Fall 2023 ENCH 643 ENEN 697 - Assignment 1 - Solutions - A

ENCH 643 / ENEN 697: Air Pollution Control Engineering
Dr. Mujtaba Shareef

Assignment 1
Submission Deadline: 11-Oct-2023
1. At a location in a PM10 sampler was operated for one day at a flow rate of 1.5 m3/min. At
the end of the period, the filter had a weight gain of 280 milligrams after being desiccated.
Does the PM10 concentration exceeds Canada wide 24-hour average standard? [5 Points]
Note: You should be fine if you compared with PM2.5 standards.
2. The Ozone concentration sometimes reaches a value of 0.35 ppm over a 1-hr period in
urban areas with photochemical smog problems. Determine by what percentage this level
exceeds the pre-1997 national ambient standard of 240 µg/m3 for the given time period,
if the temperature is 35oC. [5 Points]
Fall 2023 ENCH 643 / ENEN 697 Course use only. Strictly no further distribution allowed.
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3. A power plant stack gas at 440°C contains (a) 1800 ppm and (b) 600 ppm of SO 2. If the
volume rate of gas emitted is 350 m3/sec, what is the annual SO2 emission? The stack
pressure is 1.1 bar. [5 Points]
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4. Consider the situation where the gas in the lungs of a human contains 220 ppm of carbon
monoxide and the average oxygen content is 17.5 percent. If these concentrations were
maintained, what percentage of saturation would the COHb concentration eventually
reach? [5 Points]
5. Investigate the equilibrium ozone concentration as a function of the initial concentration

of ozone and oxides of nitrogen:
a. Assume that [O3]o = 0 and [NO2]o/[NOx]o = 0.2. Also assume that k2/k3= 10 ppb.
Calculate the ozone concentration as function of initial [NOx]o for values between
0 and 1,000 ppb. [2 Points]
b. Repeat the above calculation for [NO2]o/[NOx]o = 0.6, [NO2]o/[NOx]o = 0.8 and
[NO2]o/[NOx]o = 1.0. What is the difference? [2 Points]
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c. Ambient concentration of NOx even in polluted areas, typically are less than 500
ppb, whereas maximum ozone concentration can exceed 300 ppb. Can the
mechanism explain these observed ozone concentrations? [3 Points]
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[NOX] ppb [NO2]/[Nox]=0.2 [NO2]/[Nox]=0.6 [NO2]/[Nox]=0.8 [NO2]/[Nox]=1
0.00
0 0.00 0.00 0.00
27.02
100 2.17 10.00 17.02
40.00
200 2.32 11.79 22.17
50.00
300 2.38 12.62 25.21
58.44
400 2.41 13.11 27.28
65.89
500 2.42 13.43 28.82
72.62
600 2.44 13.65 30.00
78.82
700 2.45 13.82 30.95
84.58
800 2.45 13.96 31.73
90.00
900 2.46 14.06 32.38
95.12
1000 2.46 14.15 32.93
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6. Assume the Ozone concentrations in an urban area are described by the isopleth plot,
and the current state of the atmosphere is at point A – that is [VOC]o = 600ppbC, [NOX]o
= 100 ppb and [O3]o = 143 ppb. Estimate the effect on the atmospheric ozone
concentration of the following changes in emissions:
a. A 20 % reduction of VOC emissions (no changes in NOx). [2 Points]
b. A 20 % reduction of NOx emissions (no changes in VOCs). [2 Points]
c. A 20 % increase of VOC emissions (no change in NOx). [2 Points]
d. A 20 % increase of NOx emissions (no change in VOCs). [2 Points]
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7. An alternative motor vehicle fuel has been proposed to help reduce urban ozone
concentration. It is claimed that the new fuel will reduce regional emissions of
formaldehyde by 500 kg/d, toluene by 100 kg/d, isoprene by 30 kg/d, and propene by 10
kg/d. On the other hand, there will be some increases in other VOCs; an additional 300
kg/d of methanol, 170 kg/d of ethanol, 90 kg/d of ethene, and 30 kg/d of acetone. Using
the best current method of assessing potential ozone formation evaluate the claim that
this change will help reduce ozone. [10 Points]
Note: The solution will be posted separately.
8. The atmospheric column contains 280 DU of ozone on a certain day. A ground level ozone
monitor shows a concentration of 0.05 ppm, which is assumed to be uniform up to a
temperature inversion height of 700 m. Assume p=1 atm and T= 300K for the region below
700 m. What fraction of the ozone molecules in the total atmospheric column are below
the inversion height? [10 Points]
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9. From Alberta Air Data Warehouse (http://airquality.alberta.ca/map), download hourly
data for one year for any station and two pollutants. Analyze the data and compare it with
AAAQO and CAAQS [25 Points]
Note: The answer will vary according to the station and pollutant selected by the student. Here
is a sample answer.
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10. In the Indoor Air Quality material balance example problem solved in the class (Example
21.1 in the notes provided), if the target is to keep the formaldehyde level to 0.01 ppm
then estimate the maximum area of wall space that can be covered with the panels [10
Points].
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11. The total annual Canadian emission of SO2 in 2017 were approximately 1 million tonnes.
If we assume 25 percent of that was in the Central Canada and that 5% of that came to
ground as acid precipitation in a 1000 km x 1000 km area and that average precipitation
over that area is 1 m/yr, by how much would this SO2 (if all converted to H2SO4) change
the pH of the rainwater? [10 Points]
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Fall 2023 ENCH 643 ENEN 697 - Assignment 1 - Solutions - A

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ENCH 643 / ENEN 697: Air Pollution Control Engineering

Dr. Mujtaba Shareef

Note: You should be fine if you compared with PM2.5 standards.

5. Investigate the equilibrium ozone concentration as a function of the initial concentration

Note: The solution will be posted separately.

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