Acid Rain

How is acid rain formed?

• Sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxides are
released into the air by burning fossil
fuels and power stations
• Sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide
reacts with the water in the air to make
sulphuric acid and nitric acid
• This is what we call acid rain
 Damage to Trees

•Acid rain can cause the nutrients to be

washed out of the soil

•Acid rain can slow the growth of forests,

cause leaves and needles to turn brown
and fall off and die

•To neutralise the pH of the soil some

farmers add lime
Erosion of Statues by Acid Rain

•These are statues

that are found
supporting a building
in Athens.

•The faces of the

women have been
eroded by acid rain
 How do we stop acid rain?
• There are several ways to reduce the amount of sulphur
entering the air. One way is to wash the sulphur out of the coal
before it is burned. Another is to wash the sulphur out of the
smoke before it goes up to the smokestacks. Scrubbers remove
sulphur from the smoke by spraying a mixture of water and
powdered limestone into the smokestack. The mixture traps the
sulphur before it can escape into the air above.
• Scientists and engineers are also discovering new ways to burn
fossil fuels that produce much lower amounts of pollution.
• Nitrogen oxides from burning coal and from vehicles also
contribute to acid rain. Vehicles give off nitrogen oxides and
other pollutants in their exhaust fumes. Devices such as
catalytic converters reduce the pollution from those exhaust
fumes. All new cars sold in the United States are required to
have catalytic converters.
Alternative energy resources
• Wind power

• Wave Power

• Solar Power