AIR POLLUTION

Foreign matters include

Air pollution is the excessive
gases ( Sulphur oxides,
concentration of foreign
nitrogen oxides, CO,
matter in the air which
Hydrocarbons etc) &
adversely affects the well
Particulate matters ( smoke,
being of the individual or
dust, fumes, aerosols) ,
causes damage to property.
Radioactive materials

DEFINITION
  Air pollutants are also known as Emissions
 Sources can be
SOURC  Natural

E OF  Man- made or Anthropogenic sources

 Natural - Pollen grains, volcanic eruptions,
AIR forest fires, dust storms, bacteria and other
POLLUT microorganisms.
 Man- made - industrial units, thermal power
ANTS plants, automobile exhausts, fossil fuel
burning, mining, nuclear explosions etc
 Pollutants can be grouped into two categories:

(1) Primary pollutants - which are emitted directly from identifiable sources

(2) Secondary pollutants - which are produced in the atmosphere when certain chemical
reactions take place among primary pollutants and normal atmospheric constituents.

CLASSIFICATION OF POLLUTANTS
The major Particulate matter (PM)
primary Oxides of Sulfur
pollutants
include: Nitrogen oxides
Chlorofluorocarbons
Carbon monoxide
Hydrocarbons
Chemical pollutants

PRIMARY POLLUTANTS
Suspended droplets or solid
particles or mixture of two PARTICULATE
MATTER ( PM)
Size ranging from 100μm down
to 0.1μm and less

Classification include Dust,

Smoke, Fumes, Mist, Fog, Aerosol
1.Dust – size ranging from 1 to 200μm .

Formed by natural disintegration of rock or by the mechanical

processes of grinding and spraying

2. Smoke – size ranging from 0.01 to 1μm

It can be liquid or solids

Formed by combustion or other chemical processes

Fumes – solid particles size ranging from 0.1 to 1μm

Normally released from chemical or metallurgical processes

Mist – Liquid droplets smaller than 10μm

Formed by the condensation in the atmosphere or released from

industrial operations

Fog - Liquid droplets

It can obstruct the vision

Aerosol – solid or liquid droplets , size smaller than 1 1μm

OXIDES OF SULPHUR
 Oxides of nitrogen – NOx group contains NO(Nitric oxide), NO2( Nitrogen dioxide),
N2O( Nitrous oxide).
 Nitrous oxide – colourless, odourless and non toxic.
 Source – biological activity of soil
 Nitric oxide (NO) - colourless, odourless produced by Fuel combustion
 In polluted atmosphere NO oxidized to NO2
 NO2 – Brown gas with irritating odour
 It absorbs sunlight and initiates a series of photochemical reactions

 Effects
 Reduce blood carrying capacity.
 Causes lung problems.

OXIDES OF NITROGEN
 Hydrocarbons (HC) – these include methane, ethylene, acetylene, terpenes etc.
 Sources include coal fields, natural fires.
 Incomplete combustion
 Forest fires
 Agricultural burning
 Effects:
 Carcinogenic effect
 Form ozone and PAN which are harmful
 Damage plants, rubber materials, fabric and paints
 Hydrocarbons (HC) – these include methane, ethylene, acetylene, terpenes etc.
 Sources include coal fields, natural fires ,Incomplete combustion
 Themselves alone cause no harmful effects
 In presence of sunlight and nitrogen oxides ,it undergo chemical reaction and
forming photochemical oxidents
 Effects:
 Carcinogenic effect
 Form ozone and PAN ( peroxyacetyl nitrate)which are harmful.
 Damage plants, rubber materials, fabric and paints.

HYDROCARBONS (HC)
Some primary air pollutants react
with one another or with other
chemicals to form secondary
pollutants.

SECONDARY POLLUTANTS
 Atmospheric sulfuric acid is one example of a secondary pollutant.

 Air pollution in urban and industrial areas is often called smog.

 Photochemical smog, a noxious mixture of gases and particles, is

produced when strong sunlight triggers photochemical reactions in the
atmosphere.

 The major component of photochemical smog is ozone.

Air pollutants may be classified by source as
 Stationary
 Mobile
Another method of classifying emission source is by
 Point source- large stationary source
Area source- small stationary source and mobile source
with indefinite routes
 Line source- mobile source with definite routes

STATIONARY AND MOBILE SOURCES

 Carbon monoxide (CO) - Colorless, odorless, tasteless gas

 No effect at normal conc. (0.1ppm) but higher conc. seriously affect.

 Volcanoes, natural gas emissions, seed germination contribute to CO.

 Transport sector contribute 75% CO.

 Residential wood burning 10%, industrial process 15% CO.

MAJOR POLLUTANTS SOURCES AND

EFFECTS