RSC Chemistry Challenge

polluting the tmosphere - wh t c n we do?

s m t ylor - summer 2021

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what are atmospheric
pollutants?
 what are atmospheric pollutants?
wh t m kes up the tmosphere, wh t pollut nts re nd how they re cre ted

• the atmosphere consists of ive layers of gases which surround

the planet. it is made up of around 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and
1% other gases, and protects the earth from the sun’s radiation,
allows us to breathe, sustains life, and keeps the planet warm.

• atmospheric pollutants are any chemicals that are harmful and

cause damage to natural life when found in the air. the most
common pollutants include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide,
particulate carbon and sulfur dioxide. these are produced most
commonly during combustion of fuels or where hydrocarbons
are inef iciently burning.
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 pollutants and sources
t ble including the most common pollut nts nd their sources

• carbon dioxide / CO2 -> produced during combustion of any fuel containing
carbon or production of concrete.

• carbon monoxide / CO -> incomplete combustion using fuel contain carbon

atoms.

• particulate carbon ( soot ) / C -> incomplete combustion of fuel including

carbon.

• non-combusted hydrocarbons -> hydrocarbon fuel molecules which haven’t

been oxidised at all.

• sulfur dioxide / SO2 -> burning of a fuel that contains sulfur impurities.
• nitrogen oxides / NOx -> oxidation of atmospheric nitrogen inside the engine
of a vehicle.

source : BBC
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 what are the effects of

atmospheric pollutants?
 how do pollutants affect humans?
how tmospheric pollut nts c n h rm people

• an increase in atmospheric pollutants has seen a growth in breathing problems,

asthma, and illnesses such as bronchitis.

• air pollution can cause temporary illnesses such as pneumonia or bronchitis,

and can also include discomfort such as an irritated nose, throat, eyes or skin,
or headaches, dizziness and nausea.

• nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide can irritates the airways of the lungs,
increasing and causing the severity of lung diseases.

• particulates can be inhaled into the lungs where inflammation and a worsening
of heart and lung diseases can occur.

• carbon monoxide can prevent the uptake of oxygen into the blood which can
lead to a decreased oxygen supply to major organs, especially in heart disease.
carbon monoxide also kills 137 people per million population.

source : DEFRA
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how does air pollution affect the environment?

how hum n emissions ch nge ecosystems

• acid rain, eutrophication, haze and climate change amongst

others are all consequences of pollutants in the atmosphere.

• acid rain is caused when sulfur dioxide dissolves in the

atmosphere’s water and turns the rain acidic, damaging trees
and buildings, and causing soil and water to acidify, making the
water unsuitable for some wildlife.

• eutrophication is where increased nitrogen levels in a body of

water results in rapid growth of algae, causing loss of plant and
animal diversity. the nitrogen often increases due to nitrogen
oxides from automobiles.
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• haze is created when small particles in the air partially obscure

the sun’s light. it causes bad visibility and goes alongside smog, a
mixture of smoke and fog, creating similar effects to haze.

• toxic pollutants can also affect animals similar to humans, with

breathing dif iculties, but also studies have shown that air toxins
are contributing to birth defects and diseases.

• the emissions humans are producing, especially carbon dioxide

and methane, trap heat in the atmosphere and cause the planet
to warm. this effect is causing many species to become
threatened of going extinct, for example, coral bleaching caused
by warmer sea water, and is resulting in loss of biodiversity
globally. as modern humans are producing much more carbon
dioxide than natural levels, the global temperature currently
increases at an unprecedented rate, as show in the diagram on
the next page.
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this graph shows the increase in average temperatures in the past 140 years, highlighting the issue
of climate change.
how can we reduce the
pollutants in the
atmosphere?
 how we can reduce gas emissions
the best w ys to reduce ir pollution
the best methods of reducing air pollution include:

• using public transport - less car journeys reduce the amount of fuel
burnt and carbon released.

• turning off lights and saving power - the production of most

electricity currently produces a lot of pollutants, so reducing the
amount of electricity decreases the amount of gas released.

• recycling - recycling and reusing materials helps less products being

needed to be produced, and so reduces the CO2 it takes to make
them.

• implementing afforestation - trees remove CO2, so the more that are

planted, the more pollutants being removed from the atmosphere.

what are scientists doing to

reduce the release of
pollutants?
 how chemists reduce pollutants
chemistry’s role in the ight g inst ir pollution

• many countries have started laws to bring the country’s carbon

emissions down to zero, such as how the UK has pledged to have
‘net-zero’ emissions by 2050.

• chemists play a key role in developing the technology to reach the

carbon neutral goals set by governments, through innovations in
transport and advances in iltering the air amongst others.

• in transport, chemists work to produce more ef icient fuels with

less sulfur impurities, or even producing fuels from renewable
sources, rather than fossil fuels. scientists are also developing
better batteries for electric vehicles and fuel cells for hydrogen
powered motors, which will cut emissions signi icantly.
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• to reduce emissions in energy production, chemists are moving

to more renewable methods of electricity generation, such as by
increasing solar panels’ ef iciency, or by developing nuclear
energy methods.

• scientists are also improving methods of iltering the pollutants

out of the atmosphere. by using catalysts to oxidise carbon
monoxide and catalyse hydrocarbons, or by removing CO2
from the air using carbon capture methods, chemists are
helping to cleanse our air using the new technologies they
develop, which reduces the increasingly dangerous air pollution.

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 air puri ication technology
the torre de especi lid des nd the smog removing tower

• the torre de especialidades hospital in mexico city is a unique tower

that helps clean the airs of the city it’s located in. using new
technologies that coat tiles in titanium oxide, the tower can react
with mono-nitrogen oxide and convert it into less harmful chemicals
after being activated by UV rays. with more of this technology
becoming available, more towers will use the same methods to help
reduce pollution.

• in the chinese city of xi’an, a 200 foot air puri ication tower is helping
to reduce smog around the city. known as the solar-assisted large-
scale cleaning system, the tower’s production has seen a 19% drop in
PM2.5 in over 3.86 square miles around the tower. costing $2 million,
this technology will hopefully be seen in more cities in the near
future.
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 cloud seeding
how scientists m ke r in to cle n the ir

• using planes, scientists can now

cool the water in the air so it
condenses and forms rain,
which then falls and cleanses
the air.

• silver iodide, or dry ice, is

‘seeded’ into the clouds from
planes, making clouds and
bringing rain.

• this has already been used in

the UAE and beijing.

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conclusion
• overall, pollutants in the air can cause many different problems
for people and the environment, and if humans continue to
produce these emissions at the current rate, these problems will
increase.

• scientists develop new methods and technologies to remove

and reduce the pollutants in the air and this in turn helps the
environment and slow down climate change.

• the new innovations in chemistry have been signi icantly

helping the planet, and towards the future, we look forward to
seeing what scientists can produce to help our atmosphere.

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 thank you

s m t ylor
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