Air pollution

Air Pollution
• Air
  pollutants, emitted from natural and anthropogenic sources
• It can be broadly classified under two categories
• Primary and Secondary pollutants
• The primary pollutants are those that are emitted directly from the
sources
• Carbon monoxide CO
• Nitrogen Oxides,
• Sulphur dioxide,
• Hydrocarbons, HC
• and Particulate matter.

• The Secondary pollutants are the atmosphere by chemical reactions among

primary pollutants and atmospheric elements such as , ,
The clean dry air has following average
composition:-
Major Air Pollution Disasters
Daily changes in CO2 emissions
air pollution before and
after Covid-corona19
Emission Sources
of air pollution
Classification of Air Pollutants
• Natural Contaminants
• Naturally occurring contamination comes from substances already in the
environment, rather than from chemicals or other hazardous materials used or
manufactured by humans
• Aerosols
• An aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in air.
Aerosols can be natural or anthropogenic, e.g. natural aerosols are fog,
mist, dust. anthropogenic aerosols such as smok
• Gases
• Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter. A pure gas may be
made up of individual atoms such as Oxygen or compound molecules made
from a variety of atoms such as Carbon Dioxide
Impact of Air pollution on human health
Carbon Monoxide, CO
• Each year 350 million tones of CO (275 million tones from human
sources and 75 million tonnes from natural sources)
• USA alone shares 100 million tonnes

• The sources of carbon monoxide, CO are the chemical reactions

Nitrogen Oxides, NOx
• The formation of NO and NO2 is based on the chemical reactions:
Hydrocarbons and Photochemical Smog

Sulphur Dioxide, SO2 Acid Rain

 GREENHOUSE EFFECT (GLOBAL
WARMING)
•  Carbon dioxide is a non-pollutant
gas in the atmosphere and a minor
constituent (356 parts per million)
but it is of serious concern for the
environment for its ability to
change the global climate.

• The earth’s surface partly absorbs

sun’s rays while emits long-wave
infra-red radiation (8000–25000
nanometres; 1 nanometre =
metre ).
Other Greenhouse Gases
• Methane CH4
• Chloroflurocarbons CFC
• Ozone O3
• nitrous oxide N2O
• water vapour H2O
OZONE HOLE
It is in the stratosphere
Ozone strongly absorbs
ultraviolet radiation
dangerous chemicals in the
stratosphere which consume
ozone and reduce its
concentration
Exhaust gases from jet
aircrafts and artificial satellites
discharge nitric oxide
In presence of ultraviolet
radiation CFC breaks up into
chlorine and free radical (Cl)
AIR QUALITY STANDARDS
The settling velocity of a spherical particle

 
The residence time ) =

  ℎ is elevation m
= settling velocity m/sec
Example1
••  
Find the settling velocity of a spherical droplet
of water with diameter m , and estimate the
residence time of such particles if they are
uniformly distributed in the lower 1,000 m of
atmosphere and their removal rate is
determined by how fast they settle in still air,
and particle density of water is .
Gaussian Plume Model

When z = 0,

When H = 0,
Standard deviation or
 
dispersion coefficient,
Standard deviation or
 
dispersion coefficient,
Wind-speed Changes with Elevation
 
Exponent
Example2
• Suppose an anemometer at a height of 10 m above
ground measures the windspeed at 2.5 m/s. Estimate
the wind-speed at an elevation of 300 m in rough terrain
if the atmosphere is slightly unstable.
Example 3
••  An oil pipeline leak results in emission of l00 g/h of S. On a
very sunny summer day, with a wind speed of 3.0 m/s,
what will be th concentration of S 1.5 km directly
downwind from the leak?
Example4
••  An
oil pipeline leak results in emission of 1.10 kg/min of
S. assume Class D stability, with a wind speed of 5.0 m/s,
what will be the concentration of S 0.5 km directly
downwind from the leak? The effective height of the
plume is 60m
example5
•  Find the settling velocity of a 20- diameter particle with
density 1,500 kg/ .If this particle had been hurled to a height
of 8,000 m during a volcanic eruption, estimate the time
required to reach the ground (sea level). You many assume
that the viscosity of air does not change enough to worry
about. If winds average 10 m/s, how far away would it blow
on its way down?
Example 6

••  Find
the residence time in the atmosphere for a
particle with unit density (i.e., the density of
water, g/m3) at 1,000 elevation. 10-mm
elevation.