AIR POLLUTION

Pollution
Environmental pollution refers to any physical,
chemical or biological alteration in the quality of
air, water or soil which cause harmful (ill) effect
to living organisms.
A pollutant is a waste material that pollutes air,
water or soil.

Contamination
Biological, chemical, physical, or radiological
substance (normally absent in the environment)
which, in sufficient concentration, can adversely
affect living organisms through air, water, soil,
and/ food.
What are pollutants? Any substance which causes pollution is called a
pollutant.
Environmental Pollutants
The various principal pollutants which pollute our air, water, land are
as follows :
1. Deposited matter – soot, smoke, tar, dust, grit etc.
2. Gases – Oxides of nitrogen (NO, NO2), sulphur (SO2), CO, CO2/
CH4, CFC etc,
3. Acids droplets – sulphruric, acid nitric acid etc.
4. Fluorides
5. Metals – Mercury, lead, iron, zinc, nickel, tin, cadmium,
chromium etc
• Agrochemicals – Pesticides, Herbicides and fertilizers.
• Complex organic substances – Benzene, ether, benzpyrenes .
• Photochemical oxidants – Photochemical smog, ozone, PAN, PBzN
• Radioactive waste
• Noise
,
MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL
POLLUTIONS

Air Pollution

Water Pollution

Land Pollution/ Degradation

 NATURAL COMPOSITION OF THE AIR

GasVolume (%)
 Oxygen 20.92
 Nitrogen 78.10
 Argon 0.9325
 Carbon dioxide 0.03
 Hydrogen 0.01
 Neon 0.0018
 Helium 0.0005
 Krypton 0.0001
AIR POLLUTION
 Physical, chemical or biological alteration in the quality of air
which causes harmful effect to living organisms.

 Global climate change – global warming

 Ozone depletion
 Acid rain
 Urban air pollution - Noise pollution
 Indoor air pollution+
 PRIMARY AIR POLLUTANTS
 Sulfur oxides (SOx):  
 It is produced by volcanoes and in various industrial
processes. Coal and petroleum industries, their
combustion generates sulfur dioxide.

 Nitrogen oxides (NOx):
are emitted from high temperature combustion, Agricultural
fields

 Carbon monoxide (CO):
 Itis a product by incomplete combustion of fuel such as
natural gas, coal or wood. Vehicular exhaust is a major
source of carbon monoxide.
 Carbon dioxide (CO2):
Emitted from sources such as combustion, cement production,
and respiration.

 Volatile organic compounds:

VOCs are an important outdoor air pollutant. In this field they are
often divided into the separate categories of methane (CH 4) and
non-methane (NMVOCs)

 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs):
 Harmful to the ozone layer emitted from products currently
banned from use.

 Ammonia (NH3):
Emitted from agricultural processes. Odors — such as from
garbage, sewage, and industrial processes
Particulate matter:
Particulates, alternatively referred to as
particulate matter (PM) or fine particles, are tiny
particles of solid or liquid suspended in a gas.

Natural Source
Volcanoes, dust storms, forest and grassland
fires, living vegetation, and sea spray.

Human activities
Burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, power plants
and various industrial processes also generate
significant amounts of aerosols.
 Atmospheric pollution status

Gas Concentration Annual Contribution

(ppm) increase (per cent)
(per cent)

CO2 353.0 0.5 60

CH4 1.7 1.1 15

N2 O 0.310 0.3 5

O3 10-15 0.5 8

CFCs 0.00076 4.0 22

 SECONDARY AIR POLLUTANT

 Smog:
Smog is a kind of air pollution; the word "smog" is
combination of smoke and fog. Classic smog results
from large amounts of coal burning in an area caused by
a mixture of smoke and sulfur dioxide.

 Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN):
Similarly formed from NOx and VOCs.
 SMOKE

 A suspension of fine solid particles (usually < 1 µm in

diameter) in the air.

 Due to incomplete combustion of a fuel.

 The smoke from coal consists of carbon, oil  unburned

hydrocarbons, silica, Al, Pb, sulphuric acid and organic
compounds.

 Smoke affects earth's energy budget by disrupting the

flow of both incoming and outgoing radiation.
 FOG AND SMOG

 A suspension of water droplets in the lower atmosphere which

reduces visibility

 It is caused by condensation when moist air is cooled below

the dewpoint.

 Smog- combination of smoke and fog which creates air

pollution.

 reducing visibility, causing eye and skin irritation and plant

damage.

 Photochemical smog development is greatest in early

afternoons.
LONDON SMOG

 Industrial smog is caused by

combustion of fossil fuels
(coals) in power plants,
smelters etc.
 Causes of deaths were
bronchitis, pneumonia and
allied respiratory troubles.
 LONDON SMOG OR REDUCING SMOG

Heavy smog for 5 days - 4000 deaths

Peak SO2 concentration was 1.3 ppm and smoke 4 mg/M3

SO2  H2SO4 vapours in the atmosphere

Because of exceptionally high concentrations of sulfur

oxides and particulate matter  industrial smog or
sulfurous smog.
 BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY
The poisonous gas, methyl isocyanate (MIC)
leakage in the pesticide manufacturing plant
of Union Carbide of India Ltd., (UCIL),
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on December 3,
1984.

46 tons of MIC was released spreading to 40 km.

Effects : About 65,000 people suffered from

various disorders in eyes, lungs, stomach,
heart, etc.
BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY
 The immediate symptom is bronchospasm which
causes coughing, chest pain and abdominal pain.

 Breathingtroubles and eye ache and also cyanide

generation in the body which ultimately turns fatal.

 Nearly
3000 people died within a short span on time.
1600 domestic animals died, crop yields were reduced
etc.
This vapour was a highly toxic cloud of methyl isocyanate.
• 2,000 died immediately
• 3,00,000 were injured
• 7,000 animals were injured, 1000 were killed.
 ACID RAIN
 "A popular term referring to the deposition of wet (rain, snow, sleet, fog
and cloud water, dew) and dry (acidifying particles and gases) acidic
components. A more accurate term is “acid deposition” (pH < 5.2)

 In the gas phase sulphur dioxide is oxidized by reaction with the

hydroxyl radical via an intermolecular reaction
SO2 + OH· → HOSO2·
 which is followed by:
HOSO2· + O2 → HO2· + SO3
 In the presence of water, sulphur trioxide (SO3) is converted rapidly to
sulphuric acid:
SO3 (g) + H2O → H2SO4

 Nitrogen dioxide reacts with OH to form nitric acid:

NO2 + OH· → HNO3
 EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN
 At pHs < 5 most fish eggs will not hatch and lower pHs can kill
adult fish and fresh water biodiversity will be reduced.

 Soil biology will be seriously damaged & some microbes,

vertibrate are unable to tolerate changes to low pHs and are
killed

 Soil chemistry will be dramatically changed when base

cations, such as calcium and magnesium will be leached by
acid rain

 High altitude forests are especially vulnerable as they are

often surrounded by clouds and fog which are more acidic
than rain.
 The effect on food crops could be minimized by the application
of lime and fertilizers to replace lost nutrients.
 cause illness and premature deaths such as cancer and other
diseases in humanbeing

 Also damage buildings and historic monuments, especially

those made of rocks such as limestone and marble containing
large amounts of calcium carbonate.

 It will be converted in to gypsum, which will flakes off easily.

CaCO3 (s) + H2SO4 (aq) ↔ CaSO4 (aq) + CO2 (g) + H2O (l)
 DARKENING EFFECT OF TAJ MAHAL

 Taj Mahal is a white marble stone mausoleum.

 walls of Taj Mahal has become darkened and

disfigured due to air pollution from nearby Mathura Oil
refinery.

 The acid rain reacts with marble stone (CaCO3) to

produce calcium sulphate, causing darkening and
disfigurement.
 EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN ON
AGRICULTURE

 Soil acidification

 Toxic metals are made available

 Damage the foliage of plants and weaken trees

 Enhances UV radiation penetration

 Causes lesions and burns in agricultural crops

 PREVENTION OF ACID RAIN

 Emission control technologies

 Burn less high sulfur fossil fuel

 Alternatives such as natural gas, wind or solar

energy

 Use of catalytic converter in vehicles

 Energy efficient technologies

 Dust pollution
World – 140 million t / year dust particle emission

cement factories, cotton indudstries, thermal

tations

200 kg cement production – 20-30 kg

For 1 Mw electricity - 2.5 t Flyash emission
dust emission

up to 8-10 km deposition of dust particles

Land, Plant, Man and Animal health affected

Green House Gases
(GHGs)
GHG Effect – Necessary Evil
Anthropogenic Sources CO2
Natural Sources CO2
Natural Sources (36%) of Methane (CH4)
Anthropogenic Sources (64%) of Methane (CH 4)
Natural Sources (62 %)of Nitrous oxide (N2O)
Anthropogenic Sources (38%) of Nitrous oxide (N2O)
Module-3
Air Pollution Effects & Control
 Air pollution effects:
On living and nonliving beings
 HUMAN HEALTH EFFECTS
 Exposure to air pollution is
associated with numerous effects
on human health, including
pulmonary, cardiac, vascular, and
neurological impairments.

 The health effects vary greatly

from person to person. High-risk
groups such as the elderly,
infants, pregnant women, and
sufferers from chronic heart and
lung diseases are more
susceptible to air pollution.

 Children are at greater risk

because they are generally more
active outdoors and their lungs
are still developing.
CONTI…..
 Exposure to air pollution can cause both acute (short-
term) and chronic (long-term) health effects.
 Acute effects are usually immediate and often
reversible when exposure to the pollutant ends.
Some acute health effects include eye irritation,
headaches, and nausea.
 Chronic effects are usually not immediate and tend
not to be reversible when exposure to the pollutant
ends.
 Some chronic health effects include decreased
lung capacity and lung cancer resulting from long-
term exposure to toxic air pollutants.
 Effects on Human respiratory system

 Both gaseous and particulate air

pollutants can have negative
effects on the lungs.
 Solid particles can settle on the
walls of the trachea, bronchi, and
bronchioles.
 Continuous breathing of polluted
air can slow the normal cleansing
action of the lungs and result in
more particles reaching the lower
portions of the lung.
 Damage to the lungs from air
pollution can inhibit this process
and contribute to the occurrence
of respiratory diseases such as
bronchitis, emphysema, and
cancer.
Table 1:  Sources, Health and Welfare Effects for Criteria Pollutants.
Pollutant Description Sources Health Effects Welfare Effects
Carbon Colorless, odorless Motor vehicle exhaust, Headaches, reduced mental Contribute to the formation of
Monoxide gas indoor sources include alertness, heart attack, smog.
(CO) kerosene or wood burning cardiovascular diseases,
stoves. impaired fetal development,
death.

Sulfur Dioxide Colorless gas that Coal-fired power plants, Eye irritation, wheezing, chest Contribute to the formation of
(SO2) dissolves in water petroleum refineries, tightness, shortness of acid rain, visibility impairment,
vapor to form acid, manufacture of sulfuric acid breath, lung damage. plant and water damage,
and interact with other and smelting of ores aesthetic damage.
gases and particles in containing sulfur.
the air.

Nitrogen Reddish brown, highly Motor vehicles, electric
Dioxide (NO2) reactive gas. utilities, and other
industrial, commercial, and
residential sources that
burn fuels.
Susceptibility to respiratory
infections, irritation of the lung
and respiratory symptoms
(e.g., cough, chest pain,
difficulty breathing).
Contribute to the formation of
smog, acid rain, water quality
deterioration, global warming,
and visibility impairment.

Ozone (O3) Gaseous pollutant Vehicle exhaust and certain Eye and throat irritation, Plant and ecosystem damage.
when it is formed in other fumes.  Formed from coughing, respiratory tract
the troposphere. other air pollutants in the problems, asthma, lung
presence of sunlight. damage.

Lead (Pb) Metallic element Metal refineries, lead Anemia, high blood pressure, Affects animals and plants,
smelters, battery brain and kidney damage, affects aquatic ecosystems.
manufacturers, iron and neurological disorders,
steel producers. cancer, lowered IQ.

Particulate Very small particles of Diesel engines, power Eye irritation, asthma, Visibility impairment,
Matter (PM) soot, dust, or other plants, industries, bronchitis, lung damage, atmospheric deposition,
matter, including tiny windblown dust, wood cancer, heavy metal aesthetic damage.
droplets of liquids. stoves. poisoning, cardiovascular
effects.
Table-2: Sources, Effects of Air Pollutants on Vegetables
Pollutants Sources Effects on Vegetables

Aldehydes Photochemical reactions The upper portions of Alfalfa etc. will be affected to Narcosis
if 250 ppm of aldehydes is present for 2 hrs duration.

Ozone (O3) Photochemical reaction of hydrocarbon
and nitrogen oxides from fuel
combustion, refuse burning, and
evaporation from petroleum products.
Peroxy Acetyl The sources of PAN are the same as
Nitrate (PAN) ozone
All ages of tobacco leaves, beans, grapes, pine, pumpkins
and potato are affected. Fleck, stipple, bleaching, bleached
spotting, pigmentation, growth suppression, and early
abscission are the effects.
Young spongy cells of plants are affected if 0.01 ppm of PAN
is present in the ambient air for more than 6 hrs.

Nitrogen dioxide High temperature combustion of coal, oil, Irregular, white or brown collapsed lesion on intercostals
(NO2) gas, and gasoline in power plants and tissue and near leaf margin. Suppressed growth is observed
internal combustion engines. in many plants.

Ammonia & Sulfur Thermal power plants, oil and petroleum Bleached spots, bleached areas between veins, bleached
dioxide refineries. margins, chlorosis, growth suppression, early abscission,
and reduction in yield and tissue collapse occur.

Chlorine (Cl2) Leaks in chlorine storage tanks,
hydrochloric acid mists.
Hydrogen fluoride, Phosphate rock processing, aluminum
Silicon industry, and ceramic works and
tetrafluoride fiberglass manufacturing.
Pesticides & Agricultural operations
Herbicides
Particulates Cement industries, thermal power plants,
blasting, crushing and processing
industries.
Mercury (Hg) Processing of mercury containing ores,
burning of coal and oil.
If 0.10 ppm is present for at least 2 hrs, the epidermis and
mesophyll of plants will be affected.
Epidermis and mesophyll of grapes, large seed fruits, pines
and fluorosis in animals occur if 0.001 ppm of HF is present
for 5 weeks.
Defoliation, dwarfing, curling, twisting, growth reduction and
killing of plants may occur.
Affects quality of plants, reduces vigor & hardness and
interferences with photosynthesis due to plugging leaf
stomata and blocking of light.
Greenhouse crops, and floral parts of all vegetations are
affected; abscission and growth reduction occur in most of
the plants.
Air pollution control
SOURCE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY
 Air quality management sets the tools to control air pollutant
emissions.

 Control measurements describes the equipment, processes

or actions used to reduce air pollution.

 The extent of pollution reduction varies among technologies

and measures.

 The selection of control technologies depends on

environmental, engineering, economic factors and pollutant
type.
SETTLING CHAMBERS
 Settling chambers use the force of gravity to remove solid
particles.
 The gas stream enters a chamber where the velocity of the
gas is reduced. Large particles drop out of the gas and are
recollected in hoppers. Because settling chambers are
effective in removing only larger particles, they are used in
conjunction with a more efficient control device.

Figure: Settling chambers

 CYCLONES
 The general principle of inertia separation
is that the particulate-laden gas is forced
to change direction.

 As gas changes direction, the inertia of

the particles causes them to continue in
the original direction and be separated
from the gas stream.

 The walls of the cyclone narrow toward

the bottom of the unit, allowing the
particles to be collected in a hopper.

Figure: Cyclone Collector

 VENTURI SCRUBBERS
 Venturi scrubbers use a
liquid stream to remove
solid particles.
 In the venturi scrubber, gas
laden with particulate
matter passes through a
short tube with flared ends
and a constricted middle.
 This constriction causes
the gas stream to speed up
when the pressure is Figure: Venturi scrubber components
increased.
CONTI….
 The difference in velocity and pressure resulting
from the constriction causes the particles and water
to mix and combine.

 The reduced velocity at the expanded section of the

throat allows the droplets of water containing the
particles to drop out of the gas stream.

 Venturi scrubbers are effective in removing small

particles, with removal efficiencies of up to 99
percent.

 One drawback of this device, however, is the

production of wastewater.
FABRIC FILTERS
 Fabric filters, or baghouses, remove dust from a
gas stream by passing the stream through a porous
fabric. The fabric filter is efficient at removing fine
particles and can exceed efficiencies of 99 percent
in most applications.

Figure: Fabric filter (baghouse) components

CONTI…..
 The selection of the fiber material and fabric
construction is important to baghouse
performance.

 The fiber material from which the fabric is made

must have adequate strength characteristics at
the maximum gas temperature expected and
adequate chemical compatibility with both the gas
and the collected dust.

 One disadvantage of the fabric filter is that high-

temperature gases often have to be cooled before
contacting the filter medium.
 ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS
(ESPS)
 An ESP is a particle
control device that uses
electrical forces to move
the particles out of the
flowing gas stream and
onto collector plates.

 The ESP places electrical

charges on the particles,
causing them to be
attracted to oppositely
charged metal plates
located in the precipitator.
Figure: Electrostatic precipitator components
CONTI….
 The particles are removed from the plates by
"rapping" and collected in a hopper located below the
unit.
 The removal efficiencies for ESPs are highly variable;
however, for very small particles alone, the removal
efficiency is about 99 percent.
 Electrostatic precipitators are not only used in utility
applications but also other industries (for other
exhaust gas particles) such as cement (dust), pulp &
paper (salt cake & lime dust), petrochemicals (sulfuric
acid mist), and steel (dust & fumes).
POLLUTANTS FROM STATIONARY
SOURCES

 The most common method for controlling

gaseous pollutants is the addition of add-on
control devices to recover or destroy a
pollutant.
 There are four commonly used control
technologies for gaseous pollutants:
 Absorption,
 Adsorption,
 Condensation, and
 Incineration (combustion)
ABSORPTION
 The removal of one or more selected
components from a gas mixture by
absorption is probably the most
important operation in the control of
gaseous pollutant emissions.
 Absorption is a process in which a
gaseous pollutant is dissolved in a
liquid.
 Water is the most commonly used
absorbent liquid.
 As the gas stream passes through the
liquid, the liquid absorbs the gas, in
much the same way that sugar is
absorbed in a glass of water when
stirred.
Typical Packed Column Diagram
CONTI….

 Absorbers are often referred to as scrubbers, and there

are various types of absorption equipment.

 The principal types of gas absorption equipment include

spray towers, packed columns, spray chambers, and
venture scrubbers.

 In general, absorbers can achieve removal efficiencies

grater than 95 percent. One potential problem with
absorption is the generation of waste-water, which
converts an air pollution problem to a water pollution
problem.
ADSORPTION
 When a gas or vapor is brought into contact with a
solid, part of it is taken up by the solid. The molecules
that disappear from the gas either enter the inside of
the solid, or remain on the outside attached to the
surface. The former phenomenon is termed absorption
(or dissolution) and the latter adsorption.
 The most common industrial adsorbents are activated
carbon, silica gel, and alumina, because they have
enormous surface areas per unit weight.
 Activated carbon is the universal standard for
purification and removal of trace organic contaminants
from liquid and vapor streams.
 Carbon adsorption systems are either regenerative or non-regenerative.
 Regenerative system usually contains more than one carbon bed.
As one bed actively removes pollutants, another bed is being
regenerated for future use.
 Non-regenerative systems have thinner beds of activated carbon.
In a non-regenerative adsorber, the spent carbon is disposed of
when it becomes saturated with the pollutant.

Regenerative Carbon Non-Regenerative Carbon

Adsorption System Adsorption System
CONDENSATION
 Condensation is the process of converting a
gas or vapor to liquid. Any gas can be reduced
to a liquid by lowering its temperature and/or
increasing its pressure.

 Condensers are typically used as pretreatment

devices. They can be used ahead of absorbers,
absorbers, and incinerators to reduce the total
gas volume to be treated by more expensive
control equipment. Condensers used for
pollution control are contact condensers and
surface condensers.
 In a contact condenser,
the gas comes into
contact with cold liquid.
 In a surface condenser,
the gas contacts a cooled
surface in which cooled
liquid or gas is circulated,
such as the outside of the Contact condenser
tube.
 Removal efficiencies of
condensers typically
range from 50 percent to
more than 95 percent,
depending on design and
applications.

Surface condenser