UNIT V

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Dr. A.SIVA SANKAR

Associate Professor Department of Civil KL UNIVERSITY

M.Tech., M.B.A; PhD.,

According to Eugene P. Odum, Pollution can be defined as

the undesirable change brought about in the environment by physical, chemical and biological deeds of man and his agents In other words, excessive addition of certain materials to the physical environment (air, water, and land ) makes it less fit / unfit for sustenance of life
Population Poverty Pollution

AIR POLLUTION
Contents
Definition Cause Effects

Control measures

Definition
Air pollution defined as may be

the presence of impurities in excess concentrations and duration in the atmosphere to cause adverse effects on Plants Animals Human beings Materials
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Chemical industrial pollution generation

AIR POLLUTION

BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY

RELEASE OF METHYL ISOCYANATE KILLED SEVERAL THOUSANDS PEOPLE IN BHOPAL

Causes
NATURAL SOURCES: Forest fires Volcanic eruptions Sand storms Hydrogen sulphide

Methane from anaerobic decomposition of organic matter, etc.

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 ANTHROPOGENIC:
Burning of fossil fuels Agricultural activities Industrial growth

Automobile exhausts
Domestic wastes War fares etc
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Types of Air pollutants

Air pollutants are generally grouped into two types: 1) Particulate pollutants Particulate pollutants
The term particulate refers to all atmospheric substances which are not gases They can be suspended droplets or solid particles or mixture of the two Particulates can be composed of materials ranging in different sizes Eg. Dust, smoke, fog, Mist
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2) Gaseous pollutants

 Dust
Dust contains particles of size ranging from 1 to 200 m These are formed by the disintegration of rock and soil (or ) by the mechanical processes of grinding and spraying Examples: Magnesium Aluminum Silica
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Smoke
Smoke is formed from incomplete combustion of organic matter Smoke may different colors have

Color depends on the nature of material burnt

It contains fine particles of size ranging from 0.01 m to 1 m
Smoking is injurious to health
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Mist
Mist is made up of liquid droplets of size generally smaller than 10 m These liquid droplets are formed by the process of condensation in the atmosphere

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Fog
Fog is similar to mist but the droplet size is bigger than 10 m Fog is sufficiently dense to incomprehensible vision

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CLASSIFICATION OF AIR POLLUTANTS

On the basis of origin, air pollutants can be divided into Primary air pollutants Secondary air pollutants Primary air pollutants There are directly emitted to the atmosphere, and are found there in the form in which they are emitted a) Carbon Compounds: Carbon dioxide, Carbon monoxide b) Sulphur compounds: Carbonyl Sulphide (COS), Carbon disulphide (CS2) Dimethyl sulphide [CH3S), Hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Sulphur dioxide (SO2), and sulphate (S042-) c) Hydrocarbons: Benzene, Methane (Marsh gas) d) Oxides of nitrogen (NOx): NO,NO2,N20
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e) Metals: Zinc, cadmium, lead, mercury f) Toxic substances: Arsenic, asbestos, carbon tetra chloride, beryllium, chromium, copper, nickel, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH3) g) Organic compounds: Aldehydes, Ketones, Carboxylic acids, Organic sulphur compounds etc. Finer Particles (Less than 100 in diameter.) Coarse Particles (Greater than 100 in diameter) h) Radioactive compounds: Radium222, Uranium-232, strontium 90, Plutonium -239

Secondary air pollutants

There are produced in air by interaction among two or more primary pollutants or by reaction with normal atmospheric constituents (Chemical reactions) or Photochemical PAN

Ozone formaldehyde (Peroxyl Acetyl Nitrate)

Photochemical smog (coal induced, H202 organic peroxides) Formation of Acid mist (H2SO4) due to reaction of sulphur dioxide and dissolved oxygen, when water droplets are present in the atmosphere
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Photochemical smog

PAN

Acid mist
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Effects of Air Pollution

ACID RAIN
Acid rain is a serious environmental problem that affects large parts of the world Acid rain is particularly damaging to lakes, streams, forests and the plants and animals that live in these ecosystems In addition, acid rain accelerates the decay of building materials and paints, including irreplaceable buildings, statues sculptures that are part of our nation's cultural heritage
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Acid Rain
contains high levels of sulfuric or nitric acids contaminate drinking water and vegetation damage aquatic life erode buildings Alters the chemical equilibrium of some soils
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Effect on Humans
On An average man breathes 22,000 times a day and takes in 16Kg of air each day Dust - silicosis (associated with silica dust) Asbestosis (associated asbestos dust) with

Eye, Nose, throat, respiratory tract irritation

CO is a poisonous gas (and combines with hemoglobin to form Carboxyhemoglobin COHb which is toxic Illness and death

Lead (from vehicles)

Its high concentration can damage, liver, Kidney and can cause abnormality in fertility and pregnancy

Radio active Isotopes

causes anemia (iron deficiency) leukemia (RBC deficiency), cancer, genetic defects

Hydrogen fluoride causes florosis, and mottling of teeth

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Effect on Vegetation
Necrosis : Killing of tissues Pigmented lesions: dark brown, black, purple, red spots on leaves Epinasty: Rapid growth of upper side of the leaves Chlorosis: Loss of green plant pigment chlorophyll (Yellow leaves) Abscission: leaves Dropping of

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Effect on Materials
Corrosion of metals Eroding surfaces of building

Fading of dyed materials Rubber cracking

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Control of Air Pollutants

(i) Settling Chamber : This is used to collect solid particles

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Cyclone Precipitator
Centrifugal forces tend to drive the suspended particles to the wall of the cyclone body

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Filters
Cloth fabric or fibrous medium like mats of wool, cellulose may be used as separators

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Electrostatic precipitators

They utilize electric energy to assist in removal of particulate matter

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