POLLUTION

Environmental Pollution can be defined as any

undesirable change in the chemical, biological or the
physical characteristics of any components of the
environment(air, water or soil), which can cause harmful
effects on various forms of life or property, i.e. physical
system or living organism.
Pollution can be categorized as:
 Air Pollution
 Water Pollution
 Soil Pollution
 Noise Pollution
 Thermal Pollution
 Nuclear Pollution
 Marine Pollution
Air pollution may be defined as the presence in the air
(outdoor atmosphere) of one or more contaminants or
combinations there of in such quantities and of such
durations as may be or tend to be injurious to human,
animal or plant life, or property, or which unreasonably
interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or
property or conduct of business.
CLASSIFICATION OF AIR POLLUTANTS
“Primary pollutants are released directly into the atmosphere from
either natural or anthropogenic sources and effect the
environment directly or indirectly.”
The major primary pollutants include:
 suspended particulate matter (SPM),
 sulfur dioxide,
 oxides of nitrogen (NOx),
 volatile organic compounds (VOCs),
 carbon monoxide, and
 lead.
 RSPM
 Ammonia
TYPES OF SPM

 Aerosol (general term for particles suspended in air)

 Mist (aerosol containing liquid droplets eg. H2SO4 mist)
 Dust (aerosol containing solid particles)
 Smoke (aerosol containing mixture of solid and liquid particles
produced by chemical reaction such as fire)
 Fume (same as smoke by produced by condensation of hot vapors of
metals eg. Zinc and Lead fumes)
 Plume ( smoke coming out of chimney)
 Fog (aerosol consist of water droplets)
 Smog (mixture of smoke and fog)
“Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly.
Rather, they form in the air when primary
pollutants react with other natural gases. Many
of these reactions are catalyzed by sunlight.”
 Major secondary pollutant is ground level ozone
and PAN (peroxyacetyl nitrate) that make up
photochemical smog. They are formed by the
photochemical reaction among NOx,
hydrocarbons and oxygen.
 a) Secondary Pollutant: Pollutants that are produced in the atmosphere
 when certain chemical reactions take place among the primary pollutants
they give rise to secondary pollutants. Eg: sulfuric acid, nitric acid, carbonic
acid, etc
 Some more example of Secondary pollutant:
 b) Tropospheric Ozone: The majority of tropospheric ozone formation
occurs when nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile
organic compounds (VOCs), such as xylene, react in the atmosphere in the
presence of sunlight. NOx, CO, and VOCs are called ozone precursors.
b) Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN): Acyl peroxy nitrates, or Peroxyacyl
nitrates
(also known as APNs, or PANs), are powerful respiratory and eye
irritants
present in photochemical smog.

CH3C(O)OO· + NO2 → CH3C(O)OONO2

Hydrocarbons + O2 + light → CxHyC(O)OO·

CxHyC(O)OO· + NO2 → CxHyC(O)OONO2

“Sources of air pollution refer to the various locations,
activities or factors which are responsible for the
releasing of pollutants in the atmosphere”.
SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION
 Dust from natural sources, usually large areas of
land with little or no vegetation.
 Methane, emitted by the digestion of food by 
animals, for example cattle.
 Radon gas from radioactive decay within the
Earth's crust. Radon is a colorless, odorless,
naturally occurring, radioactive noble gas that is
formed from the decay of radium.
 Smoke and carbon monoxide from wildfires.
 Volcanic activity, which produce sulfur, chlorine,
and ash particulates.
Related to burning different kinds of fuel.
 "Stationary Sources" include smoke stacks of power plants,
manufacturing facilities (factories) and waste incinerators.
 "Mobile Sources" include motor vehicles, marine vessels,
aircraft etc.
 Chemicals, dust and controlled burn practices in agriculture
and forestry management.
 Fumes from paint, hair spray, varnish, aerosol sprays and
other solvents.
 Waste deposition in landfills, which generate methane
.Methane is not toxic; however, it is highly flammable and
may form explosive mixtures with air
 Military, such as nuclear weapons, toxic gases, 
germ warfare and rocketry
1. Point source – where
pollution emanates
from single localized
source e.g.
smokestack,
drainpipe etc
2. Line source -
dispersed source, e.g.
vehicular pollution,
shipping tracks,
aviation route etc.
 NONPOINT SOURCES

Rural homes

Urban streets Cropland

Animal feedlot

POINT
Suburban
SOURCES
development Factory

Wastewater
treatment plant
EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION
 LONDON SMOG, 1952
GRAY SMOG(COAL FUMES + HUMID CLIMATE)
 LOS ANGELES -July 26, 1943
(VEHICLE POLLUTANTS + SOLAR RADIATIONS)
 Name comes from a mixture of “Smoke”
and “Fog”
 First observed in London during the
industrial revolution
 There are 2 types of smog: Industrial
Smog (London) and Photochemical
Smog (Los Angeles)
 Source: Pollution from the burning of coal and oil that
contains sulfur
 Consists mainly of: Sulfur Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide, soot
and ash (particulate matter) and sulfuric acid
 It can cause breathing difficulties in humans, plus acid
rain damage to plants, aquatic systems, and metal or
stone objects
 London and Chicago have problems with industrial
smog.
 Methods of reducing this smog: Alkaline Scrubbers
reduce SO2 and SO3 levels; electrostatic precipitators
reduce particulates.
 Source: Mainly automobile pollution
 Contains: Nitrogen Oxides, Ozone, Alkanals,
Peroxyacetyl Nitrates (PANs), plus hundreds of
other substances
 Effects: PANs cause eyes to water and can
damage plants, O3 irritates eyes and deteriorates
rubber and plants, NOx causes acid rain.
 First observed in LA in the 1940s, Manila and
Mexico City also experience this kind of smog
 Catalytic Converters change NO to N2, Lean
burning engines reduce Nox, but create more CO
and Hydrocarbons.
 Irritation of eyes, nose, throat; damage to lungs when inhaled
 Acute and chronic asthma
 Increased incidence of respiratory illness
 Increased airway resistance (due to inflammation)
 Damage to lung tissues and cause lung cancer
 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD (narrowing
of the airways)
 CO leads to toxicity of the central nervous system and heart,
headaches, dizziness, nausea and unconsciousness
 Co also effect the vision & decreased muscular coordination
 In cases of prolonged exposure to high CO concentrations,
unconsciousness, convulsions and death would occur.
 Exposure to the ozone cause burning nose and watering eyes,
tightening of the chest, coughing, wheezing and throat
irritation.
 AIR POLLUTION AFFECTS: PARTICULATE MATTER

 Corrosion of metals
 spoiling buildings, sculptures and painted
surface.
 Fly ash: fly ash is one of the residue generated in
combustion and comprises the fine particles that
rise with the flue gases. It contaminates water and
lead to heavy metal pollution.
 Ozone produces a speckle of brown spots, which appear on the
flat areas of leaf between the veins
 Sulfur dioxide: larger bleached-looking areas
 Cell metabolism disruption (membrane damage, respiration

and photosynthetic effects)

 Reduced growth and reproduction

 Increase in susceptibility of plants to attacks by insect

herbivores
 Nitrogen dioxide: irregular brown or white collapsed lesions on
intercostal tissue and near the leaf edge
 Ammonia: unnatural green appearance with tissue drying out
 Particulate air pollution effects on plants & trees
may be as follows:
 Blocked stomata
 Increased leaf temperature
 Reduced photosynthesis
 Reduced fruit set, leaf growth, pollen growth
 Reduced tree growth
 Leaf necrosis and chlorosis, bark peeling
 "Acid rain" is a popular term referring to the deposition of wet (rain, snow, sleet,
fog, cloud, water and dew) and dry (acidifying particles and gases) acidic
components.
 Acid rain is caused by emissions of compounds of ammonium, carbon,
nitrogen, and sulfur which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere
to produce acids.
 H2O (l) + CO2 (g) → H2CO3 (aq) Carbonic acid then can ionize in water
forming low concentrations of hydronium and carbonate ions.
 In the presence of water, sulfur trioxide (SO3) is converted rapidly to
sulfuric acid:
SO2 (g) + H2O SO2·H2O
SO3 (g) + H2O (l) → H2SO4 (l)
Nitrogen dioxide reacts with water vapour to form nitric acid:
NO2 + H2O → HNO3
The effects of acid rain have been known for a long time.
Though experts admit that the problem of acid rain is
generally under control, it’s still worth reiterating the
effects brought on by acid rain on the wider environment.
 Acid rain has adverse effects on :
 Forests & other vegetation
 Freshwater lakes & streams destroying aquatic life
 Soil
 Buildings & materials
• It causes deterioration of buildings especially made up of marbles.
• It damage stone tissues due to solubility of stones in acids.
• It damages metals and cars finishing.
• It results into reproductive failure and killing of fishes and other aquatic
fauna.
• It damages the aquatic weeds and kills the phytoplanktons and
zooplanktons.
• It damages vegetations and change the pH of the soil.
• It kills the important bacteria and other micro-organism in soil by
changing its pH.
• It weakens trees and make them more susceptible to stresses like cold,
drought.
 Carbon dioxide and other gases allow light to pass, but trap heat in the
atmosphere much like glass in a greenhouse traps heat.
 This greenhouse effect is thought to be responsible for global warming.
 Carbon dioxide contributes to only 56% of greenhouse heating.
 The average surface temperature of Earth is about 15°C (59°F).
 Global Warming is increase in the average temperature of the atmosphere,
oceans, and landmasses of Earth.
 Water vapor
 Carbon monoxide
 Methane
 Nitrous oxide
 Ozone.
 SF6
• Temperature extremes. 
•  Rise in sea level, and change in precipitation.
• Injuries from storms, coastal flooding .
• Interruption of power supply, contamination of drinking
water.
• Drought 
• Food shortages due to shift in agricultural food production 
• Air pollution ( made worse by warming). 
• Asthma, bronchitis, emphysema complications 
• Strain on public health systems.
• Increased need due to population migrations. 
• Unable to restrain spread of infectious diseases 
Ozone is created by a chemical reaction:

+ = O3
VOC + NOx + Heat + Sunlight = Ozone

VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) and NOx (Nitrogen

Oxides) come from motor vehicles, power plants,
industrial facilities, and other sources.
 O2 + hʋ O+O

O + O2 + M O3 + M

(M is a third body necessary to carry away the energy released from the
reaction.)
The amount of Atmospheric Ozone is measured by Dobson
Spectrometer and is expressed in Dobson Units (DU).

The Antarctica hole was discovered by Dr. Joe C. Farman and his
colleagues. Steep decline was observed since mid 1970s with a
record low concentration of 90DU in early October 1993.
 CFCs are the group of synthetic chemicals first discovered by
Thomas Midgley Jr. in 1930.

 CFC11 & CFC-12 are the most commonly used CFCs and are
commonly referred to as ozone-depleting substances (ODS).

 CFCs are used as coolants, propellants, cleaning solvents, sterilant,

Styrofoam, deodorants etc.
 Result in the increased penetration of harmful UVB wavelengths (270–
315 nm), which affect DNA and Photosynthetic chemicals leading to mutations
and cancers.
 Incident of cataracts increases.
 Increse incidents of epidermal problems.
 Melanin cells will be destroyed leading to immuno-supression.
 reduction of plankton populations in the ocean's photic zone.
 Yields of important crops like corn, rice, soybean, cotton etc. will decrease.
Degradation of paints, plastics,
 And other polymers lead to economic loses.
 Some of the economic losses caused by air pollution are
as follows
 Direct medical losses
 Lost income from being absent from work
 Decreased productivity
 Travel time losses due to reduced visibility
 Losses from repair of damage to buildings
 Increased costs of cleaning
 Losses due to damage to crops & plants
 London smog
 LA smog
 Bhopal gas tragedy
 Effects of Acid rain on Taj Mahal
 2,500 people died on immediate
aftermath.
 85000 affected 5 lac exposed, plants,
animals
including fishes.
 Another 13,000 died in next
 fifteen years.
 10-15 persons dying every
 month .
 520,000 diagnosed chemicals
 in blood causing
different health complications.
 120,000 people still suffering from:
 Cancer
 Tuberculosis
 Partial or complete blindness,
 Post traumatic stress disorders,
 Menstrual irregularities
 Rise in spontaneous abortion and still
birth.
57
 Location : UNION CARBIDE FACTORY ,stainless steel tank –
no. :610 had 42 tons of liquid Methyl Isocynate(MIC).

 Symptoms : Lacrimation and burning of eyes, breathlessness, cough

& chest pain, finally resulting into death.

 MIC : Colorless liquid ,boils at 39º C, exothermic reaction with

water.

 Event : water leaked in tank , increase in temp., MIC converted

to vapour/gas foam , Increased pressure , leaked into
atmosphere , in cool still air , setteled over nearby
areas upto 2-3 km

58
 CONTROL MEASURES
• Building higher smoke stalks, facilitates the discharge of pollutants as far
away from the ground as possible.
• Industries should be carefully located as to minimize the effects of
pollution after considering the topography and the wind directions.
• Setting of industries after proper EIA.
• Substitution of raw materials that cause more pollution with those that
cause less pollution will also help.
• Modification of processes and/or equipments.
• Using low sulphur coal in industries
• Using non-conventional sources of energy.
• Using biological filters and bio-scrubbers.
• Planting more trees.
• Reduction of pollution at sources
Following are the 5 classes of particulate collection
equipments:
 Gravity Settling chamber

 Cyclone (centrifugal) separator

 Wet collectors

 Fabric filter

 Electrostatic precipitators
GRAVITY SETTLING CHAMBER

 They are use to control

emission of coarse particulate
matter from power plants and
industrial sites.

 This is the simplest method

for the control of particulate
matter.
 This applies to coarse
particulate matter larger than
50µm.
CYCLONE SEPARATORS
 Cyclone separator are gas cleaning devices
that employ a centrifugal force generated by
a spinning gas stream to separate the
particulate matter from the carrier gas.
 The cyclone separator is usually employed
for removing particles 10µm in size and
larger.
WET COLLECTORS
 In a wet collector a liquid, usually water is used to capture particulate
matter or to increase the size of aerosols.
 It is used for fine particulates, ranging from 0.1 – 20 µm.
 One of the primary aim of the device is the adequate dispersion of the
liquid phase in order to achieve good contact between the particulate phase
and the liquid phase.
Three major types of wet collectors are:
1. Spray chamber scrubbers
2. Cyclonic scrubbers
3. Venturi Scrubbers
SPRAY
CHAMBER

Collecting medium:

Recirculated water
 Liquid drops
 Wetted surface

Water to settling basin and recycle pump

Vertical spray chamber (countercurrent flow)

CYCLONE SPRAY
CHAMBER &
IMPINGEMENT SCRUBBER
 VENTURI
SCRUBBER
High efficiency even for small particles

VG: 60 - 120 m/s

(High Speed)
FABRIC FILTERS

 Fabric filters are usually formed from

cylindrical tubes and hung in multiple
rows to provide large surface areas for gas
passage.
 Typical dust loadings handled are from
0.23 to 23 gm/m3 of gas.
 Fabric filters have efficiencies of 99% or
better when collecting 0.5 µm particles
and can remove substantial quantities of
0.01 µm particles
 ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR

Its advantages:
1. Capacity to handle large gas
volumes.
2. High collection efficiencies even
for small size.
3. Low energy consumption

4. Ability to operate with relatively

high temperature gases.

Particulate and aerosol collection

by electrostatic precipitation is
based on the mutual attraction
between particles of one electrical
charge and the collecting
electrode of opposite polarity.
 An Act to provide for the prevention, control and abatement of air
pollution, for the establishment, with a view to carrying out the
aforesaid purposes, of Boards, for conferring on and assigning to
such Boards powers and functions relating thereto and for matters
connected therewith.
 Decisions were taken at the United Nations Conference on the Hum
an Environment held in Stockholm in June, 1972, in which India
participated, to take appropriate steps for the preservation of the
natural resources of the earth which, among other things, include
the preservation of the quality of air and control of air pollution;
 It is considered necessary to implement the decisions aforesaid in
so far as they relate to the preservation of the quality of air and
control of air pollution;