Air, Noise and Thermal Pollution

Environmental Pollution: Contamination of the physical and biological components of the

earth/atmosphere system to such an extent that normal environmental processes are adversely
affected.
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the environment that
cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or that damage the
environment, which can come in the form of different types of pollution (air, noise, soil,
marine, water and land).
Pollution is thus direct or indirect change in any component of the biosphere that is harmful to
the living components and in particular undesirable for human being.
Pollution may be defined as addition of undesirable material into the environment as a result of
human activities.
A pollutant is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effects,
or adversely affects the usefulness of a resource. Any substance that causes pollution could be
a pollutant. A pollutant may be defined as a physical, chemical or biological substance
unintentionally released into the environment which is directly or indirectly harmful to humans
and other living organisms.
Types of Pollutants
Primary Pollutants: directly released into air from sources.
 Carbon compounds (CO2 and CO)
 Sulfur compounds (SOx)
 Nitrogen compounds (Nox)
 Halogen compounds (Cl, Br etc.)
 Aerosols or particulate matters
Secondary Pollutants: not directly released from sources but instead of this, they are formed
in atmosphere from primary contaminants
 Ozone formed from reactions of photochemical of VOCs and nitrogen oxides.
 The droplets of sulfuric acid formed from sulfur dioxide.
 The droplets of nitric acid formed from nitrogen dioxide.
 Sulfate aerosols formed from reactions of sulfuric acid droplets with ammonia.
 Nitrate aerosols formed from reactions of nitric acid droplets with ammonia.
There are different types of pollution like air pollution, thermal pollution, noise pollution,
water pollution, radioactive pollution etc.
 AIR POLLUTION
Air pollution refers to the release of pollutants into the air that are detrimental to human health
and the planet as a whole.
Air pollution may be defined as the presence of any solid, liquid or gaseous substance
including noise and radioactive radiation in the atmosphere in such concentration that may be
directly and indirectly injurious to humans or other living organisms, plants, property or
interferes with the normal environmental processes.
Pollution in the air is caused by solid and liquid particles and certain gases that are suspended in
the air. These particles and gases can come from automobile (car/truck/rail) exhaust, factories, burning
of fossil fuel, dust, pollen, mold spores, volcanoes and wildfires. The solid and liquid particles
suspended in our air are called aerosols.
Air pollutants are of two types:
(1) Suspended particulate matter
(2) Gaseous pollutants like carbon dioxide (CO2), NO2 etc.
1) Particulate pollutants: Particulate matters suspended in air are dust and soot released
from the industrial chimneys. Their size ranges from 0.001 to 500 µm in diameter. Particles
less than 10µm float and move freely with the air current. Particles which are more than 10µm
in diameter settle down. Particles less than 0.02 µm form persistent aerosols.
Major source of SPM (suspended particulate matter) are vehicles, power plants, construction
activities, oil refinery, railway yard, market place, industries, etc. Different types of pollutants
are there are like fly ash, lead and other metal particles.
• Fly ash: Fly ash is ejected mostly by thermal power plants as by-products of coal burning
operations. Fly ash pollutes air and water and may cause heavy metal pollution in water bodies.
Fly ash affects vegetation as a result of its direct deposition on leaf surfaces or indirectly
through its deposition on soil
• Lead and other metals particles: Tetraethyl lead (TEL) is used as an anti-knock agent in
petrol for smooth and easy running of vehicles. The lead particles coming out from the
exhaust pipes of vehicles is mixed with air. If inhaled, it produces injurious effects on kidney
and liver and interferes with development of red blood cells. Lead mixed with water and food
can create cumulative poisoning. It has long term effects on children as it lowers intelligence.
Oxides of iron, aluminium, manganese, magnesium, zinc and other metals have adverse effect
due to deposition of dust on plants during mining operations and metallurgical processes. They
create physiological, biochemical and developmental disorders in plants and also contribute
towards reproductive failure in plants.
2) Gaseous pollutants: Power plants, industries, different types of vehicles – both private and
commercial use petrol, diesel as fuel and release gaseous pollutants such as carbon dioxide,
oxides of nitrogen and sulphur dioxide along with particulate matter in the form of smoke. All
of these have harmful effects on plants and humans.
Air Pollution and its control
 Indoor air pollution:
 Poor ventilation due to faulty design of buildings leads to pollution of the confined
space.
 Paints, carpets, furniture, etc. in rooms may give out volatile organic compounds
(VOCs).
 Use of disinfectants, fumigants, etc. may release hazardous gases.
 In hospitals, pathogens present in waste remain in the air in the form of spores. This
can result in hospital acquired infections and is an occupational health hazard.
 In congested areas, slums and rural areas burning of firewood and biomass results in lot
of smoke. Children and ladies exposed to smoke may suffer from acute respiratory
problems which include running nose, cough, sore throat, lung infection, asthama,
difficulty in breathing, noisy respiration and sneezing.
Prevention and control of indoor air pollution
 Use of wood and dung cakes should be replaced by cleaner fuels such as biogas,
kerosene or electricity. But supply of electricity is limited. Similarly kerosene is also
limited.
 Improved stoves for looking like smokeless challahs have high thermal efficiency and
reduced emission of pollutants including smoke.
 The house designs should incorporate a well-ventilated kitchen. Use of biogas and
CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) need to be encouraged.
 Charcoal is a comparatively cleaner fuel. Indoor pollution due to decay of exposed
kitchen waste can be reduced by covering the waste properly.
 Segregation of waste, pre-treatment at source, sterilization of rooms will help in
checking indoor air pollution.
Prevention and control of industrial pollution
Industrial pollution can be greatly reduced by:
 (a) Use of cleaner fuels such as liquefied natural gas in power plants, fertilizer plants
etc. which is cheaper in addition to being environmentally friendly.
(b) Employing environment friendly industrial processes so that emission of pollutants
and hazardous waste is minimized.
(c) Installing devices which reduce release of pollutants. Devices like filters,
electrostatic precipitators, inertial collectors, scrubbers, gravel bed filters or dry
scrubbers are described below:
(i) Filters – Filters remove particulate matter from the gas stream. The medium of a
filter may be made of fibrous materials like cloth, granular material like sand, a rigid
material like screen, or any mat like felt pad. Baghouse filtration system is the most
common one and is made of cotton or synthetic fibres (for low temperatures) or glass
cloth fabrics (for higher temperature up to 290oC).
(ii) Electrostatic precipitators (ESP)- The emanating dust is charged with ions and
the ionized particulate matter is collected on an oppositely charged surface. The
particles are removed from the collection surface by occasional shaking or by rapping
the surface. ESPs are used in boilers, furnaces, and many other units of thermal power
plants, cement factories, steel plants, etc.
(iii) Inertial collectors: This device collects heavier particles more efficiently.
‘Cyclone’ is a common inertial collector used in gas cleaning plants.
(Iv) Scrubbers - Scrubbers are wet collectors. They remove aerosols from a stream of
gas either by collecting wet particles on a surface followed by their removal, or else the
particles are wetted by a scrubbing liquid. The particles get trapped as they travel from
supporting gaseous medium across the interface to the liquid scrubbing medium.
Gaseous pollutants can be removed by absorption in a liquid using a wet scrubber and
depends on the type of the gas to be removed e.g. for removal of sulphur dioxide
alkaline solution is needed as it dissolves sulphur dioxide. Gaseous pollutants may be
absorbed on an activated solid surface like silica gel, alumina, carbon, etc. Silica gel
can remove water vapour. Condensation allows the recovery of many by products in
coal and petroleum processing industries from their liquid effluents. Apart from the use
of above mentioned devices, other control measures are-
• increasing the height of chimneys.
• closing industries which pollute the environment.
• shifting of polluting industries away from cities and heavily populated areas.
 • Development and maintenance of green belt of adequate width. (iv) Control of
vehicular pollution
• The emission standards for automobiles have been set which if followed will reduce
the pollution. Standards have been set for the durability of catalytic converters which
reduce vehicular emission.
• In cities, motor vehicles need to obtain Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate at
regular intervals. This ensures that levels of pollutants emitted from vehicle exhaust are
not beyond the prescribed legal limits.
• The price of diesel is much cheaper than petrol which promotes use of diesel. To
reduce emission of sulphur dioxide, sulphur content in diesel has been reduced to
0.05%.
• Earlier lead in the form of tetraethyl lead was added in the petrol to raise octane level
for smooth running of engines. Addition of lead in petrol has been banned to prevent
emission of lead particles with the vehicular emission.
Major Classes of Air Pollutants:

 Carbon oxides (CO & CO2)

o sources = incomplete combustion of fossil fuels
 transportation, industry, & home heating
o CO2 is an important greenhouse gas
o CO (carbon monoxide)
 the most abundant pollutant known to affect human health
 combines with haemoglobin & may create problems for infants, the
elderly, & those with heart or respiratory diseases

 Sulphur oxides (mainly SO2, or sulphur dioxide)

o source = combustion of coal & oil (esp. coal)
 industrial manufacturing processes, industrial combustion ,transportation
o can react with gases in atmosphere to form sulphuric acid ('acid rain')
o Exposure to SO2 can cause impairment of respiratory function, aggravation of
existing respiratory disease (especially bronchitis), and a decrease in the ability
of the lungs to clear foreign particles. It can also lead to increased mortality,
especially if elevated levels of particulate matter (PM) are also present. Groups
that appear most sensitive to the effects of SO 2 include asthmatics and other
 individuals with hyperactive airways, and individuals with chronic obstructive
lung or cardiovascular disease. Elderly people and children are also likely to be
more sensitive to SO2.

 Nitrogen oxides - NO (nitric oxide) & NO2 (nitrogen dioxide)

o source = motor vehicles & industry (burning fossil fuels)
o can react with other gases in atmosphere to from nitric acid (HNO3) ('acid rain')

 Volatile organic compounds (hydrocarbons) - methane, benzene, propane, &

chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's)
o source = motor vehicles (evaporation from gas tanks), industry, & various
household products
o Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors than outdoors. A
study by the EPA, covering six communities in various parts of the United
States, found indoor levels up to ten times higher than those outdoors-even in
locations with significant outdoor pollution sources, such as petrochemical
plants.
o Eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, and
memory impairment are among the immediate symptoms that some people have
experienced soon after exposure to some organics. At present, not much is
known about what health effects occur from the levels of organics usually found
in homes. Many organic compounds are known to cause cancer in animals;
some are suspected of causing, or are known to cause, cancer in humans.

 Suspended particulate matter

o solid particles (e.g., dust, soot, & asbestos) & liquid droplets (e.g., pesticides)
o sources = power plants, iron/steel mills, land clearing, highway construction,
mining, & other activities that disturb or disrupt the earth's surface
o act as respiratory irritants; some are known carcinogens (e.g., asbestos)
o can aggravate heart/respiratory diseases

 Toxic compounds
o trace amounts of at least 600 toxic substances (such as lead and mercury)
produced by human activities
  Mercury is an element that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust. Most people and
wildlife can generally tolerate the extremely low levels of this naturally occuring
substance. When mercury enters the body it becomes concentrated in tissue, an
effect known as bioaccumulation. Because this element is toxic at very low
concentrations, even slight increases in the minute concentrations naturally
present in the environment can have serious effects on humans and wildlife. Once
mercury enters the water it can be converted to its most toxic form, methyl
mercury, by bacteria or chemical reactions. Methyl mercury is absorbed by tiny
aquatic organisms, which are then eaten by small fish. The chemical is stored in
the fish tissue and is passed on at increasing concentrations to larger predator fish.
People and wildlife at the top of the food chain are consequently exposed to
elevated amounts of methyl mercury through the contaminated fish they consume.
 sources of mercury = burning coal and waste (such as medical wastes)
 Photochemical oxidants
o mainly ozone
 Because sunlight has a critical role in its formation, ozone pollution is
principally a daytime problem in the summer months. The presence of
hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide in sunlight with little air movement leads to the
generation of ozone. These two compounds are produced by cars, trucks, factories,
and power-generating plants or wherever gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, oil, or
natural gas are combusted. These gases combine together with sunlight, producing
ozone. Urban areas with heavy traffic and large industrialized communities are
primary areas for ozone problems.
 The greatest concern about ozone pollution is the potential damage it
may inflict on human health. High concentrations of ozone are especially
hazardous to children, the elderly, and people with respiratory problems. Each year
many food crops are damaged by ozone. Ozone also damages rubber, nylon,
plastics, dyes, and paints.

Air Pollution Effects on Humans

 Pollution causes not only physical disabilities but also psychological and behavioral
disorders in people.
 Reduced lung functioning.
  Irritation of eyes, nose, mouth and throat.
 Asthma attacks.
 Respiratory symptoms such as coughing and wheezing.
 Increased respiratory disease such as bronchitis
 Reduced energy levels
 Headaches and dizziness
 Disruption of endocrine, reproductive and immune systems
 Neurobehavioral disorders
 Cardiovascular problems
 Cancer
 Premature death
Effects of Air Pollution on Animals
 Acid rain (formed in the air) destroys fish life in lakes and streams.
 Excessive ultraviolet radiation coming from the sun through the ozone layer in the
upper atmosphere which is eroded by some air pollutants, may cause skin cancer in
wildlife.
 Ozone in the lower atmosphere may damage lung tissues of animals.
Air Pollution Effects on Trees and Plants
 Acid rain can kill trees, destroy the leaves of plants, can infiltrate soil by making it
unsuitable for purposes of nutrition and habitation.
 Ozone holes in the upper atmosphere can allow excessive ultraviolet radiation from the
sun to enter the Earth causing damage to trees and plants.
 Ozone in the lower atmosphere can prevent plant respiration by blocking stomata
(openings in leaves) and negatively affecting plants’ photosynthesis rates which will
stunt plant growth; ozone can also decay plant cells directly by entering stomata
 Agriculture is by far the biggest source of ammonia emissions. Livestock farming and
animal waste account for the biggest percentage of total ammonia emissions which are
due to the decomposition of urea from large animal wastes and uric acid from poultry
wastes. Major sources:

 Livestock – contributes more than 50% of all emissions

 Fertilizer application
 Oceans
 Vegetation
  Biomass burning

NOISE POLLUTION

Noise by definition is “sound without value” or “any noise that is unwanted by the
recipient”. Noise in industries such as stone cutting and crushing, steel forgings , loudspeakers,
shouting by hawkers selling their wares, movement of heavy transport vehicles, railways and
airports leads to irritation and an increased blood pressure, loss of temper, decrease in work
efficiency, loss of hearing which may be first temporary but can become permanent in the
noise stress continues. It is therefore of utmost importance that excessive noise is controlled.
Noise level is measured in terms of decibels (dB). W.H.O. (World Health Organization) has
prescribed optimum noise level as 45 dB by day and 35 dB by night. Anything above 80 dB is
hazardous.
Sources of noise pollution: All human activities contribute to noise pollution to varying
extent. Sources of noise pollution are many and may be located indoors or outdoors.
Indoor sources: include noise produced by radio, television, generators, electric fans, air
coolers, air conditioners, different home appliances, and family conflict. Noise pollution is
more in cities due to a higher concentration of population and industries and activities such as
transportation. Noise like other pollutants is a by-product of industrialization, urbanization and
modern civilization.
Outdoor sources: include indiscriminate use of loudspeakers, industrial activities,
automobiles, rail traffic, aeroplanes and activities such as those at market place, religious,
social, and cultural functions, sports and political rallies. In rural areas farm machines, pump
sets are main sources of noise pollution. During festivals, marriage and many other occasions,
use of fire crackers contribute to noise pollution.
Effects of noise pollution: Noise pollution is highly annoying and irritating. Noise disturbs
sleep, causes hypertension (high blood pressure), emotional problems such as aggression,
mental depression and annoyance. Noise pollution adversely affects efficiency and
performance of individuals.
Prevention and control of noise pollution: Following steps can be taken to control or
minimize noise pollution-
• Road traffic noise can be reduced by better designing and proper maintenance of vehicles.
• Noise control measures include creating berm mounds (to reduce the environmental
noise levels produced by highways. A berm is a natural noise barrier constructed
 of soil, stone, rock, or rubble, often landscaped, running along a highway to protect adjacent
communities from noise pollution), noise attenuation walls and well maintained roads and
smooth surfacing of roads.
• Air traffic noise can be reduced by appropriate insulation and introduction of noise
regulations for take-off and landing of aircrafts at the airport.
• Industrial noises can be reduced by sound proofing equipment like generators and areas
producing lot of noise.
• Power tools, very loud music and land movers, public functions using loudspeakers, etc
should not be permitted at night. Use of horns, alarms, etc. is to be restricted.
 Use of fire crackers which are noisy and cause air pollution should be restricted.
• A green belt of trees is an efficient noise absorber.

THERMAL POLLUTION

Power plants- thermal and nuclear, chemical and other industries use lot of water (about 30 %
of all abstracted water) for cooling purposes and the used hot water is discharged into rivers,
streams or oceans. The waste heat from the boilers and heating processes increases the
temperature of the cooling water. Discharge of hot water may increase the temperature of
the receiving water by 10 to 15 °C above the ambient water temperature. This is known
as thermal pollution.
Increase in water temperature decreases dissolved oxygen in water which adversely
affects aquatic life. Unlike terrestrial ecosystems, the temperature of water bodies remain
steady and does not change very much. Accordingly, aquatic organisms are adopted to a
uniform steady temperature of environment and any fluctuation in water temperature severely
affects aquatic plants and animals. Hence, discharge of hot water from power plants adversely
affects aquatic organisms. Aquatic plants and animals in the warm tropical water live
dangerously close to their upper limit of temperature, particularly during the warm summer
months. It requires only a slight deviation from this limit to cause a thermal stress to these
organisms. Discharge of hot water in water body affects feeding in fishes, increases their
metabolism and affects their growth. Their resistance to diseases and parasites decreases. Due
to thermal pollution biological diversity is reduced.
One of the best methods of reducing thermal pollution is to store the hot water in
cooling ponds, allow the water to cool before releasing into any receiving water body
Sources of thermal pollution
Thermal pollution can also be caused by the release of very cold water from the base of
reservoirs into warmer rivers. This affects fish (particularly their eggs and larvae), macro
invertebrates and river productivity. This has become an increasing and the most current
pollution, owing to the increasing call of globalization everywhere. Heat produced from
industries is a major contribution to the pollution, much to the operation of the heavy industries
which produces high amount of heat energy. As we will show a summary to the event of this
pollution happening:                                                               
 Raw materials for productivity (organic and inorganic products)
 Undergo different chemical reactions with several process
 Excess heat energy is produced as a waste product
 Heat is released through into atmosphere (vapour) and riverine system (liquid).
 Increase of temperature of environmental system

Measurements of atmospheric temperature are done by meteorological centre of the weather

forecast annually, and the graph to detect the temperature trend from a period of 10 years will
be compared with the previous batch of period. Thus we may be able to know the rate of
temperature increase overall and make reference to the standard level of heat that should be
maintain in the atmosphere to avoid large deviation of heat in the system.

Sources and Methods

We can classify major sources that lead to thermal pollution to the following categories:

 Power plants creating electricity from fossil fuel

 Water as a cooling agent in industrial facilities
 Soil erosion
 Agriculture sources
 Use of high yielding varieties of crops increased the demand for fertilizers are carried to
ground water by leaching. They are also added through surface run off.
 Many pesticides are non-degradable.
 Huge amount of animal excreta-dung, piggeries are either discharged into grazing fields
or dumped into pits.These are later carried either by surface run-off or get percolated
into under-grounded water.
  Lack of potable drinking water supply, unhygienic habits and poor water disposal have
aggravated problem of water pollution. To evade water pollution regulations and to
avoid cost of treatment, industries are disposing off their wastes on ground which has
led to large scale pollution of underground water.

Ecological effects - warm water

 Elevated temperature typically decreases the level of dissolved oxygen (DO) in water.
The decrease in levels of DO can harm aquatic animals such as fish, amphibians and
copepods. Thermal pollution may also increase the metabolic rate of aquatic animals,
as enzyme activity, resulting in these organisms consuming more food in a shorter
time. An increased metabolic rate may result in food source shortages, causing a sharp
decrease in a population.
 Changes in the environment may also result in a migration of organisms to another,
more suitable environment and to in-migration of fishes that normally only live in
warmer waters elsewhere. This leads to competition for fewer resources. As a result
one has the problem of compromising food chains of the old and new environments.
Biodiversity can be decreased as a result.
 It is known that temperature changes of even one to two degrees Celsius can cause
significant changes in organism metabolism and other adverse cellular biology
effects. Principal adverse changes can include rendering cell walls less permeable to
necessary osmosis, coagulation of cell proteins, and alteration of enzyme metabolism.
These cellular level effects can adversely affect mortality and reproduction.
 Primary producers are affected by warm water because higher water temperature
increases plant growth rates, resulting in a shorter lifespan and species
overpopulation. This can cause an algae bloom which reduces the oxygen levels in the
water. The higher plant density leads to an increased plant respiration rate because the
reduced light intensity decreases photosynthesis.
 Decreased enzyme activity in aquatic organisms can cause problems such as the
inability to break down lipids, which leads to malnutrition.
 In limited cases, warm water has little deleterious effect and may even lead to
improved function of the receiving aquatic ecosystem. This phenomenon is known
as thermal enrichment. An extreme case is derived from the aggregational habits of
the manatee (sea cows), which often uses power plant discharge sites during winter.
 Projections suggest that manatee populations would decline upon the removal of these
discharges.
Ecological effects - cold water
Releases of unnaturally cold water from reservoirs can dramatically change the fish and
macro invertebrate fauna of rivers, and reduce river productivity. In Australia, where many
rivers have warmer temperature regimes, native fish species have been eliminated, and macro
invertebrate fauna have been drastically altered.
Control of thermal pollution
Thermal pollution from industrial sources is generated mostly by power plants, petroleum
refineries, pulp and paper mills, chemical plants, steel mills and smelters. Heated water from
these sources may be controlled with:

 Cooling ponds, man-made bodies of water designed for cooling by evaporation,

convection, and radiation
 Cooling towers, which transfer waste heat to the atmosphere through evaporation
and/or heat transfer
 Cogeneration, a process where waste heat is recycled for domestic and/or industrial
heating purposes.