CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN

By:
Grup 7
1. Aulia Rihhadatulaisy Ramadhanti (1541420037)
2. Febrianti Ulfa Dwi Pratiwi (1541420035)

DIV 2A CLASS

JURUSAN TEKNIK KIMIA

POLITEKNIK NEGERI MALANG

2017
 CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN

Most people think of rain as refreshing and beneficial to the environment, but
not all types of rain are a good thing. Acid rain is one type of rain that is harmful to
the environment. Although rain is most commonly thought of as wet, acid rain can
come in both the wet or dry form based on how the acidic materials fall from the
atmosphere. When the wind blows the acidic chemicals in the air to the areas where
the weather is wet, the acids fall to the ground as rain, sleet, snow, or fog. When the
wind blows the acidic chemicals in the air to the areas where the weather is dry, the
acidic pollutants slip into dust or smoke and fall to the ground as gases or dry particles.
Both of the wet and dry forms of acid rain can be carried by the wind and travel a long
distance.
The causes in which acid rain occurs are natural sources and human activity
sources. But, it is mainly caused by combustion of fossil fuels which results in
emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX). The natural sources for
acid rain is volcanic emissions. Volcanoes produce acid gases higher than normal
amounts of acid rain or any other form such as fog. Acid-producing gasses are also
created by biological processes that occur on the land, in wetlands, and in the oceans.
The human activities that cause gas emissions such as sulfur and nitrogen are
the main contributors to acid rain. Its activities range in sources of air pollution
emitting sulfur and nitrogen gas such as factories, power plants and automobiles. In
particular, the use of coal for power generation is a contributory gas. Cars and factories
are also spelled out a lot of exhaust gas every day into the air, in industrial areas and
areas with large cars. These gases apply in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and
other chemicals that form various acids such as sulfuric acid, ammonium nitrate, and
nitric acid. This area experience higher acid rain.
The way to detect acid rain is measured using a scale called pH scale. The pH
scale measures how acidic a substance is. This scale lasts from 0 to 14. 0 is the most
acidic and 14 is the most alkaline (opposite to acid). Something with a pH value of 7,
we call neutral, this means not acidic or alkaline. Although pure water is known to
have a pH of 7, normal rainwater has a slightly more acidic pH of about 5 and 6. This
pH level is caused by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which dissolves into weak
carbonic acid. When air becomes more polluted with nitrogen oxides and sulfur
dioxide, its acidity can rise to a pH value of 4. Acid rain has an average pH of 4.2 to
4.4, which is almost ten times acidic than the usual rain. The acidity level can be
determined by using pH meter devices or using litmus paper. When litmus paper is
exposed to a substance, the color changes depending on the acidity: red for acid, blue
for the base.
The effects of acid rain can be divided into six effects, such as on aquatic
environment, on forests, on soil, on architecture and buildings, on public health, and
other effects. The effect on aquatic environment is acid rain tendency change pH and
aluminum concentrations greatly affects pH concentration levels in the surface of
water, as a result of affecting fish as well as other aquatic life forms. At pH levels
below 5, most fish eggs cannot hatch. Lower pH can also kill adult fish. Acid rain has
also reduced biodiversity as rivers and lakes become more acidic. Species including
fish, plant and insect types in some lakes and rivers have been reduced and some even
completely eliminated. It is caused by acid rain that flow to lakes, rivers and oceans.
The effect on forests is it makes trees vulnerable to disease, extreme weather,
and insects by destroying their leaves, damaging the bark and arresting their growth.
Acid rain can effect trees in several different ways, it may dissolve and wash away the
nutrients and minerals in the soil which help the trees to grow, wear away the waxy
protective coating of leaves, damage them and preventing them from being able to
photosynthesis properly. A combination of these effects weakens the trees which
means that they can be more easily attacked by diseases and insects or injured by bad
weather. It is not just trees that are affected by acid rain, other plants may also suffer.
The effect on soil is acid rain highly impacts on soil chemistry and biology. It
means, soil microbes and biological or reversed due to the effects of acid rain. Soil
needs to maintain an optimum pH level for continuous biological activity. When acid
rains seep into the soil, it means higher soil pH, which damages soil biological and
chemical activities. Therefore, sensitive soil microorganisms that can't adapt to pH
change are killed. High soil acidity also denatures enzymes for the soil microbes. On
the same conditions, hydrogen ions of acid rain releasing away vital minerals and
nutrients such as calcium and magnesium. The effect on Architecture and Buildings is
acid rain on buildings, especially those constructed with limestone, react with the
minerals and corrode them away. This makes the building weak and vulnerable to
damage. Modern buildings, cars, airplanes, steel bridges and pipes are all affected by
acid rain.
 The effect on public health is acid rain can degrades visibility and can cause
accidents, effecting to injuries and deaths. Human health is not directly affected by
acid rain because acid rain water is too dilute to cause serious health problems.
However, the dry form acid rain also known as gaseous particulates in the air which
in this case are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can cause serious health problems
when inhaled. Levels of acid in dry form, acid rain in the air can cause lung and heart
problems such as bronchitis and asthma. Other Effects, acid rain caused to weathering
of buildings, corrosion of metals, and peeling of paints on surfaces. Buildings and
structures made of marble and limestone are the ones especially damaged by acid rain.
The effects are commonly seen on statues, old grave stones, historic monuments, and
damaged buildings. Acid rain also corrodes metals like steel, bronze, copper, and iron.
The only way to fight acid rain is by decreasing the release of the pollutants. It
means that we must burning fewer fossil fuels. Many governments have tried to
decrease the emissions by cleaning up industry smokestacks and promoting alternative
fuel sources. These efforts have met with mixed results. But even if acid rain could be
stopped today, it would still take many years for its harmful effects to disappear.
Individuals can also help prevent acid rain by conserving energy. The less electricity
people use in their homes, the fewer chemicals power plants will throw out. Vehicles
are also major fossil fuel users, so drivers can reduce the emissions by using public
transportation, carpooling, biking, or simply walking wherever possible.