Asia. 1st ed. Washington, D.C.:
World Bank.p 1-6

Elsworth, S., 1984. Acid Rain. 1st ed. London: Pluto Press Limited, p.5-14-15-41-49-51
.
Epa.gov. 2014. What is Acid Rain? | Acid Rain | US EPA. [online] Available at:
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what/ [Accessed: 12 Apr 2014]


13

Jackson, A. and Jackson, J., 1996. Environmental science. 1st ed. Harlow: Longman
P 160-168
Kemp, D., 1990. Global environmental issues. 1st ed. London: Routledge.p-90
Lynee,D.1976 Air Pollution : Threat and Response,Reading,MA: Addison Wesley and
Anon 1854/5d ' Corrosion fromsoil and water',Acid Magazine 2:16 cited in Park, C.,
1987. Acid rain. 1st ed. London: Methuen P. 117
Lv, Y., Wang, C., Jia, Y., Wang, W., Ma, X., Du, J., Pu, G. and Tian, X. 2014. Effects of
sulfuric, nitric, and mixed acid rain on litter decomposition, soil microbial biomass,
and enzyme activities in subtropical forests of China. Applied Soil Ecology, 79 pp. 1--9
Likens, G. E., Driscoll, C. T., Buso, D. C. and Others. 1996. Long-term effects of acid
rain: response and recovery of a forest ecosystem. Science-AAAS-Weekly Paper
Edition, 272 (5259), pp. 244--245.
Measuring Acid Rain | Acid Rain | US EPA. 2014. [online] Epa.gov. Available at:
<http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/measure/index.html> [Accessed 18 Apr. 2014]

Park, C., 1987. Acid rain. 1st ed. London: Methuen P. 2-3-114-115-70
Park, C., 1988. ES\&T Books: Acid Rain: Rhetoric and Reality. Environmental science
\& technology, 22(12), pp.1402--1402;Cortes,T.1986 'The scientific and economic
implications for acid rain control',in Conference proceeding:Intergovernmental
conference on Acid Rian.Quebec,April10,11 and 12.1985, Quebec city: Ministry of the
Environment; Ramage, J., 1997. Energy, a guidebook. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford
University Press Cited in Kemp, D., 1990. Global environmental issues. 1st ed.
London: Routledge. p.93



14

Seinfeld, J. N. and Pandis, S. N. 1997. Atmospheric chemistry and physics. New York:
John Wiley and Sons
Singh, Y., 2006. Environmental science. 1st ed. New Delhi: New Age International (P)
Ltd., Publishers.
Stevenson, A., n.d. Environmental acidification - a review of surface water
acidification during 1991. 1st ed.p-69-75
Tu, J., Wang, H., Zhang, Z., Jin, X. and Li, W. 2005. Trends in chemical composition of
precipitation in Nanjing, China, during 1992--2003. Atmospheric Research, 73 (3), pp.
283--298
Thorpe, T., 1921. A dictionary of applied chemistry. 1st ed. London: Longmans,
Green, and Co

Wang, C., Guo, P., Han, G., Feng, X., Zhang, P. and Tian, X. 2010. Effect of simulated
acid rain on the litter decomposition of Quercus acutissima and Pinus massoniana in
forest soil microcosms and the relationship with soil enzyme activities. Science of the
Total Environment, 408 (13), pp. 2706--2713
Winkler,E.M 1970.'The impotance of air pollution in the corrosion of stone and
metals',Engineering Geology 4:327-34 cited in Park, C., 1987. Acid rain. 1st ed.
London: Methuen P. 117
Williamson,s.j. 1973 Fundamentals of air pollution, Reading,Mass:Addison-Wesley
;Bach,W. 1972 Atmospheric Pollution,New York Cited in Kemp, D., 1990. Global
environmental issues. 1st ed. London: Routledge p-89
Williamson,S.j. 1973 Fundamentals of air pollution, Reading,Mass:Addison-Wesley
;Bach,W. 1972 Atmospheric Pollution,New York;Kyte,W.S.(1981) 'Some chemical and
chemical engineering aspects of flue gas desulphurization',Transactions of the
institution of chemical Engineering 59: 219-29;LaBastille,A. 1981'Acid rain-how great
a menace?',National Geographic 160:625-81;Howard,R and Perley,M. 1991 Poisoned
skies, Toronto:Stoddart;Ellis,E.C., Erbes,R.E and Grott, J.K. 1990'Abatement of
atmospheric emissions in North America: progress to date and promise for the
15

future' in S.E . Linberg,A.L. Page and S.A.Norton.(eds) Acidic Precipitation,Volume 3,
Sources, Deposition and Canopy interactions,New york: Springer-Verlag Cited in in
Kemp, D., 1990. Global environmental issues. 1st ed. London: Routledge. p.93



Xu, R. and Ji, G. 2001. Effects of H2SO4 and HNO3 on soil acidification and aluminum
speciation in variable and constant charge soils. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 129 (1-
4), pp. 33--43