Smog

Lecture note link

Environmental Biotechnology
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BmDVJ74pw_fIZ2NeAv3GQ6lZd4Hi
Bemt/view?usp=sharing
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Primary Pollutants
1. Particulate Matter (solid and
liquid)
• Fine are 2.5 um or less (PM 2.5)
• Coarse are 10 um or greater (PM 10)
2. Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)
3. Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
4. Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs)
5. Carbon Monoxide (CO)
6. Lead (Pb)
Secondary pollutants
Types of Smog
1.Classical or
Industrial smog
2.Photochemical
smog
Classical smog or Industrial Smog
Classical smog or Industrial Smog
Classical smog or Industrial Smog
Acid rain
Dry Deposition
of Acidifying
Substances
Photochemical Smog
Photochemical smog
 What is difference between sulfurous smog
and photochemical smog?
Classical smog/Industrial Photochemical smog
smog
Winter smog/London Summer smog/Los Angeles
smog/Sulfurous smog/Gray smog/Yellow brown/Oxidizing
smog/Reducing smog smog
Source: coal burning/smelting of VOCs and Nox in presence of
Iron/Volcano eruption sunlight
Sulfurous smog = SO2+ Fog Photochemical smog=O3+ VOCs
NOx + PAN+ Aldehyde
Reducing smog- it acts as a -Photochemical smog -known as
reducing agent in atmospheric "oxidizing smog“; as it has a high
pollution concentration of oxidizing agents
Photochemical smog related with
tropospheric Ozone
• Sources of photochemical smog
• Biogenic sources
• In nature, bushfires, lightning and the microbial
processes that occur in soil generate nitrogen
oxides.
• VOCs are produced from the evaporation of
naturally-occurring compounds, such as
terpenes, which are the hydrocarbons in oils that
make them burn.
Example: Eucalypts oil have also been found to
release significant amounts of these compounds.
 Photochemical smog
• Anthropogenic sources
• Nitrogen oxides are produced mainly from the
combustion of fossil fuels, particularly in
power stations and motor vehicles.
• VOCs are formed from the incomplete
combustion of fossil fuels, from the
evaporation of solvents and fuels, and from
burning plant
 How Tropospheric Ozone is formed?

Photochemical smog is formed when nitrogen

oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react
in the presence of UV radiation of sunlight
This reaction results in transformation of primary
pollutant, i.e. NOx and VOCs into secondary
pollutants-03, PAN and aldehyde

 creating a brown haze above cities. It tends to

occur more often in summer, because that is when
we have the most sunlight
Photochemical Smog

O3
Nox
RCHO
(aldehyde)
PAN