Lecture –6_Environmental Studies (BITS- F 225)

Smita Raghuvanshi
Associate Professor, Department of Chemical
Engineering
BITS Pilani
Pilani Campus August 31, 2020
 Atmospheric Stability
• Tendency of the atmosphere to resist or enhance vertical motion is
termed stability. It is related to both
wind speed and
change of air temperature with height (lapse rate)
• A comparison of the adiabatic lapse rate with the environmental
lapse rate gives an idea of the stability of the atmosphere

If an air parcel is displaced from its original height it can:

Return to its original height - Stable
Accelerate upward because it is buoyant - Unstable
Stay at the place to which it was displaced - Neutral

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 Atmospheric stability
• Its important to understand the distinction between parcel
and the environment
• Parcel is a specific group of air molecules that does not mix
with the surrounding air (i.e. the environment)
• Changes in the temperature of air within the parcel is
only due to the expansion/compression of the parcel, or
due to latent heat released by water vapor condensing in
the parcel
• Parcel doesn't "feel" the surrounding air temperature
(remember the definition of adiabatic).
• As a parcel rises, it will cool at the dry adiabatic rate if
unsaturated; it will cool at the moist adiabatic rate if
saturated.
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 Atmospheric dispersion
modeling
• To know if a rising parcel will remain buoyant and
continue to rise means; we need to know if the parcel
will remain warmer than its environment
• The parcel cools as it rises. The environment's
temperature also cools as you go up. The key question is
whether the parcel will cool faster, or slower, than the
environment. This means we compare the parcel's lapse
rate (or rate of cooling as you go up) with
the environmental lapse rate.

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When the Γenv and the Γadia are exactly same, a rising parcel of air will have the same pressure,
temperature and density as those of the surroundings and would experience no buoyant
force
Such an atmosphere is said to be neutrally stable where a displaced mass of air neither tends
to return to its original position nor tends to continue its displacement
When the Γenv is more than the Γadia, a rising air parcel becomes cooler
and more dense than its surroundings and tends to fall back to its
original position
Such an atmosphere condition is called stable and the lapse rate is
said to be subadiabatic
Under stable conditions there is very little vertical mixing and
pollutants can only disperse very slowly
Under stable conditions there is very little vertical mixing and
pollutants can only disperse very slowly
When the Γenv is less than the Γadia, the atmosphere is said to be
superadiabatic. Hence, a rising parcel of air, cooling at the adiabatic
rate, will be warmer and less dense than the surrounding
environment. As a result, it becomes more buoyant and tends to
continue its upward motion.
Since vertical motion is enhanced by buoyancy, such an atmosphere is
called unstable. In the unstable atmosphere the air from different
altitude mixes thoroughly.
Since vertical motion is enhanced by buoyancy, such an atmosphere is
called unstable. In the unstable atmosphere the air from different
altitude mixes thoroughly.
Inversion
The extreme case of a stable atmosphere, called an inversion, occurs
when temperature increases with altitude. Such a lapse rate is known
as negative lapse rate. Under these conditions, the atmosphere is
very stable and practically no mixing of pollutants takes place
 Atmospheric dispersion

• Plume dispersion from a chimney stack is a

phenomena to discuss atmospheric dispersion; although
many areas of interest include -

• In order to predict concentrations of pollutants remote

from the source; many techniques of air quality modeling
have evolved; these include

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 Atmospheric dispersion
modeling
• Mathematical simulation of the physics and
chemistry governing the transport, dispersion and
transformation of pollutants in the atmosphere

• Means of estimating downwind air pollution

concentrations, given information about the pollutant
emissions and nature of the atmosphere

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 Atmospheric dispersion
modeling procedure
• Stage – 1 – Data input
• Include – background concentration of pollutants; metero
logical conditions; source data (site description; emission
rates);
• Stage – 2 – Data processing – data is entered in various
models
• Stage – 3 – Data output – prediction of ground level of
pollutants
• Stage – 4 – Data analysis – assessment of potential
environmental and health effects

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 Atmospheric dispersion
modeling
• Gaussian
• Numerical
• Statistical
• Empirical
• Physical
• Gaussian model -
• The emphasis is on Gaussian-plume type models for
continuous releases, which are at the core of most
regulatory models
• Gaussian models are the most widely used techniques
for estimating the impact of nonreactive pollutants

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 Global warming

Introduction…
1. About 75% of solar energy reaching the earth is
absorbed by earth`s surface, which lead to increase in
its temp
2. Rest of heat radiates back to atmosphere
3. Some of the heat is trapped by GHGs, mostly CO2;
4. CO2 is released mainly from power sectors, cement
industry; by other anthropogenic sources; CO2 amounts
are rapidly increasing and thus contribute to global
warming

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 Carbon capture: Global
warming

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Industrial systems are moving
towards…

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Existing Solution
• Introduction
• Existing Solution

Fig. 3 Carbon Capture and Sequestration

(CCS)
Source: 10th, 2009 by Ruedigar Matthes

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Existing Solution
• Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the process
of capturing waste carbon dioxide (CO2) from large point
sources, such as fossil fuel power plants, transporting it to
a storage site, and depositing it where it will not enter the
atmosphere, ...

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Existing Solution: CCS

Absorption Process
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Existing Solution
Disadvantages of CCS
• Introduction
• High capital cost,
• Existing Solution
• Energy associated with
compression of CO2(g)
and its transportation
• Leakage problems

Fig. 3 Carbon Capture and Sequestration

(CCS)
Source: 10th, 2009 by Ruedigar Matthes

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Carbon Capture and Utilization
(CCU)

Fig. 4 Different means of CCU

Source: http: www//co2chem.co.uk/, 15th March 2017

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Limitations of chemical and
physical CCU
• High Energy penalty
• Associated separation, transportation and utilization cost associated with
the chemical and physical means of CO2(g) utilization

CO2(g) bio-mitigation

Photosynthesis Chemosynthesis

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Photo bioreactors – in house

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Open pond system for algal
cultivation

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 Literature Review
Table 1: CO2(g) bio-mitigation batch studies from the period of 2007 to 2016

Species CO2 concentration Biomass CO2 fixation References

(% v/v) Productivity rate
(g L-1 d-1) (mg(C) L-1 d-1)
Chlorella kessleri & 0.038, 6, 12 & 18 0.090 (±0.002) - De Morais and
Scenedesmus obliquus & Costa (2007)
0.085 (±0.002)
Chlorogleopsis sp. 5 - 20.45 Ono and Cuello
(2007)
S. obliquus strain CNW- 20 0.22 - Ho et al., (2010)
N & AS-6-1 &
0.16
Dunaliella tertiolecta 5 496.98 318.61, Sydney et al., (2010)
SAD-13.86 272.4 & 251.64
Chlorella vulgaris LEB-
104
Spirulina platensis LEB-
52
Botryococcus braunii
SAG-30.81

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Introduction
Limitations with Photoautotrophs

Industrial challenges

• low utilization of light

• poor circulation of biomass
• accumulation of O2(g) within the system
• Difficulty in controlling the growth parameters
• Direct utilization of flue gas as CO2(g) source
adversely effect the growth

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CCU
• Then, can we try some other way for CCU????

Chemolithotrophs –
• Chemolithotrophs harness the required energy from redox-
reactions for metabolizing the inorganic form of carbon
(CO2)to accomplish their cellular demand

• Hence, in contrast to phototrophs, if chemolithotrophic

bacterium is able to assimilate CO2 at high CO2
concentration and at room temperatures then it would be
economically viable and efficient route for bio-mitigation of
CO2
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CCU_Chemolithotrophs
• To carry out the batch experiments for the mitigation
of CO2(g) in bioreactor using pure and mixed culture
of microorganisms

• To develop the bio-filter column at laboratory scale

and determine its performance for the mitigation of
CO2(g) by conducting experiments

• To characterize the bottom products and biomass

obtained during biofiltration experiments for the
identification of byproducts
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CO2(g) bio-mitigation batch
studies

Schematic diagram of experimental set-up for batch studies

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 Continuous studies
MSM Gas outlet
5 mL min-1 0.32 cm

15-20 min in Column I.D = 0.5 m

Liquid distributor = 15
every 12 h Distributor Inlet
cm from top
Gas Spurger = perforated
plate, I.D. =1 mm, 15 cm
90 cm from bottom
Gas inlet & outlet = 0.32
cm
Coal + compost 15 cm Sample port along the
(1:4) 1.6 m Packing 6 Nos. with 15
cm separation
used as packing
Sampling ports
Coal size = 3 mm

Gas Inlet
Sparger 0.32 cm CO2(g) inlet
Valve 5-20 % (v/v)
Pump & Valve
Drainage

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Fig. 8 Schematic of packed bed bio-reactor 36
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