UNIVERSITY OF WAH

WAH ENGINEERING COLLEGE

Department of Chemical Engineering
Assignment # 05
Course Title: Maintenance Engineering
Semester: Course Teacher: Aasia Farrukh
Total Marks: 100 Date: 18-01-2021
Course Code: Ch.E-404
Student Name: Muhammad Aqib Muneeb Reg No.Uw-17-Che-Bsc-020
Title: Air Pollution

Course Program Learning Domain

Learning Learning
Outcome Outcome
CLO-3 PLO-7 Cognitive 3,4

PLO-7: Environment and Sustainability: An ability to understand the impact of

professional engineering solutions in societal and environmental contexts and
1 demonstrate knowledge of and need for sustainable development.
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CLO-3. Explain the methods of environmental pollution control especially Effluent treatment
and waste disposal.

1. Describe typical sources and types of air emissions resulting from steelmaking. What
are some pollution prevention practices used in this industry? What are some of the
emission control devices used and for what purposes?
2. Describe typical sources and types of air emissions resulting from petroleum refining.
What are some pollution prevention practices used in this industry? What are some of
the emission control devices used and for what purposes?
3. Describe typical sources and types of air emissions resulting from fertilizer
manufacturing. What are some pollution prevention practices used in this industry?
What are some of the emission control devices used and for what purposes?
 Table of Contents
Question # 01........................................................................................................................................3
Answer:.................................................................................................................................................3
Air Pollution................................................................................................................................…3
Main pollutants........................................................................................................................……3
Emission......................................................................................................................................…3
Types of Air Pollution Control Systems and Equipment.......................................................................4
Methods of measurement and analysis.........................................................................................…4
Control of pollution......................................................................................................................…4
Emission control devices..............................................................................................................…5
Question # 02:.......................................................................................................................................5
Answer:.................................................................................................................................................5
Refining Processes and Products
..........................................................................................................................................................
….6
Sources of Environmental Pollution from the Petroleum Industry
..........................................................................................................................................................
….6
Question # 03:.......................................................................................................................................6

2 Answer:.................................................................................................................................................6
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Pollution in Fertilizer Industry.............................................................................................................8
Emission control devices used and for what purposes......................................................................7
References...........................................................................................................................................11

Table of Figures
Figure 1: Effect of air pollution on vegetates.........................................................................................7
 Question # 01
Describe typical sources and types of air emissions resulting from steelmaking. What are
some pollution prevention practices used in this industry? What are some of the emission
control devices used and for what purposes?

Answer:
In this day and age, pollution control systems are a must. Air pollutants are generated through
both natural—e.g., volcanic eruptions and wildfires—and human-made sources—including
mobile and stationary ones. Mobile refers to moving sources, such as airplanes, trains, and
automobiles, while stationary refers to fixed industrial sources, such as power plants,
factories, and other facilities. Stationary sources are further broken into major and area
sources: major sources emit either 10 or more tons of a single air pollutant or 25 or more tons
of a combination of air pollutants, while area sources emit less than 10 tons of a single
pollutant or less than 25 tons of a combination of pollutants. In high enough concentrations,
the pollutants produced by either mobile or stationary sources could cause adverse effects to
the atmosphere, the surrounding environment, and human life, such as increasing the average

3 global temperature, decreasing atmospheric visibility, diminishing air ReferencesReferences

quality, and affecting
human health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented the Clean Air Act
(CAA) which imposed regulations on both sources of air pollutants to help mitigate their
effect on the atmosphere, the environment, and human life.
The types of pollutants regulated by the EPA are divided into three groups, which include
criteria air pollutants, air toxics, and greenhouse gases.
 Criteria air pollutants are a group of six common air pollutants—i.e., particulate
matter (PM), photochemical oxidants (e.g., ozone), carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide,
nitrogen oxide, and lead—which can negatively affect public health and welfare, the
atmosphere and environment, and surrounding structures.
 The term “air toxics” refers to a list of over 180 air pollutants—e.g., organic
chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), metals, and metal compounds,
including fuels, solvents, mercury, arsenic, asbestos, and benzene—which yield
hazardous health and environment effects even when present in trace amounts and
produced by fewer sources compared to criteria pollutants.
 Greenhouse gases (GHGs) refers to gases, including carbon dioxide,
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), methane, and ozone, which both affect human health
 and contribute to the escalation of the greenhouse effect on Earth and the subsequent
effect on the global climate.
Types of Air Pollution Control Systems and Equipment

Air pollutants are generated by nearly every facet of the industrial process, including raw
material sourcing, product manufacturing, maintenance and repair services, and distribution.
Consequently, there are several different types of air pollution control equipment available
for air pollutants produced by both mobile and stationary sources across a wide range of
industries. However, this article focuses mainly on control equipment for stationary-sourced
air pollutants, such as those produced during combustion processes.
In an industrial setting, air pollution control equipment is an umbrella term referring to
equipment and systems used to regulate and eliminate the emission of potentially hazardous
substances—including particulate matter and gases—produced by manufacturing, process
system, and research applications into the air, atmosphere, and surrounding environment.
Control equipment has applications in a wide range of industries, preventing the release of
chemicals, vapors, and dust and filtering and purifying the air within the work environment.
Typically, fans or blowers direct industrial exhaust and emissions into the air pollution
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control equipment and systems which remove or reduce air pollutants through the use of one
or more of the following processes:
 Combustion (i.e., destroying the pollutant)
 Conversion (i.e., chemically changing the pollutant to a less harmful compound)
 Collection (i.e., removing the pollutant from the waste air before its release into the
environment and atmosphere)
Some types of air pollution control equipment applied to industrial applications and which
utilize one or more of the methods of air pollutant removal or reduction mentioned above
include:
o Scrubbers
o Air Filters
o Cyclones
o Electrostatic Precipitators
o Mist Collectors
o Incinerators
o Catalytic Reactors
 o Bio filters

Question # 02:
Describe typical sources and types of air emissions resulting from petroleum refining. What
are some pollution prevention practices used in this industry? What are some of the emission
control devices used and for what purposes?

Answer:
Petroleum refining is one of the largest industries in the United States and a vital part of the
national economy. However, potential environmental hazards associated with refineries have
caused increased concern for communities in close proximity to them. This update provides a
general overview of the processes involved and some of the potential environmental hazards
associated with petroleum refineries
Definition of a petroleum refinery
Petroleum refineries separate crude oil into a wide array of petroleum products through a
series of physical and chemical separation techniques. These techniques include fractionation,
cracking, hydrotreating, combination/blending processes, and manufacturing and transport.
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The refining industry supplies several widely used everyday products including petroleum
gas, kerosene, diesel fuel, motor oil, asphalt, and waxes.
Environmental hazards of petroleum refineries
Refineries are generally considered a major source of pollutants in areas where they are
located and are regulated by a number of environmental laws related to air, land and water.
Some of the regulations that affect the refining industry include the Clean Air Act, the Clean
Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, CERCLA (i.e. Superfund: Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-Know (EPCRA), OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health
Administration), TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act), Oil Pollution Act and Spill
Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plans. Here is a breakdown of the air, water, and soil
hazards posed by refineries:
The air pollutants including SOx and Pb emitted from transportation activities could be
significantly reduced by controlling the precursor pollutants in raw materials. The NOx, CO,
and hydrocarbon emissions from transportation activity could be reduced by the application
of catalytic converters and the control of lubricant consumption. The strategies to reduce
 motorized transportation demand and improve the road quality and traffic flow decrease the
energy consumption demand, leading to decrease in air pollution emission. The strategies to
control livestock feeding, animal housing systems, manure storage systems, application of
manure for crops and application of fertilizers and pesticides significantly reduced the
emission of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ammonia (NH3). The strategies to
control construction activities including control of site planning, construction traffic,
demolition works, and site activities significantly reduced the emission of particulate matter.

Question # 03:
Describe typical sources and types of air emissions resulting from fertilizer manufacturing.
What are some pollution prevention practices used in this industry? What are some of the
emission control devices used and for what purposes?

Answer:
Cooling Towers
Cooling towers significantly lower the temperature of cooling water recirculated to various
process units at the ammonium nitrate plant. PM emissions result from the total dissolved
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solids in the circulating water becoming trapped within liquid drift droplets entrained in the
air and are directly discharged from the tower into the atmosphere. VOC emissions are
generated from cooling towers by: 1) leakage from process heat exchangers that service the
hydrocarbon process streams; and 2) use of chemicals containing VOCs that are added to the
circulating water for treatment. Please note: VOC emissions are expected from cooling
towers used at chemical plants where the circulating waters cool down process streams and
NOT from cooling towers used in conjunction with heating, ventilating and air conditioning
(HVAC) units. Equipment Leaks (Fugitives)
Equipment (e.g. valves, flanges, connectors, pumps, etc.) on the process units and piping
network at an ammonium nitrate plant will leak small quantities of their contents directly to
the atmosphere. Collectively, the small leaks can amount to a significant source of ammonia
and VOC emissions at the ammonium nitrate plant.
 Figure 1: effect of air pollution on vegetates

Emission control devices used and for what purposes

The commonly used add-on pollution control technologies include the following.
1. Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR): SCR is one of the most commonly used secondary
methods to reduce or eliminate the emissions of NOX from industrial sources. In the SCR
process, a reagent (usually NH3) reacts with NOX to form N2 and H2O. SCR utilizes a
catalyst matrix to increase the NOX removal efficiency, which allows the reduction reaction
to take place at reduced temperatures compared to Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction
(SNCR) discussed below (i.e., 315ºC to 375ºC for SCR, as opposed to 870ºC to 1,150ºC for
SNCR). SCR technology can be used separately or in combination with other NOX
combustion control technologies such as low NOX burners (LNB) and natural gas reburn
(NGR). It can also be designed to provide NOX reductions year-round or seasonally, such as
during summer months, when ozone concerns are greatest.
2. Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SNCR): Like SCR, SNCR is one of the most commonly
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used secondary methods to reduce or eliminate the emissions of NOX from industrial
sources. In the SNCR process, ammonia is mixed with the exhaust from the combustion
device or other industrial equipment and the NOX in the exhaust is minimized by reacting
with the introduced ammonia to form N2 and H2O. As the name implies, no catalyst is used
for the SNCR technology. Like SCR, SNCR technology can be used separately or in
combination with other NOX combustion control technologies such as low NOX burners
(LNB) and natural gas reburn (NGR). It can also be designed to provide NOX reductions
year-round or seasonally, such as during summer months, when ozone concerns are greatest.

3. Non-Selective Catalytic Reduction (NSCR): NSCR is an add-on NOX control technology for
exhaust streams with low O2 content. NSCR uses a three way catalyst to reduce NOX, CO,
and HCs to N2, CO2, and H2O. Because the CO and HCs will more readily react with O2
than NOX, there must be little O2 in the exhaust (between 0.5% and 4%, depending upon the
system). Excess oxygen is removed by the catalyst or, in some designs, an afterburner, which
necessitates injecting additional hydrocarbons (i.e., natural gas) to act as the reducing agent.
 4. Oxidation Catalysts (OC): OC are processes that oxidize compounds using catalysts.
Common applications involve oxidation of organic compounds by oxygen in the air.
Catalytic oxidation does not rely on the introduction of additional chemical reagents to
promote the desired reactions. The activation energy required for the oxidation reaction
between O2, CO, and VOCs to proceed is reduced in the presence of a catalyst. Products of
combustion are introduced into a catalytic bed, with the optimum temperature range for these
systems being between 370°C and 600°C. The catalyst oxidizes CO to CO2, and VOCs to
CO2 and H2O; but, it also can promote other, less desirable, oxidation reactions such as NH3
to NOX and SO2 to SO3. Consequently, the presence of an oxidation catalyst can cause
emissions of other pollutants to increase, and therefore its design needs to be carefully
considered.

5. EMx: The EMx (formerly SCONOx) system is an add-on catalyst control device that reduces
emissions of multiple pollutants. EMx control technology is provided by Emerachem, LLC
(formerly Goal Line Environmental Technologies). EMx utilizes a single catalyst that
significantly reduces SOX and PM emissions; while at the same time, reduces CO, VOC and
NOX, by converting them to CO2, H2O and N2. EMx is considered a Lowest Achievable
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Emission Rate (LAER) technology for NOX abatements (RJ Mann & Associates Inc., 2017).
EMx is capable of achieving NOX levels below 1.5 ppm. The system does not use NH3, and
operates most effectively at temperatures ranging from 150°C - 370°C. Operation of EMx
requires natural gas, water, steam, electricity and ambient air, and no special reagent
chemicals or processes are necessary. Steam is used periodically to regenerate the catalyst
bed and is an integral part of the process.

6. Cyclone Separator: A cyclone separator, also called simply a “cyclone”, is a method of

removing PM from an air, gas or liquid stream via vortex separation that does not involve the
use of filters. Cyclones provide a low-cost, low-maintenance method of removing large
particulate matter from gas streams. Because cyclone operating costs and collection
efficiency of fine PM are low, they are not sufficient on their own to meet stringent emission
standards; but, are often used as “pre-cleaners” to remove larger particulate matter (e.g. >2.5
µm) prior to the exhaust reaching the primary control device such as an electrostatic
precipitator (ESP) or fabric filter. Actual collection efficiencies of a cyclone vary greatly
based on the design of the cyclone, operating flow rate, and various properties of the gas and
 PM. The control efficiency range for a typical cyclone is estimated at 70% to 90% for PM,
30% to 90% for PM10, and 0% to 40% for PM2.5 .

7. Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP): ESPs are capable of removing all size of particulate matter
including PM, PM10, and PM2.5; along with HAPs that are in particular form, such as most
metals. They remove PM from an exhaust stream by imposing an electrical charge on the
particles and then attracting them to an oppositely charged plate. The dust collected on the
charged plates is periodically removed by vibrating or rapping of the plates. An ESP’s
collection efficiency depends on several factors with ESP size being the most important,
since size determines the amount of treatment time. In other words, the longer time a particle
spends in an ESP, the greater its chance of being collected. Current, commercially available
ESPs have design efficiencies between 99% and 99.9%; while older ones from the 1980’s or
1990’s have operating efficiencies of 90% to 95% .

8. Fabric Filter: Also referred to as “baghouses”, due to the configured fabric bags used, fabric
filters use various types of materials (generally fabrics) to trap PM (for example submicron
size) while the gas passes through the voids in the material. PM particles form a more or less
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porous cake on the surface of the fabric. It is normally this cake that actually does the
filtration. Depending on the performance of the fabric filter system, the manner in which the
excess PM is removed from the fabric becomes a critical factor. If the dust cake is not
adequately removed, the pressure drop across the system will increase to an excessive
amount. If too much of the cake is removed, excessive dust leakage will occur while the fresh
cake develops. In either case, the excess dust required to be removed from the fabric bags is
periodically done by either shaking, blowing jets of air, or using sonic horns. In the context of
chemical and fertilizer plants, baghouses are generally considered a better choice over ESPs
for control of PM, PM10, and PM2.5. The reason is an ESP required to achieve the same
level of fine PM control as a fabric filter or baghouse typically requires a very large plate area
resulting in a much higher cost. Also, a baghouse proves in most cases to be much more
reliable than an ESP because of the availability of different fibres/fabrics, improvements in
the design of the bag fabrics, and better cleaning techniques.
9. Wet Scrubber: Wet scrubbers can be used to remove PM, inorganic gases or VOC. PM
control using wet scrubbers involves contacting or scrubbing the gases with a liquid, typically
water or an aqueous solution, to capture PM (> 0.5 to 10 µm depending upon the
 configuration). Another way wet scrubbers are used to control PM is to increase the size of
aerosol to facilitate capture in another control device. Depending on the design and
application, wet scrubbers have collection efficiencies ranging from 50% to 95% for PM. It
should be noted that spray tower scrubbers are not generally used for fine PM applications.
When used as control devices for inorganic gases, wet scrubbers can achieve removal
efficiencies ranging from 95% to 99%. Wet scrubbers can also be used to remove VOCs;
however, the removal efficiency depends on each pollutant-solvent system and the type of
absorber used. Most absorbers have removal efficiencies in excess of 90% with most having
the ability to achieve efficiencies of greater than 99%.
10. Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD): FGD or SO2 scrubbing process is a set of technologies
used to remove SO2 from exhaust flue gases typically using a calcium- or sodium-based
alkaline reagent. The reagent is injected in the flue gas in a spray tower or directly into the
exhaust duct. The SO2 is absorbed, neutralized and/or oxidized by the alkaline reagent into a
solid compound, either calcium or sodium sulphate. The resulting solid (i.e. particulate
matter) is removed from the waste gas stream using downstream particulate control
equipment. Current, commercially available FGD units are capable of reduction efficiencies
easily in in excess of 90% for both wet and dry designs.
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11. Flares and Thermal Incinerators: Flares and thermal incinerators (or thermal oxidizers) are
control devices that destroy hydrocarbons (e.g. VOCs) or inorganic gases (e.g. ammonia) by
combusting them. The main difference between flares and thermal incinerators is the gases
are burned in a combustion chamber, rather than an open flame. Both flares and thermal
incinerators are capable of achieving destruction efficiencies of over 99% depending on
system requirements and characteristics of the contaminated stream.
 References
https://www.pnas.org/content/116/40/19857
https://www.intechopen.com/books/current-air-quality-issues/emission-control-technology
https://www.google.com/search?
q=Describe+typical+sources+and+types+of+air+emissions+resulting+from+fertilizer+manuf
acturing.&rlz=1C1ZKTG_enPK921PK921&sxsr
https://sciencing.com/factories-cause-air-pollution-5169.html

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