Lecture: 21

Module D: Air Pollution

COURSE Id: CE302

BTech: All Departments

1
 Electro static precipitators

Widely popular for the removal of very small particulate

matter

• The polluted gas is allowed to pass between two

electrodes.
• High potential difference, a powerful ionizing field is
formed.
• This will creates an active zone (blue electric discharge)
very close to negative electrode called as CORONA.
• The electric field attract the particulates towards the
collecting electrode (plate) and deposited there.
 Electro static precipitators

Advantages Disadvantages

• High collecting efficiency

• Low pressure drop comparing with high
efficiencies
• Very small particles even less than 0.01
microns can be removed
• It can handle the large volume of high
temperature gas ,and
• Treatment time is 1 to 10 seconds
• Wet and dry particles can be collected.
• Relatively high initial cost
• Skilled personnel are required for the
design operation and maintenance
• Ionization of gas occurs only in a
limited operation range fluctuation
drastically reduce efficiency
GASEOUS POLLUTION CONTROL METHODS

• Gaseous pollutants can be removed either by physical or chemical methods based on

the physical and chemical characteristics of the pollutants and by the economic
and environmental considerations.
• Absorption
• Adsorption
• Combustion/ catalytic oxidation
 Absorption

• It’s the removal of one or more selected components

from a mixture of gases by absorption into a suitable
liquid.
• In the gas absorption techniques, gases are passed
through scrubbers or absorbers containing liquid
absorbents that remove, treat or modify one or more of
the offending constituents in the gas stream.
 Types of Absorption
Physical: Two phases are brought into contact with each other - thus water in contact with
air evaporates until the air is saturated with water vapor and the air is absorbed by the water
until it becomes saturated with the individual gases.
Example: collection of gaseous HCl into water. HCl gas is very soluble in water and readily
absorbed.
Chemical: The gas reacts chemically with a component of the liquid phase - in the cleaning
of CO2 it reacts directly with caustic soda. The solute is chemically reacted with solvent to
form a new compound.
 Adsorption
• Adsorption captures instead of chemically altering or destroying the adsorbate. Often
used where recovery of adsorbate is desired.
• A porous solid will be brought into contact with either a liquid or gaseous fluid stream
to selectively remove unwanted contaminants by depositing them on the solid.
(Contaminant – adsorbate; collecting media – adsorbent)
• E.g.: Activated carbon, activated silica, activated alumina.
 Adsorption

• The surface on to which the substance gets adsorbed is called adsorbate. Adsorbent may
capture the adsorbate by both physical and chemical means.
• If the bonds formed between adsorbate - adsorbent is very weak, it’s called
physisorption. It occurs due to Vander walls forces and is reversible.
• If the bonds formed between adsorbate - adsorbent is very strong, it’s called
chemisorption.
 Adsorption Isotherm
• Adsorption isotherm is the relationship between adsorbent in the liquid to the adsorbate
adsorbed on the surface of adsorbent at equilibrium at constant temperature

Adsorption isotherms
1. Langmuir isotherm
2. Frendlich isotherm
3. BET (Brunet-Emler-Teller) isotherm

Langmuir isotherm
• Homogeneous layer
• Molecules, ions, and particles are adsorbed at the same time
Frendlich isotherm
• Heterogeneous layer
• Most of the adsorbent have different functional groups and each functional group has
different energy levels

BET (Brunet-Emler-Teller) isotherm

• It is a special case of Langmuir isotherm
• Heterogeneous layer
Mechanism of Adsorption
(a) Pollutant transfer from bulk liquid to the film diffusion
(b) Pore diffusion
(c) Chemical reactions

Factors Affecting Adsorption

(a) Solution pH
(b) Surface area
(c) Temperature
 Design of Adsorption
Design is as follows
• Find out the pollutant load
• Adsorption capacity of the adsorbent
• Concentration of the adsorbent required
• Decide the time between regeneration (use chemical reagents to regenerate adsorption)
• Design the column accordingly

Bio sorbents have adsorbing capacity for metals.

In case of bio sorbents the residual removal is very difficult.
So solid-liquid separation is needed.
So while choosing a adsorbent, solid-liquid separation process is important. So to separate
this adsorbent we should go for coagulation-flocculation and by centrifugation
Break Through Curve
 Combustion

• Its primarily used for control of emissions that requires destruction of

pollutants( eg: toxic or hazardous gases)
• Proper proportion of oxygen, temperature, time and turbulence are
necessary for complete combustion.
• Process used in industries where VOCs and unburnt hydro Carbons
(UBHCs) have to be oxidized primarily to Carbon dioxide and water.
 World’s Top 5 Air Pollution disasters

1. Bhopal gas tragedy (India)

2. Chernobyl disaster (Russia)
3. Seveso disaster (Italy)
4. London smog (England, UK)
5. Grand canyon of Colorado (USA)
• In London 1952, a intense fog and smog resulted in over 4000 excess deaths that were
directly attribute by pollution.
• In US most alarming episode occurred during 4-day period in 1948 in Donora, 20
deaths and 6000 illnesses were linked to air pollution
• Of the 3.3 million premature deaths worldwide in 2010 caused by outdoor air
pollution, about 0.65 million deaths took place in India. These deaths were in adults
older than 30 years and children younger than five years.
 Bhopal gas tragedy

• Duration :2nd and 3rd of December, 1984.

• Reason: Methyl Iso cyanate (MIC).

• Effected: Over 500000 people
• The Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal India leaked MIC. This tragedy was a
result of water entering a tank containing around 42 tons of MIC, creating a chemical
reaction that raised temperatures to over 200°c, increasing the pressure making the tank
vent the toxic gas which caught in the Northwesterly wind passing over Bhopal.
• To this day, groundwater and soil in areas even 3km away
from the factory contains almost 40 times more pesticides than
Indian standards.
• The soil and water also contain toxic metals like lead, mercury,
arsenic, cadmium and chromium.
 Chernobyl disaster (Russia)
• On 26 April 1986, reactor four suffered a catastrophic power increase, leading to

explosions in its core. This dispersed large quantities of radioactive fuel and core

materials into the atmosphere and ignited the combustible graphite moderator.

• The burning graphite moderator increased the emission of radioactive particles, carried

by the smoke, as the reactor had not been encased by any kind of hard containment

vessel.

• The accident occurred during an experiment scheduled to test a potential safety

emergency core cooling feature, which took place during a normal shutdown

procedure.
The burnt nuclear plant Before and After
 London smog

• Duration : December 5 to December 9, 1952

• Death toll : approximately 12,000 people
• Reason: When a thick fog engulfed London it mixed with black smoke
emitted from homes and factories to create a deadly smog.
 Seveso disaster

• On midday of July 10, 1976 an explosion occurred in a TCP (2,4,5-trichlorophenol)

reactor in a chemical company in Milan, Italy.

• A toxic cloud escaped into the atmosphere containing high concentrations of TCDD

(tetra chloro di-benzo dioxin), a highly toxic form of dioxin.

• Downwind from the factory the dioxin cloud polluted a densely populated area of 6

km long and 1 km wide, immediately killing many animals.

• A neighboring municipality that was highly affected is called Seveso. The accident

was named after this village. The dioxin cloud affected a total of 11 communities.
• The most remarkable feature of the Seveso accident
was that local and regional authorities had no idea
the plant was a source of risk.
 Grand canyon of Colorado

•Regional haze is the "dirty-looking" air that

prevents us from seeing clearly or very far
through the air. It especially affects our
enjoyment of national parks, such as the Grand
Canyon.
•Sulfate particles, formed by the reaction of
sulfur dioxide (SO2) from power plants and
other sources in the atmosphere, account for 50
to 70 percent of the visibility reduction.