AIR POLLUTION CONTROL

CBE 9312/CBE 4405

Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, University of Western Ontario

Hamid-Reza Kariminia
Email: hkarimi6@uwo.ca

Winter 2022
 What is Air Pollution?
• The presence of any substances in the ambient environment in quantities which
are or may be harmful or injurious to human health, welfare, animal or plant
life, or property or unreasonably interfere with the enjoyment of life or
property.

• Air pollution can be caused due to the burning of wood, coal, oil, petrol, or by
spraying pesticides, emission of VOCs (car spray, paint booth, dry cleaning, gas
station).

• Some of the questions which might come to mind while thinking about air pollution
are:
–Are we doing something about solving these problems?
–Do we know enough about the conditions under which a pollution episode occurs?
–What are the regulations?
–How to control emissions?
Course Description

This course is an introduction to the diverse nature of the air

pollution, atmospheric dispersion of air pollutants, and related
pollution control technologies.

The course introduces the students to the various air pollutants

and their sources, health effects and epidemiology, legislation
and monitoring, atmospheric chemistry and physics for air
dispersion, and pollution control technologies.
Learning Objectives

• To develop an awareness of contemporary air pollution problem

and appreciate professional responsibility issues.

• Become familiar with the basics of different air pollutants, learn the
sources and estimate emission from different processes

• To analyse the fate and transport of air pollutants in indoor air and
atmosphere

• To critically evaluate different pollution control technologies for

particulate, VOC and inorganic air pollutants
Teaching Assistant:

Moataz Khaled Abdrabou; email: mabdrab@uwo.ca

Textbook:

Air Pollution Control Engineering; Third Edition, Noel de Nevers, Wavelend Press, Inc., 2017.

Course Notes: To be provided; posted at the OWL

Evaluation:

The final course mark will be determined as follows:

Assignments: 20%
Midterm Examination 30% (part open/part close)
Final Exam: 50% (open book)
 Course Content
Introduction
• perform basic chemistry calculations and unit interconversions

Air Pollution Effects

• relate to the common indoor and outdoor problems.

Air Quality Standards and Regulation

• perform simple health risk calculations using given risk factors
• understand the principal aspects of air pollution regulation

Air Pollution Sources

• identify the sectoral origins of major air pollutants in North America
• calculate air pollutant emission rates, given emission factors
 Course Content (continued 1)
Atmospheric Chemistry of Oxides of Sulfur and Nitrogen
• describe the atmospheric chemistry of sulfur and nitrogen compounds relevant
to acidic deposition

Combustion as a Source of Air Pollutants

• calculate the volume and composition of effluent gases evolved by combustion
of fuels

Photochemical Air Pollution

• describe the formation of secondary pollutant due to photochemical reactions

Atmospheric Dispersion
• calculate dispersion of pollutants in atmosphere based on meteorology
• calculate stack height for pollutant release
 Course Content (continued 2)
Indoor air pollution
• identify indoor air pollutants and predict the concentration of pollutant using
systems approach

Particulate Pollutants Control

•understand various forces governing particulate movement
•design various control technologies (gravity, cyclone, electrostatic precipitator,
filter)

Scrubbers/Absorption Systems
• design various scrubbers (co-flow, cross-flow, counter-flow)
 Course Content (continued 3)
Adsorption Systems
• understand the adsorption process and adsorption equilibrium models
• design fixed-bed adsorbers and estimate service life

Incineration & Thermal Oxidation

•perform mass and energy calculations
•design vapor/gas incinerators with afterburners
•Control of Nox

Biological Control Systems

• understand various systems including biofilters, biotrickling filters, and
bioscrubber
Course
Outline
Course CBE 4405/CBE9312 - Winter 2022

Schedule Jan.
Week Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1
9

• L: Lecture
10 Classes Start 11 12 13 14 15
L, L L
2
16 17 18 19 20 21

• T: Tutorial
22
L, L L, T1
3
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
L, L L, T2 Assignment 1
4
Feb. 30 31 1 2 3 4 5
L, L L, T3
5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
L, L L, T4 Assignment 2
6
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
L, L L, T5
7 Reading Week
20 21 22 23 24 25 26

• Assignments due date: March

Reading
Week
27
Reading Week Reading Week
28 1
Reading Week
2
Reading Week
3
Reading Week Reading Week
4 5
Reading Midterm Exam L
8 Week
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
L, L L, T6 Assignment 3
9
Assignment 1: Jan. 28, 11:59 PM 10
13 14
L, L
15 16
L, T7
17 18 19

Assignment 2: Feb. 11, 11:59 PM

20 21 22 23 24 25
26
L, L L, T8
11
Assignment 3: Mar. 11, 11:59 PM
27 28 29 30 31 1
2
L, L L, T9
12
April 3 4 5 6 7 8 Classes End 9
Assignment 4: Apr. 8, 11:59 PM 10
L, L
11 12
L, T10
13 14
Assignment 4
15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30
 Air Pollution Examples

Chinese ink is made of

soot produced by
burning oil or wood in a
smoke house
https://www.chinaartlover.com/china-ink-india-ink-or-is-there-a-difference
1952 London Smog

https://www.history.com/news/the-killer-fog-
https://time.com/4554972/great-
that-blanketed-london-60-years-ago
smog-london-crown-netflix/

• 4500 people were dead in the week ending on

Dec 13.

• From Dec 1952 through March 1953, there were

over 13,500 more deaths than normal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xajjmbJrfEM
• Photo of smog episode
in Los Angeles, CA taken in
May of 1972. Source:
• Documerica, US
Environmental Protection
Agency’s Photo Gallery;
Photographer: Gene
• Daniels.
A dust storm in Amboseli National Park in Kenya.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/science/air-pollution-fires-genes.html
Dense smog in Milan.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/20/air-pollution-may-be-key-
contributor-to-covid-19-deaths-study
Reading, Pennsylvania (c. 1909)

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D. C.

Youngstown, Ohio (c. 1910)

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D. C.

Gary, Indiana (c. 1912)

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D. C.

Donora, PA (1948)

www.eoerth.org
Noon, Donora, PA. Oct. 29, 1948
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
London Smog (1952) 4000 deaths

www.virginmedia.com U.S. Library of Congress

Also events in 1873, 1880, 1892, 1948, 1956, 1957, 1962

Los Angeles, California (December 3, 1909)

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D. C.

 Los Angeles (1920s)

www.airfields-freeman.com

Media-2.web.britannica.com
 Los Angeles (1930s)

Images.encarta.msn.com

www.nottingham.ac.uk
Uplaod.wikimedia.org
Los Angeles 1940s

www.aqmd.gov
Open Waste Incineration LA (1945)

Los Angeles Public Library

Los Angeles 1950s

Time, Inc.
Los Angeles 1958

Los Angeles Public Library

Los Angeles 1964

Los Angeles Public Library

Daytime in Pittsburgh (1945) and NY City (1953)

U.S. Library of Congress

Salt Lake City
Rush Spedden; rmcleanair.blogspot.com/2007/01/utah-choking-on-pollution.html
Mexico City
Stephanie Maze/www.pollutionissues.com/Ve-Z/Vehicular-Pollution.html
Sao Paulo
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Zona_Leste_-_São_Paulo-Brasil.jpg
Beijing
Chinadaily.com.cn
New Delhi
Sao Paulo
Topnews.in
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Zona_Leste_-_São_Paulo-Brasil.jpg
 History of Air Pollution in the US
• The problems of air pollution in Los Angles, New York city, and Chicago during the
fifties drew attention of regulators in the United States.
• Conventional pollutants due to auto emissions and smoke stacks were the major
thrusts of air pollution during the sixties and seventies.
• Invisible emissions of toxic pollutants were recognized in the late seventies.
• In early eighties scientists observed a slow down in growth of red spruce in the
mountain areas of north-eastern US as a result of acid rain.
• In early nineties standards for ozone air pollution and sulfur dioxide has been
revised
• In late nineties standard for particulate matter pollution was strengthened.
 Accidents and Episodes
• 1930-3 day fog in Meuse Valley, Belgium
• 1931 -9 day fog in Manchester, England
• 1948-Plant emissions in Donora, Penn, US
• 1952-4 day fog in London, England
• 1970 -Radionuclide emissions, Three Mile Island, US
• 1984-Release of Methyl isocynate in Bhopal, India
• 1986-Radionuclide releases, Chernobyl, Ukraine
• 1997 –Haze disaster in Indonesia
• 2001 –Wildfires in Sierra Nevada, US
• 2001 –Enormous clouds of dust in New York during Collapse of World Trade
Center, US
• 2002 –Violent dust storm in Queensland, Australia
• 2005 -Jilin chemical plant explosions, Jilin city, China
• 2007 –Wildfires in TALLAHASSEE Florida, US
• 2008 -Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill, Kingston, US
 Air Pollution

• Indoor
• Regional
• Global
• Stratospheric

- Sources
- Effects
- Treatment
Effect of Air Pollution on Global Scale
 Effects of Global Warming

https://www.joboneforhumanity.org/what_is_climate_change_and_global_warming_and
An example of acid precipitation damage to an outdoor statue. The statue, made of porous sandstone, was
created in 1702 as part of the gable of the
entrance of the Castle at Herten, near Recklinghausen, Germany. The right photo, taken in 1969, shows the
loss of most of the detail of the statue over
61 years [25]. (Reprinted with permission from the Westfalisches Amt fUr Denkmalpflege
 Implications of Air Pollution

• The World Health Organization (WHO) released a report on

2014 saying about 8 million people are dying every year
because of air pollution.

• Air pollution cost Canadians $36B in 2015 due to premature

death and illness.

• The costs will rise to $250 billion by the year 2031 if no

improvements are made.
 Pollution
• Pollution moves via some pathway(s) in the environment, thereby exposing
receptors (i.e., humans, plants, animals, building, statues, etc. ) to potential injury.

• The significance of the pollution is related to its effects on a range of receptors,

including humans and the resources and ecological systems on which we depend.

• Pollution has a human source; natural inputs of the same materials (e.g. volcanic
eruptions) are excluded.

• Pollution should be judged on its impact on social values as well as its physical
environmental effects.

• Quantification is important so that the degree of danger or impact expected can be

assessed.
 US-Canada Facts
• Canadian and American facilities released an estimated 1.6 million
tonnes of chemicals directly into the environment (1998), equivalent in
weight to 900,000 minivans-2015 release to air-3,165,490 tonnes in
Canada
•
• The report shows Canadian plants produced 30 percent more total
pollution, on average, than U.S. facilities; difference is largely due to
weaker air pollution and landfill regulations in Canada.

• Coal and oil-fired power plants, and vehicular emissions are the top
air polluters (46 of the top 50 polluters) in the United States and
Canada according to most recent data
 Emission of Six Criteria Pollutants

Although, overall emission decreased in most cases from 1990s, Canada is the second
most polluter after US in OECD countries
 Canadian Polluters
How the provinces rank in terms of direct releases of chemicals into the
environment?
 Distribution of world carbon dioxide
emissions from fuel combustion, 2009

(Air pollutant emissions) = population x economic activity per person

x pollutant emission per unit of economic activity
 Emissions, Transport, Receptors
Air pollution schematic, showing the interrelations among emissions,
transport, dilution, modification, and effects.
Primary vs. Secondary Air Contaminants
• Primary contaminants: emitted directly into the air.

• Secondary contaminants: produced by reactions in the air or within liquid

aerosols.
Primary vs. Secondary Air Contaminants
 Primary vs. Secondary Air Contaminants

Smoothed average daily

concentrations of selected
pollutants in Los Angeles,
California, July 1 9, 1965.

Observe the progression NO

→ N02 → 03 and the
different behavior of CO,
which does not undergo
rapid chemical reactions in
the atmosphere.
 Commonly Used Units
• Concentration of a pollutant in air is expressed as ppm by
volume or by mol.

• Standard temperature and pressure condition (STP):

1 atm pressure and 0oC
 Units and Measurements Gases

• 1 ppm is one drop in 15 gallons

• 1 ppb is one drop in a large swimming pool
• 1 ppb is 5 people out of the Earth’s population (when
population was 5 billion!)
 Volume of an Ideal Gas

Ideal gas law: PV = nRT

– P = absolute pressure (atm)

– V = volume (m3)
– n = mass (moles)
– R = gas constant = 0.082056 L·atm·K-1·mol-1
– T = absolute temperature (K)
– K = °C + 273.15
 Volume of an Ideal Gas (cont.)

Example: Determine the number of moles of gas found in 1 liter at

25 °C and 1 atm.

•Solution:

n=PV / RT
 Converting to ppm
Example: 1000 L of air in 1.2 atm and 30oC is analyzed and found to
contain 0.078 g of carbon monoxide. Is this a problem?

•Solution: Look up standard for workplace air in NIOSH Pocket Guide

to Chemical Hazards

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-149/pdfs/2005-149.pdf
(page 54)
Exposure Limits

The NIOSH recommended exposure limits (RELs) are listed first

in this section. For NIOSH RELs, “TWA” indicates a time-
weighted average concentration for up to a 10-hour workday
during a 40-hour workweek.
 immediately
dangerous to life
or health
concentrations

time-weighted
average
concentration
 Converting to ppm (cont.)
1 mol gas
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶𝑂 22.414 𝐿 𝐶𝑂 at (STP) 1 atm, 0oC
0.078 𝑔 𝐶𝑂 × × V=22.414 L
28 𝑔 𝐶𝑂 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶𝑂 𝑛𝑅𝑇
(30 + 273.15) 1 𝑎𝑡𝑚 𝑉=
× × = 0.0577 𝐿 𝐶𝑂 𝑃
273.15 1.2 𝑎𝑡𝑚

0.0577 𝐿 𝐶𝑂 1000 𝐿 57.7 𝐿 𝐶𝑂

× = = 57.7 𝑝𝑝𝑚 𝐶𝑂
1000 𝐿 1000 𝐿 1,000,000 𝐿

Exceeds NIOSH standard !

Chemical Composition of Dry Air
Converting ppm to mg/m3
Abbreviations for volumetric and gravimetric units
Problem :
An SO2 concentration is given as 830 mg/m3 at 25°C and 1 atm. Express this concentration in parts per million (ppm).

Solution :

Concentration of SO2 is 830 mg/m3

AT STP conditions (0°C and 1 atm), one mole of gas occupies 22.414 L
(V=nRT/P).
Molecular Weight of SO2 is 64g/mol

𝑛𝑅𝑇 𝑉2 𝑇2 𝑇2
Correct for temperature: 𝑉 = → = → 𝑉2 = 𝑉
𝑃 𝑉0 𝑇0 𝑇0 0

25 + 273.15 𝐾
= 22.414 𝐿 𝑆𝑂2 ×
273.15 𝐾

830 𝜇𝑔 𝑆𝑂2 1 𝑔 𝑆𝑂2 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑆𝑂2 22. 414 𝐿 𝑆𝑂2 25 + 273.15 𝐾 1000 𝑚3 𝑎𝑖𝑟
× 6 × ×( × )× =
𝑚3 𝑎𝑖𝑟 10 𝜇𝑔 𝑆𝑂2 64 𝑔 𝑆𝑂2 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑆𝑂2 273.15 𝐾 𝟏𝟎𝟔 𝑳 𝒂𝒊𝒓
𝐿 𝑆𝑂2
0.317 = 0.317 𝑝𝑝𝑚 𝑆𝑂2
𝟏𝟎𝟔 𝑳 𝒂𝒊𝒓
Problem :
Carbon Monoxide concentration at 90°C and 6 atm is 90 mg/m3. Express this concentration in ppm.

Solution :

Concentration of CO is 90 mg/m3
AT STP conditions (0°C and 1 atm), one mole of gas occupies 22.414 L
(V=nRT/P).
Molecular Weight of CO is 28 g/mol
𝑛𝑅𝑇 𝑉2 𝑇2 𝑃0 𝑇2 𝑃0
Correct for temperature: 𝑉 = → = → 𝑉2 = 𝑉
𝑃 𝑉0 𝑇0 𝑃2 𝑇0 𝑃2 0

90 + 273.15 𝐾 1 𝑎𝑡𝑚
= 22.414 𝐿 𝐶𝑂 × ×
273.15 𝐾 6 𝑎𝑡𝑚

90 𝜇𝑔 𝐶𝑂 1 𝑔 𝐶𝑂 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶𝑂 22. 414 𝐿 𝐶𝑂 90 + 273.15 𝐾 1 𝑎𝑡𝑚 1000 𝑚3 𝑎𝑖𝑟

× 6 × ×( × × )× =
𝑚3 𝑎𝑖𝑟 10 𝜇𝑔 𝐶𝑂 28 𝑔 𝐶𝑂 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶𝑂 273.15 𝐾 6 𝑎𝑡𝑚 𝟏𝟎𝟔 𝑳 𝒂𝒊𝒓
𝐿 𝐶𝑂
0.0160 = 0.0160 𝑝𝑝𝑚 𝐶𝑂
𝟏𝟎𝟔 𝑳 𝒂𝒊𝒓
 Problem :
The exhaust from a vehicle contains 1.5% by volume of carbon monoxide. Compute the concentration of CO in
mg/m3 at 25°C and 1 atm of pressure.

Solution :

1 percent by volume = 104 ppm

Molecular Weight of CO is 28 g/mol

𝑛𝑅𝑇 𝑉2 𝑇2 𝑇2
Correct for temperature: 𝑉 = → = → 𝑉2 = 𝑉
𝑃 𝑉0 𝑇0 𝑇0 0

25 + 273.15 𝐾
= 22.4 𝐿 𝐶𝑂 ×
273.15 𝐾

1.5 𝐿 𝐶𝑂 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶𝑂 273.15 𝐾 28 𝑔 𝐶𝑂 1000 𝑚𝑔 𝐶𝑂 1000 𝐿 𝑎𝑖𝑟 4

𝑚𝑔 𝐶𝑂
×( × )× × × = 1.717 × 10
100 𝐿 𝑎𝑖𝑟 22.414 𝐿 𝐶𝑂 (25 + 273.15) 𝐾 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶𝑂 1 𝑔 𝐶𝑂 1 𝑚3 𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑚3 𝑎𝑖𝑟
 Problem :
An exhaust gas containing 3.2 percent by volume SO2 is released at 25°C and 1 atm. Compute the concentration in
mg/m3.

Solution :

Molecular Weight of SO2 is 64 g/mol

𝑛𝑅𝑇 𝑉2 𝑇2 𝑇2
Correct for temperature: 𝑉 = → = → 𝑉2 = 𝑉
𝑃 𝑉0 𝑇0 𝑇𝑜 𝑜

25 + 273.15 𝐾
= 22.414 𝐿 𝑆𝑂2 ×
273.15 𝐾

3.2 𝐿 𝑆𝑂2 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑆𝑂2 273.15 𝐾 64 𝑔 𝑆𝑂2 1000 𝑚𝑔 𝑆𝑂2 1000 𝐿 𝑎𝑖𝑟 4
𝑚𝑔 𝑆𝑂2
×( × )× × × = 8.37 × 10
100 𝐿 𝑎𝑖𝑟 22.414 𝐿 𝑆𝑂2 25 + 273.15 𝐾 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑆𝑂2 1 𝑔 𝑆𝑂2 1 𝑚3 𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑚3 𝑎𝑖𝑟