Thermal Pollution

M. Sc. Part I
SEM I
PAPER IV UNIT IV

Dr. S. Bhangale
 THERMAL POLLUTION
• Thermal pollution may also be referred to as thermal enrichment.
• When the temperature of a natural body of water suddenly increases or
decreases, thermal pollution occurs.
• Thermal pollution is the rise or fall in the temperature of a natural body
of water caused by human influence.
• Thermal pollution, unlike chemical pollution, results in a change in the
physical properties of water.
• Industrial machinery and power plants are big contributors to thermal
pollution.
• An example of thermal pollution is when industrial sites and power
plants often take water from a natural source.

Dr. S. Bhangale
 THERMAL POLLUTION
• When the water is returned, the temperature has been altered.
• Thermal pollution can also be caused by the release of very cold water
from the base of reservoirs into warmer rivers.
• In our modern society, thermal pollution is a genuine problem.
• One of the significant effects of thermal pollution is a change in oxygen
levels, destroying ecosystems and communities.
• When water used as a coolant is returned to the natural environment at a
higher temperature, the sudden change in temperature
decreases oxygen supply and affects ecosystem composition.
• Fish and other organisms adapted to particular temperature range can be
killed by an abrupt change in water temperature (either a rapid increase
or decrease) known as "thermal shock."
Dr. S. Bhangale
 SOURCES OF THERMAL POLLUTION
Thermal pollution is caused by human behavior and natural causes. While there
may be a variety of reasons, they all have similar effects.
1. Use of water as a cooling agent in industrial plants:
• Production and Manufacturing plants are the biggest sources of thermal
pollution.
• These plants draw water from a nearby source to keep machines cool and then
release back to the source with higher temperatures.
• When heated water returns to the river or ocean, the water temperature rises
sharply.
• As a result, thermal pollution occurs.
2. Soil erosion:
• As soil erosion occurs, water bodies can rise. As a result, the water bodies
become more exposed to sunlight, and water temperatures are altered.
Dr. S. Bhangale
 SOURCES OF THERMAL POLLUTION
3. Runoff from paved surfaces:
• Runoff from roads, parking lots, and other surfaces can affect water
temperature.
• During summer seasons, temperatures can peak, resulting in warm water
runoff.
• If the runoff enters sewer systems and water bodies, thermal pollution can
occur.
4. Natural causes:
• Humans are not the only cause of thermal pollution.
• Natural causes such as volcanoes, geothermal vents, and hot springs can cause
excess heat in bodies of water.
• In addition, lightning can inflict heat into water bodies.
• Natural causes such as these can leave lasting impacts on the environment.

Dr. S. Bhangale
 SOURCES OF THERMAL POLLUTION
5. Deforestation:
• Trees and plants prevent sunlight from falling directly on lakes, ponds or
rivers.
• When deforestation takes place, these water bodies are directly exposed to
sunlight.
• As a result, water temperatures can increase
6. Domestic Sewage:
• Domestic sewage is often discharged into rivers, lakes, canals or streams
without treating the waste.
• The temperature of municipal water sewage is normally high than receiving
water.
• With the increase in temperature of the receiving water, the dissolved oxygen
(DO) decreases, and the demand for oxygen increases, causing anaerobic
conditions.
Dr. S. Bhangale
 EFFECT OF THERMAL POLLUTION
1. Decrease in dissolved oxygen (DO) levels:
• Thermal pollution increases water temperature.
• Since warm water holds less oxygen than cold water, DO is decreased.
• As a result, suffocation can occur for plants and animals.
• Warmer water temperatures can also cause algae to flourish on the surface of the
water.
• This can also decrease oxygen levels in water.
2. Increase in toxins:
• Water that is regurgitated back into water bodies from industrial sites often contains
toxins.
• Toxins can impact local ecology and make them more prone to various diseases.
3. Ecological impact:
• Small temperature changes can affect some aquatic species.
• Thermal pollution can cause mass killings of plants, insects, or amphibians.
• However some species, such as algae, tend to benefit from the heat .
Dr. S. Bhangale
 EFFECT OF THERMAL POLLUTION
4. Loss of Biodiversity:
• 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 than if their environment were not changed.
• An increased metabolic rate may result in fewer resources; the more adapted
organisms moving in may have an advantage over organisms that are not used
to the warmer temperature.
• As a result, food chains of the old and new environments may be compromised.
• Biodiversity can be decreased as a result.
5. Thermal shock:
• When a power plant first opens or shuts down for repair or other causes, fish
and other organisms adapted to particular temperature range can be killed by
the abrupt change in water temperature, either an increase or decrease, known
as "thermal shock"

Dr. S. Bhangale
 EFFECT OF THERMAL POLLUTION
6. Affects Reproductive Systems:
• A significant halt in the reproduction of marine wildlife (although this may
be true, reproduction can still occur between fish – but the likelihood of
defects in newborns is significantly higher) can happen due to increasing
temperatures as reproduction can happen within a certain range of
temperature.
• Excessive temperature can cause the release of immature eggs or can prevent
the normal development of certain eggs.
7. Migration:
• The warm water can also cause particular species of organisms to migrate to
a suitable environment that would cater to its requirements for survival.
• This can result in a loss for those species that depend on them for their daily
food as their food chain is interrupted.

Dr. S. Bhangale
 EFFECT OF THERMAL POLLUTION
8. Biogeochemical effects:
• When warm water from power plant cooling exports enters systems, it often
mixes leading to general increases in water temperature throughout the water
body, including deep cooler water.
• Specifically in lakes and similar water bodies, stratification leads to different
effects on a seasonal basis.
• In the summer, thermal pollution has been seen to increase deeper water
temperature more dramatically than surface water, though stratification still
exists, while in the winter surface water temperatures see a larger increase.
• Similar to effects seen in aquatic systems due to climatic warming of water in
some parts of the world, thermal pollution has also been seen to increase
surface temperatures in the summer.
• This can lead surface water temperatures that lead to releases of warm air
into the atmosphere, increasing air temperature.
• It therefore can be seen as a contributor to global warming.
Dr. S. Bhangale
 EFFECT OF THERMAL POLLUTION
8. Biogeochemical effects:
• higher water temperatures reduce the capacity for oxygen to reach deeper
waters.
• This creates anaerobic conditions which are more suitable to bacteria
9. Effect on water quality:
• Quality of water can be decreased by thermal pollution.
• Thermal pollution can cause water to be warmer and hold less oxygen.
• Without a consistent level of oxygen, the quality of water may suffer and
affect surrounding habitats.
• In addition, thermal pollution can feed algae growth, causing waters to be
overwhelmed and oxygen-deprived.
• While algae are essential to the food chain, too many algae can suffocate
plants and animals and also lead to Eutrophication.

Dr. S. Bhangale
 EFFECT OF THERMAL POLLUTION
10. Effect on marine life:
• Thermal pollution causes rapidly changing water temperatures that can be
devastating for marine life.
• Most marine animals are unable to survive sudden temperature changes.
• In some cases, thermal pollution may only slightly change water
temperature.
• However, even a slight thermal shock can cause reproduction challenges
and lower disease resistance.
• As a result of thermal pollution, oxygen depletion can occur and affect
marine life.
• Oxygen depletion can kill coral and other marine life.
• Changes in water temperature may also force marine life to migrate
which affect the food chain.

Dr. S. Bhangale
 EFFECT OF THERMAL POLLUTION

10. Effect on marine life:

• Thermal pollution can also cause an overabundance of organic nutrients
as a result of organic matter decomposition being faster in warmer water.
• As aquatic plants grow faster in nutrient-rich warm water, fish gills can be
choked and water can be clouded.
• While warm water discharge causes most thermal pollution, cool water
discharges may also disrupt marine life.
• Plankton often cannot survive, and fish, their eggs, and their fry may die
in colder temperatures.
• The organisms that die may be replaced by other organisms reproducing,
which can change the local ecosystem

Dr. S. Bhangale
 EFFECT OF THERMAL POLLUTION
11. Effect on Aquatic biota:
• The major impacts on aquatic ecosystems attributable to thermal pollution
are
(1) loss of biodiversity by massive death of aquatic plants, insects, fish, and
amphibians as a consequence of thermal shock,
(2) shifting of organisms to a suitable environment due to slight deviation in
temperature of water ecosystem,
(3) bleaching of corals, as it is very sensitive to temperature, because of
increasing water temperature by runoffs and effluents,
(4) accelerating the metabolic rate by increasing enzyme activities of
organisms under increased water temperature

Dr. S. Bhangale
 Thermal pollution from power plants
• Water is the thread that connects the entire nuclear power
process.
• There are two distinct water streams used, process water and
cooling water.
• Process water travels through a pump to the reaction chamber,
containing the nuclear fuel rods, where the water is heated and
vaporized to pressurized steam, reaching temperatures of
roughly 315°C.
• The steam then passes through multiple turbines, which turn
generators that makes electricity.
• Finally, the steam is condensed, cooled, and sent back to the
reaction chamber.
• In the second stream, cooling water travels from a natural
reservoir to cool process water in the condenser.

Dr. S. Bhangale
 Thermal pollution from power plants
• It then travels to a cooling tower, back into the reservoir.
• Coal and natural gas plants discharge much higher wastewater temperatures,
128.4°C and 91.1°C, respectively.
• Therefore, nuclear power plants have a more direct, intense environmental
impact on local water sources.
• The most immediate change is a decrease in dissolved oxygen levels and rise
in pH.
• Warm water cannot hold as much dissolved oxygen as cold water, and organic
matter decomposes faster in warmer temperatures.
• The increase in decomposed aqueous nutrient concentrations causes
eutrophication, most commonly realized as algae blooms, which block sunlight
for underlying aquatic plants.
• The abundance of algae is an easy food source for aerobic microbes that soar in
population and further deplete the dissolved oxygen.
• Low oxygen levels create hypoxic dead zones that cannot support most aquatic
organisms.
Dr. S. Bhangale
 Control Measures of Thermal Pollution
1. Cooling Ponds:
• Cooling ponds or reservoirs are the simplest methods of controlling thermal
discharges.
• In cooling ponds, heated effluents on the surface of water maximize the
dissipation of heat to the atmosphere and minimize the area and volume of water.
• This is the simplest and cheapest method that cools the water to a considerably
low temperature.
2. Cooling Towers:
• After using water from water sources for cooling purposes, it is subsequently
returned to the water body after passing through the condenser, which is termed
as the cooling process.
• Therefore cooling towers are designed to control the temperature of water to
make the cooling process more effective.
• Cooling towers are mainly used to dissipate the recovered waste heat to
eliminate the problems of thermal pollution.

Dr. S. Bhangale
 Control Measures of Thermal Pollution
3. Artificial Lake:
• Artificial lakes are man-made water bodies that offer a possible
alternative.
• The heated effluents may be discharged into the lake at one end, and the
water may be withdrawn from the other end for cooling purposes.
• The heat is eventually dissipated through evaporation.
• However, these lakes have to be rejuvenated continuously.
4. Water Recycling:
• Industrially treated water can be recycled for domestic use or industrial
heating that the problem of thermal pollution can be mitigated.

Dr. S. Bhangale