Introduction

Everything seems to matter in environmental engineering. The social sciences and

humanities, as well as the natural sciences, can be as important to the practice of

environmental engineering as classical engineering skills. Many environmental engineers find

this combination of skills and disciplines, with its inherent breadth, both challenging and

rewarding. In universities, however, inclusion of these disciplines often requires the

environmental engineering student to cross discipline and department boundaries. Deciding

what to include in an introductory environmental engineering book is critical but difficult, and

this difficulty has been enhanced by the growth of environmental engineering.

Environmental engineering is a relatively new profession with a long and honorable

history. The descriptive title of “environmental engineer” was not used until the 1960s, when

academic programs in engineering and public health schools broadened their scope and

required a more accurate title to describe their curricula and their graduates. The roots of this

profession, however, go back as far as recorded history. These roots reach into several major

disciplines including civil engineering, public health, ecology, chemistry, and meteorology. From

each foundation, the environmental engineering profession draws knowledge, skill, and

professionalism. From ethics, the environmental engineer draws concern for the greater good.
 Acknowledgment

We would like to take this opportunity to express our profound gratitude, and deepest

regard to those individuals and personalities who are part of this success.

Engr. Mariano Gavin Mojica ME. for giving us the opportunity to make this study

successful.

Almighty God, for giving us the knowledge and wisdom and for everything that has
been and will be.
 Air Pollution Control

Introduction

Air pollution worldwide is a growing threat to human health and the natural environment. Air
pollution may be described as contamination of the atmosphere by gaseous, liquid, or solid
wastes or by-products that can endanger human health and welfare of plants and animals,
attack materials, reduce visibility, or produce undesirable odors. Air Pollution Control System.
Air Pollution Control System is one of the major achievements of EPP. This system is specially
developed for industries to monitor and control their outlet emissions as per the norms defined
by pollution control board.

Source Correction

 Changing or eliminating a process that produces

A polluting air: easier than trying to trap the element.

 Removal of sulfur from coal & oil before the fuel is burned reduces the amount of So2
(Sulfur dioxide) emitted in air. Thru these, the source of air pollution has been
corrected. Process may be modified to reduce air pollution.

 Product or process may be needed or necessary but could be changed to control

emissions for example automobile exhaust caused high levels of lead from gasoline.

 Odors from municipal incinerators: should be controlled by operating at a higher

temperature to affect more complete oxidation of odor-producing organic
compounds. 1990 Clean Air Act : Mandates the us of
oxygenated fuel in Urban areas to limit co emissions
from automobiles

Collection of Pollutants

Often the most serious problem in Air pollution control:

• Automobile Exhaust : Notorious polluter

• Effluent /exhaust are so difficult to trap & treat.

• Could be channelled to a central treatment facility.

• Treatments can me more efficient.

Recycling Exhaust gases : one means of control

 Many stationary industries recycle exhaust gases esp. CO and volatile organic
compounds.

 To serve as fuel for the process, since even CO releases heat when burned to CO2.

 Process exhaust gases channeled through one or more stacks are relatively easy to
collect.

 fugitive emissions raised during on-site transportation of partially processed

materials; difficult collection problem.

 Some industries must overhaul the entire plant air flow system to provide adequate
control

COOLING

The exhaust gases to be treated are sometimes too hot for the control equipment, and must
first be cooled.

Cooling may also drop the temperature below the condensation point of some pollutants, so
that they may be collected as liquids. Dilution, quenching, and heat exchange

Quenching has the added advantage of scrubbing out some gases and particulate matter, but
may yield a dirty, hot liquid that itself requires disposal.

Cooling coils are probably the most widely used cooling method and are especially
appropriate where heat can be conserved.

Cooling hot waste gases

Treatment
  Pollutant particles vary in size over many orders of magnitude, from ideal gas
molecules to macroscopic particles several millimeters in diameter.

 One device will not be effective and efficient for all pollutants, or even for all
pollutants coming from the same stack. The chemical behavior of pollutants may also
dictate selection of a control process.

 The various air pollution control devices are conveniently divided into those that
control particulate matter and those that control gaseous pollutants.

Diagram of Collection Device

Cyclone

 The cyclone is a popular, economical, and effective means of controlling particulates.

Cyclones alone are generally not adequate to meet stringent air pollution control
regulations, but serve as precleaners for control devices like fabric filters or
electrostatic precipitators

 Dirty air enters the cyclone off-center at the bottom; a violent swirl of air is thus
created in the cone of the cyclone and particles are accelerated centrifugally outward
toward the cyclone wall. Friction at the wall slows the particles and they slide to the
bottom, where they can be collected.
Diagram of a Cyclone

Four methods of controlling (trapping)

Fabric Filters

 Fabric filters used for controlling particulate matter. Operate like a vacuum cleaner.
Dirty gas is blown or sucked through a fabric filter bag. The fabric bag collects the
dust. Which is removed periodically by shaking the bag.

 Fabric filters can be very efficient collectors for even sub micrometer-sized particles
and are widely used in industrial applications, although they may be sensitive to high
temperatures and humidity.

Specific Fabric Filters

Specific Fabric Filters

  The spray tower or scrubber. It can remove larger particles effectively. More efficient
scrubbers promote the contact between air and water by violent action in a narrow
throat section into which the water is introduced.
 Aventuri scrubber, is frequently used high-energy wet collector. Gas flow is
constricted through a venturi throat section and water is introduced as high-pressure
streams perpendicular to the gas flow.

Spray Tower Venturi Scrubber

Electrostatic Precipitators

Electrostatic precipitators are widely used to trap fine particulate matter in applications
where a large amount of gas needs treatment and where use of a wet scrubber is not
appropriate.

Coal-burning electric generating plants, primary and secondary smelters, and incinerators
often use electrostatic precipitators. In an electrostatic precipitator, particles are removed
when the duty gas stream passes across high-voltage wires, usually carrying a large negative
DC voltage.
Flat- Plate Electrostatic Precipitators

The collection electrode can be either a cylindrical pipe surrounding the high-voltage charging
wire or a flat plate.

The collection electrode must be periodically rapped with small hammer-heads to loosen the
collected particles from its surface

CONTROL OF GASEOUS POLLUTANTS

Gaseous pollutants may be removed from the effluent stream by trapping them from the
stream, by changing them chemically, or by changing the process that produces the pollutants.

SO2 and NO2 in power plant off-gases are often controlled in this way. Packed scrubbers, spray
towers packed with glass platelets or glass frit, carry out such solution processes more
efficiently than ordinary.
Control of Global ( Climate Change)

• The two types of compounds involved in global climate change are those that produce
free halogen atoms by photochemical reaction.

• The first group is comprised mostly of chlorofluorocarbons. Control of

chlorofluorocarbon emission involves control of leaks, as from refrigeration systems,
and eliminating use of the substances.

• While chlorofluorocarbon aerosol propellants are useful and convenient, they are not
necessary for most applications.

• Aerosol deodorant, cleaners, paint, hairspray, and so on can be replaced by roll-on

deodorant, wipe-on cleaners, rolled-on paint, hair mousse, etc.

Two types of compounds

chlorofluorocarbons Aerosol propellants