Environmental Pollution Control

(ET ZC362 – WILP Course)

BITS Pilani Lakshmi Sirisha

Department of Chemical Engineering
Hyderabad Campus
 Session 5
25th August, 2018
Topics to be covered:
Chapter 4 : Air Pollution Sampling and
Measurement
• Ambient Air Sampling
• Stack Sampling
• Analysis of Air Pollutants

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Introduction

Air quality monitoring: Sampling and measurement of air

pollutants
It is helpful for us to implement control measures for reducing
pollutant concentrations
Both long term pollution trends and short term sampling are
required
Two types of air quality measurement:
• Ambient air quality measurement: Pollutant levels in ambient
atmosphere are measured
• Stack sampling: Pollutants emitted from a source such as
smoke stack

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Introduction

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Air sampling system

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 BITS Pilani
Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad

Ambient air sampling

12/9/2018 ET ZC 362 Environmental Pollution Control 6

Sampling methods for gaseous pollutants

• Grab sampling
• Absorption in liquids
• Adsorption on solids
• Freeze out sampling

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Grab sampling

In grab sampling, sample is collected in an evacuated

bag/flask/plastic container
Some times, water displacement methods is used
Grab sampling is used to take out a relatively small sample,
over a very short period of time, for instantaneous
analysis.
Bag sampling is prone to moisture condensation, diffusion
through walls of the bag which can be avoided by using
rigid wall containers
Moisture condensation can be avoided by wrapping the
containers with heating tapes, nichrome wires.

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Absorption in liquids

Air pollutants are collected and absorbed by liquids based

on solubility, or a chemical reaction with the liquid.
Most common method
Different types of collectors like simple bubblers to more
complex fritted glass or impingers are used.

In fritted glass absorbers, the gas stream is broken into

extremely small bubbles promoting an intimate contact
between gas and the liquid
In impingers, a high velocity gas stream is impinged
(striking hard) onto a flat surface, providing a good gas-
liquid contact

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Absorption in liquids

Impingers

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Adsorption on solids

Sample air is first passed through solid adsorbent bed and

then desorbed for analysis
Solid adsorbent beds are basically columns packed with
granular porous solids
Activated carbon/silica gel having large surface areas are
used as adsorbents
Adsorption is exothermic reaction. Removal of heat favors
adsorption of gases on solids
Desorption can be carried out by heating the adsorbent.

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Freeze out sampling

A series of cold traps with progressively lower temperatures

are used to collect samples and the condensed samples
are later analysed on GC/IR/UV etc. techniques.
Coolants such as liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen, dry ice and
acetone etc. are used based on the temperature attained
(0 to -196oC)
This technique is generally not used as the system might
get plugged due to ice formation from water vapr present
in gas samples
High energy intensive process

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Sampling of particulate matter

• Sedimentation
• Filtration Used for
• Impingement particulate matter
that remain
• Electrostatic precipitation suspended as
• Thermal precipitation aerosols.

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Sedimentation

Mainly used for particulate matter > 10 microns

Funnel type plastic jar ( typically 20 m in height with 10-15
m diameter)
Sample is deposited over a period of 1 month and then
dried and weighed
The dust fall jars must be closely spaced, within a km
distance
Advantages: Simple, inexpensive method
Disadvantage: Less accurate, usually non repeatable

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Sedimentation

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Filtration

Hi-vol. sampler

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Filtration

Mainly used for particulate matter < 10 microns

Known volume of pollutant air is sucked by a blower
through a fine mess filter for a period of approx. 24 hrs
The filter is made of fibrous or granular material, through
which the air stream passes, while the particles are
entrained on the filter
Dust weight is calculated from filter weight.
A glass fibre filter typically has an efficiency of 99% for
particles of size 0.3 micron

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Filtration
Design

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Impingement

Separation of particulates from air stream takes place by

collision against a flat surface.
A high velocity gas stream impinges on a fat surface,
causing gas bubbles to break (in wet impingement) and
particulate matter gets collected due to change in
direction of flow.
Types:
• Wet impingement
• Dry impingement
• Cascade impactors (dry impingers)

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Impingement

Cascade impinge ( Four stage)

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Electrostatic precipitator

Electrostatic precipitator removes particulate matter in the

size range 0.01<d<20 microns from a gas based on
inducted electrostatic charge.
It contains a row of thin vertical wires and large flat metal
plates oriented vertically
Gas stream flows horizontally through the paces between
the wires and then passes through the positively charged
plates.
During operation a negative voltage is applied to the wire
and corona effects ionizes the gas particles

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Negatively charged particle
moves to the grounded
plates gets neutralized
and deposited on it
The performance of
electrostatic precipitator
mainly depends on
• Particle resistivity
• Particle size distribution

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Other techniques
Tape sampler

COH is calculated
by evaluating amount
of light that can pass
through the spot

Thermal precipitation: Small particulate matter under the

influence of strong temperature gradient between two
surfaces, have a tendency to move to lower temperature and
get deposited on the colder of the two surfaces.
BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus
 BITS Pilani
Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad

Stack sampling

12/9/2018 ET ZC 362 Environmental Pollution Control 24

Stack sampling

Deq = 4 X cross sectional area of flow/ wetted perimeter

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Stack sampling

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Stack sampling-Traverse points

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Stack sampling system

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Isokinetic sampling
(for Particulate sampling)

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Isokinetic sampling
(for Particulate sampling)

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 BITS Pilani
Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad

Analysis of air pollutants

12/9/2018 ET ZC 362 Environmental Pollution Control 31

Analysis of pollutants

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Analysis of SO 2(Colorimetric)

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Analysis of SO 2(Colorimetric)

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Analysis of Nitrogen oxides

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Analysis of Nitrogen oxides

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Analysis of CO

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Analysis of CO

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Analysis of CO

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Analysis of O3, HC, stack PM

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 End

Any Questions?

mail to
sirisha@hyderabad.bits.pilani.ac.in

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus