Dr.

HARISINGH GOUR UNIVERSITY

SAGAR

2nd Mid assignment

Subject- Environmental management
Given by- M.S Thakur
Made by- Sonali Harya
Shubhangi kathal
Sejal chourasia
Shreyas chourasia
Sunil prajapati
 SULPHUR DIOXIDE –
A chemical compound, SO2, a colorless gas with
a pungent, suffocating odor. It is readily soluble
in cold water, sparingly soluble in hot water,
and soluble in alcohol, acetic acid, and sulfuric
acid. It is corrosive to organic materials and
dissolves in water to form sulfurous acid,
H2SO3. Sulfur dioxide is used in bleaching and
in chemical manufacture and as a refrigerant
and a food preservative, e.g., for fumigating
fruit. It may be produced by reaction of sulfur
with oxygen, e.g., by burning sulfur in air, and it
is often produced during the roasting of sulfide
ores, e.g., in zinc melting. The sulfur content
can be reduced by refining, so that less sulfur
dioxide is emitted when the fuel is burned.
 OCCURRENCE AND ORIGIN
It is found on Earth and exists in very small
concentrations and in the atmosphere at
about 1 ppm.
On other planets, it can be found in various
concentrations, the most significant being
the atmosphere of Venus, where it is the
third-most significant atmospheric gas at
150 ppm. There, it condenses to form
clouds, and is a key component of chemical
reactions in the planet's atmosphere and
contributes to global warming. It has been
implicated as a key agent in the warming of
early Mars, with estimates of concentrations
in the lower atmosphere as high as 100
ppm, though it only exists in trace amounts.
On both Venus and Mars, as on Earth, its
primary source is thought to be volcanic.
The atmosphere of Io is 90% sulfur dioxide
and trace amounts are thought to also exist
in the atmosphere of Jupiter.
 COMBUSTION ROUTES.
Sulfur dioxide is the product of the burning
of sulfur or of burning materials that contain
sulfur:
S + O2 → SO2, ΔH = −297 kJ/mol
To aid combustion, liquefied sulfur (140–
150 °C, 284-302 °F) is sprayed through an
atomizing nozzle to generate fine drops of
sulfur with a large surface area. The reaction
is exothermic, and the combustion produces
temperatures of 1000–1600 °C, 1832-
2912 °F). The significant amount of heat
produced is recovered by steam generation
that can subsequently be converted to
electricity.[14]
The combustion of hydrogen sulfide and
organo sulfur compounds proceeds similarly.
For example: 2 H2S + 3 O2 → 2 H2O + 2 SO2
4 FeS2 + 11 O2 → 2 Fe2O3 + 8 SO2
 USES OF SULPHURIC ACID
As a preservative:-
Sulfur dioxide is sometimes used as a preservative for
dried apricots, dried figs, and other dried fruits, owing to
its antimicrobial properties, and is called E220 when used
in this way in Europe. As a preservative, it maintains the
colorful appearance of the fruit and prevents rotting. It is
also added to sulfured molasses.

As a reducing agent:
Sulfur dioxide is also a good reductant. In the presence of
water, sulfur dioxide is able to decolorize substances.
Specifically, it is a useful reducing bleach for papers and
delicate materials such as clothes. This bleaching effect
normally does not last very long. Oxygen in the
atmosphere reoxidizes the reduced dyes, restoring the
color. In municipal wastewater treatment, sulfur dioxide is
used to treat chlorinated wastewater prior to release.
Sulfur dioxide reduces free and combined chlorine
to chloride.
Sulfur dioxide is fairly soluble in water, and by both IR and
Raman spectroscopy; the hypothetical sulfurous acid,
H2SO3, is not present to any extent. However, such
solutions do show spectra of the hydrogen sulfite ion,
HSO3−, by reaction with water.
SO2 + H2O ⇌ HSO3− + H+
 BIOCHEMICAL AND
BIOMEDICAL ROLES

Sulfur dioxide is toxic in large amounts. It or its conjugate

base bisulfite is produced biologically as an intermediate
in both sulfate-reducing organisms and in sulfur-oxidizing
bacteria, as well. The role of sulfur dioxide in mammalian
biology is not yet well understood.[26] Sulfur dioxide blocks
nerve signals from the pulmonary stretch receptors and
abolishes the Hering–Breuer inflation reflex.
It was shown that endogenous sulfur dioxide plays a role
in diminishing an experimental lung damage caused
by oleic acid. Endogenous sulfur dioxide lowered lipid
peroxidation, free radical formation, oxidative stress and
inflammation during an experimental lung damage.
Conversely, a successful lung damage caused a
significant lowering of endogenous sulfur dioxide
production, and an increase in lipid peroxidation, free
radical formation, oxidative stress and inflammation.
Moreover, blockade of an enzyme that produces
endogenous SO2 significantly increased the amount of
lung tissue damage in the experiment. Conversely,
adding acetylcysteine or glutathione to the rat diet
increased the amount of endogenous SO2 produced and
decreased the lung damage, the free radical formation,
oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis
 AIR POLLUTANT

Year SO2

1970 31,161,000 short tons (28.3 Mt)

1980 25,905,000 short tons (23.5 Mt)

1990 23,678,000 short tons (21.5 Mt)

1996 18,859,000 short tons (17.1 Mt)

1997 19,363,000 short tons (17.6 Mt)

1998 19,491,000 short tons (17.7 Mt)

1999 18,867,000 short tons (17.1 Mt)

Sulfur dioxide is a major air pollutant and has significant impacts
upon human health. In addition, the concentration of sulfur dioxide
in the atmosphere can influence the habitat suitability for plant
communities, as well as animal life. Sulfur dioxide emissions are a
precursor to acid rain and atmospheric particulates. Due largely to
the US EPA’s Acid Rain Program, the U.S. has had a 33%
decrease in emissions between 1983 and 2002. This
improvement resulted in part from flue-gas desulfurization, a
technology that enables SO2 to be chemically bound in power
plants burning sulfur-containing coal or oil. In particular, calcium
oxide (lime) reacts with sulfur dioxide to form calcium sulfite:
CaO + SO2 → CaSO3
Aerobic oxidation of the CaSO3 gives CaSO4, anhydrite. Most
gypsum sold in Europe comes from flue-gas desulfurization.
Sulfur can be removed from coal during burning by using
limestone as a bed material in fluidized bed combustion.
Sulfur can also be removed from fuels before burning, preventing
formation of SO2 when the fuel is burnt. The Claus process is
used in refineries to produce sulfur as a byproduct. The Stretford
process has also been used to remove sulfur from
fuel. Redox processes using iron oxides can also be used, for
example, Lo-Cat or Sulferox.
Fuel additives such as calcium additives and magnesium
carboxylate may be used in marine engines to lower the emission
of sulfur dioxide gases into the atmosphere.
As of 2006, China was the world's largest sulfur dioxide polluter,
with 2005 emissions estimated to be 25,490,000 short tons
(23.1 Mt). This amount represents a 27% increase since 2000,
and is roughly comparable with U.S. emissions in 1980.
 SAFETY
Inhalation :
Inhaling sulfur dioxide is associated with increased
respiratory symptoms and disease, difficulty in breathing,
and premature death.[44] In 2008, the American
Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists reduced
the short-term exposure limit to 0.25 parts per million .
The OSHA PEL is currently set at 5 (13 mg/m3) time-
weighted average. NIOSH has set the IDLH at 100
ppm. In 2010, the EPA"revised the primary
SO2 NAAQS by establishing a new one-hour standard at a
level of 75 parts per billion (ppb). EPA revoked the two
existing primary standards because they would not
provide additional public health protection given a one-
hour standard at 75 ppb."
A 2011 systematic review concluded that exposure to
sulfur dioxide is associated with preterm birth.
Ingestion :
In the United States, the Center for Science in the Public
Interest lists the two food preservatives, sulfur dioxide
and sodium bisulfite, as being safe for human
consumption except for certain asthmatic individuals who
may be sensitive to them, especially in large amounts.
Symptoms of sensitivity to sulfiting agents, including sulfur
dioxide, manifest as potentially life-threatening trouble
breathing within minutes of ingestion.
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