Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education, Mumbai

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
MICRO PROJECT
Topic – Preparing The Report on ACID RAIN
Submitted by
Prathamesh Bhushan Gawas – 2101170166
Varad Makarand Paradkar - 2101170168

Submitted At
Department of Computer Engineering
Government Polytechnic, Malvan
A/P-Kumbharmath, Tal-Malvan, Dist-Sindhudurg
416606
(Academic Year :-2023-2024)
 INTRODUCTION
Acid rain is rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually
acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH).
Most water, including drinking water, has a neutral pH that exists
between 6.5 and 8.5, but acid rain has a pH level lower than this and
ranges from 4–5 on average. The more acidic the acid rain is, the lower
its pH is 2. Acid rain can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals,
and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulphur dioxide
and nitrogen oxide, which react with the water molecules in the
atmosphere to produce acids.
Air pollution ultimately leads to acid rain as the harmful gases,
which are mixed in the air, also get combined with the moisture in the air
and form acidic clouds, which lead to acid rain. The main causes of acid
rain are factories, vehicles, power stations and industries; which burn
fuels and produce harmful gases, which have sulfur dioxide or nitrogen
oxides.
Acid rain primarily means the deposition of acidic elements in the
forms of precipitation, which can be snow, rain, dew or fog. Normally
rain is acidic though weak as the ph.
 WHAT IS ACID
RAIN :

Acid Rain, as the name suggests, can be said as the precipitation of

acid in the form of rain in the simplest manner. When atmospheric
pollutants like oxides of nitrogen and sulphur react with rainwater and
come down with the rain, then this results in Acid Rain.
CAUSES OF ACID RAIN
:
Acid rain is a form of pollution that can cause of lot of damage to
natural ecosystems, to man-made objects, as well can harm to human
health.
Human activity is the main cause of acid rain. Burning of fossil fuels
is the primary source of these gases. With increase in industrialization
and number of vehicles running on the roads, fumes that contain these
gases are being added to the atmosphere at such a rate that the excess
of these gases can’t be neutralized by natural processes.
For example, combustion of fossil fuel in vehicles and industries like
iron and steel, processing of crude oil and utility factories contribute to
more than 70% of the sulfur dioxide that is added to the atmosphere.
Almost 75% of oxides of nitrogen are released by similar processes.
However, natural phenomena like eruption of volcanoes, lightning, forest
fires, rotting vegetables and action of bacteria on the soil also release
these gases. However, their contribution amounts to less than 10% of the
total amount.
Rapid industrialization is the main cause of increase in the incidence
of acid rain and precipitation with low pH value is common in
industrialized nations. However, an amusing acid rain fact is, that it need
not occur at the same place from where the gases that form acid rain,
are released.
 EFFECTS OF ACID
RAIN :
Acid rain is very harmful to agriculture, plants, and animals. It
washes away all nutrients which are required for the growth and survival
of plants. Acid rain affects agriculture by the way it alters the
composition of the soil. It causes respiratory issues in animals and
humans. When acid rain falls down and flows into the rivers and ponds it
affects the aquatic ecosystem. It alters the chemical composition of the
water, to a form which is actually harmful to the aquatic ecosystem to
survive and causes water pollution. Acid rain also causes the corrosion of
water pipes, which further results in leaching of heavy metals such as
iron, lead and copper into drinking water. It damages the buildings and
monuments made up of stones and metals.
  Effects of Acid Rain on Aquatic Life :

Apart from plants, acid rain also affects aquatic organisms

adversely. A high amount of sulfuric acid interferes with the ability of fish
to take in nutrients, salt, and oxygen. As far as freshwater fish is
concerned, in order for them to stay alive they need to have the ability of
maintaining a balance between the minerals and salts in their tissues.

The molecules of acid result in mucus forming in their gills, which

prevents them from absorbing oxygen in adequate amounts. Plus, the
acidity, which reduces the pH level, causes the imbalance of salt in the
tissues of fish.
 Moreover, this change in the pH level also impairs the some of the
fish’s ability to maintain their calcium levels. This impairs reproduction
the ability of the fish, because the eggs become too weak or brittle. Lack
of calcium also causes deformed bones and weakened spines.
Acid rain has the ability to leach harmful heavy metals like
aluminium and mercury from the soil. They get drained to the water
body where aquatic life in hampered. Acid rain effects on streams and
lakes are concerned with the health of water species.
Not only a large number of species are killed due to deposition of
harmful chemicals inside their body but it also affects the health of
human beings on consumption of different varieties of fish. These toxic
chemicals also damage hatchings and their reproduction process.
Decrease in number of species as a result of sudden deposition of acid is
known as acid shock.
  Effects of Acid Rain on Plants :

The acid rain affects the crops as well as the vegetation. The effect of
acid rain on plants is grave. It not only damages the root, but also stops
its growth and brings an end to the life of a plant. The nutritive value of
the soil is reduced to a great extent as an effect of acid rain. Acid rain
effects can be seen on the useful micro-organisms which convert the
decayed organic matter into essential nutrients for the soil.

The consequence is that the micro-organisms are killed resulting in

reducing the availability of nutrients for the soil and plants. Also, the
waxy layer of the leaves is damaged which make the plant more and
more susceptible to diseases. On the whole, acid rain effects on plants
make it difficult to survive in the extreme climatic conditions like storm,
drought and heavy rainfall.

It even affects the productivity and the process germination in the

plants. The acidity of the rain has also led to soil erosion by dissolving the
forests and other vegetation. It takes away the essential nutrients of the
soil and releases aluminium, which disables trees from sucking water
from the soil.
Soil contains many harmful minerals such as mercury and aluminium.
These elements can’t be absorbed by plants and trees and are thus
harmless. Upon contact with acid rain, these chemicals undergo chemical
reactions with the acids.
  Effects on Buildings and Monuments :

Acid rain causes server damage to building and marble status. Acid rain
reacts with the calcium carbonate (CaCO3)
To form soluble calcium hydrogen carbonate or calcium bicarbonate,
Ca(HCO3)2-CaCO3+Acid rain=Ca(HCO3)(aq)
Calcium bicarbonate is a powdery substance, which is easily washed
away with water or more specifically, rainwater. This is the way acid rain
has partly eroded many world-Famous monuments and buildings like the
Taj Mahal in India, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, and the statue of
Liberty in New York.
Taj Mahal :
Taj Mahal, one of the 7 wonders of the world, is largely affected by acid
rain. The city of Agra has many industries which emit the oxides of
sulphur and nitrogen in the atmosphere. People continue to use low-
quality coal and firewood as a domestic fuel, adding to this problem. Acid
rain has the following reaction with the marble (calcium carbonate):
CaCO3(s) + H2SO4(l) → CaSO4(s) + H2O(l) + CO2(g)
The formation of calcium sulphate results in the corrosion of this beautiful
monument.
Statue of Liberty :
Statue of Liberty which is made of copper has also been damaged by the
cumulative action of acid rain and oxidation for over 30 years and is,
therefore, becoming green.
 PREVENTION OF
ACID RAIN :
The only precaution that we can take against acid rain is having a
check at the emission of oxides of nitrogen and sulphur.
Acid rain is harmful to animals, plants and the monuments.
Being responsible citizens, one should be aware of the harmful
effects they cause and of the industries which give out nitrogen and
sulphur compound wastes unethically.
The numbers of possible solutions for acid rain that are available to
us are aplenty. What matters more is to consciously enforce these
solutions to stop acid rain and to do soon a wide scale. People all over
the world must be made aware of the causes and effects of acid rain, and
they should be thoroughly educated about it. Solutions to stop acid rain
can only be successful through mutual cooperation.
Acid rain is very serious environmental threat faced by our planet
today. Millions of people get affected by it on a daily basis. Acid rain
occurs when high levels of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide enter in
the atmosphere and start undergoing chemical transformation. These
harmful gases are absorbed by water droplets in the clouds and they fall
on the earth during rains.
They can damage the natural soil by increasing the acidity levels and
also pollute rivers and lakes. Acid rain is actually a broad term which is
used to describe different types of acid that fall from the atmosphere on
earth. It’s mainly divided into wet and dry.
 Parts of the world which experience wet weather have acid rain,
acid snow and fog. Other parts, which experience dry weather for most
of the year experience acid gas and acid dust.
Today people can see the effects of acid rain everywhere they go.
Dead and weakened trees are a very common sign of acid rain, while in
cities worn off or scarred buildings are also a result of acid rain. This
problem is more prevalent in the northern hemisphere where there’s a
huge growth in the number of industries.
 METHODS TO
CONTROL ACID
RAIN :
Some methods to control acid rain are given below:

i. Reduce the use of fossil fuels. This would decrease the emission of
nitrogen and sulphur in the environment.
ii. One of the main causes of acid rain is a sudden drop in the pH levels of
water and that happens because of absorption of harmful gases by the
atmosphere. The best way to restore the pH balance of water is to limit
the use of items, which run on gasoline.
iii. Drivers should ease up as soon as the yellow light rather than
slamming on the brakes and they shouldn’t rush away as soon as the
lights turn green. These small practices help reduce the wastage of
gasoline and also help people save a lot of money on fuel.
iv. Always keep the vehicle tires inflated. Tires having proper pressure
will provide users with a better fuel economy.
v. Use cycles or should walk to cover small distances.
vi. One of the most fundamental acid rain solutions is to utilize fuels that
burn cleanlier or to burn coal more efficiently. This will greatly reduce the
possibilities of acid rain developing in the atmosphere.
vii. As far as industrial power plants are concerned, the best solution is to
attach devices known as ‘scrubbers’ in the chimneys of these plants.
These scrubbers reduce the amount of sulphur produced in the smoke by
90-95%.
viii. For industrial power plants, there are many more acid rain solutions
that must be enforced, as they are clearly the biggest contributors to the
formation of acidified water droplets in the atmosphere. Industries must
regularly inspect and clean all their emission equipment and chimneys
and pipes.
ix. Fitting catalytic converters into the exhaust pipes of vehicles also
reduces the amount of sulphur dioxide produced by the vehicles.
x. We can make a lot of changes on a personal level as well, in order to
combat acid rain. We should restrict the use of our cars and vehicles and
utilize other modes of transportation on a more frequent basis. We
should also remember to turn off all our lights and electrical devices in
case we are not using them.
All these acid rain solutions will be pointless unless people are informed
and educated about the adverse-effects and harms of acid rain. A
widespread and nationwide effort must be made to make people aware.
Only after that is done will all the acid rain solutions actually make a
difference.
 CONCLUSION
Include, acid rain is very important issue that has bad effects in the
environment. There would be many health problems that could be
avoided, if acid rain became a little less of a problem. We can help to
stop this acid rain by a very simple way which not polluting the air. As
they said Prevention is better than cure. Even children can help prevent
this pollution by several ways like using less electricity and using
transportation that is friendly to the environment.