MODULE 03

AIR POLLUTION

 The major types of pollution are listed below:

1) Air pollution
2) Water pollution
3) Land pollution
4) Noise pollution
5) E-pollution
6) Radioactive pollution
7) Thermal pollution
8) Plastic pollution

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AIR POLLUTION
Air pollutionis the introduction of chemicals,
particulates or biological molecules intoEarth's
atmosphere thereby causing diseases, death to
humans, damage to other living organisms such as
food crops, or thenaturalorbuilt environment.

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PRIMARY AIR POLLUTANTS

Sulphur oxides(SOx) - particularly sulphur dioxide, a
chemical compound with the formula SO2. SO2is
produced by volcanoes and in various industrial
processes. Coal and petroleum.

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PRIMARY AIR POLLUTANTS

Nitrogen
oxides(NOx)
Nitrogen
oxides,
particularlynitrogen dioxide, are expelled from high
temperature combustion, and are also produced
duringthunderstormsbyelectric discharge. They can
be seen as a brown hazedome above or
aplumedownwind of cities.

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PRIMARY AIR POLLUTANTS

Carbon monoxide(CO) - CO is a colourless,
odourless, toxic yet non-irritating gas. It is a product
byincomplete combustionof fuel such as natural gas,
coal or wood. Vehicular exhaust is a major source of
carbon monoxide.

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PRIMARY AIR POLLUTANTS

Volatile organic compounds- VOCs are a wellknown outdoor air pollutant. They are categorized as
either methane (CH4) or non-methane (NMVOCs).
Methane is an extremely efficient greenhouse gas
which contributes to enhancedglobal warming.

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PRIMARY AIR POLLUTANTS

Chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs) - harmful to theozone
layer; emitted from products are currently banned
from use. These are gases which are released from air
conditioners, refrigerators, aerosol sprays, etc. CFC's
on being released into the air rises tostratosphere.
Here they come in contact with other gases and
damage theozone layer. This allows harmful
ultraviolet rays to reach the earth's surface. This can
lead to skin cancer, disease to eye and can even
cause damage to plants.

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ECONDARY

AIR POLLUTANTS

photochemical smog.Smogis a kind of air

pollution. Classic smog results from large amounts of
coal burning in an area caused by a mixture of smoke
and sulphur dioxide. Modern smog does not usually
come from coal but from vehicular and industrial
emissions

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OURCES OF

AIR POLLUTANTS

There are various locations, activities or factors which

are responsible for releasing pollutants into the
atmosphere. These sources can be classified into two
major categories:
1) Man Made Sources
2) Natural Sources

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N-MADE

SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTANTS

Stationary sourcesinclude smoke stacks ofpower

plants, manufacturing facilities (factories) and waste
incinerators.
Mobile sourcesincludemotor
vessels, and aircraft.

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vehicles,

marine

N-MADE

SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTANTS

Waste
depositioninlandfills,
which
generatemethane. Methane is highly flammable and
may form explosive mixtures with air.
Military resources, such asnuclear weapons,toxic
gases,germ warfareandrocketry.

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TURAL

SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTANTS

Dustfrom natural sources, usually large areas of

land with little or no vegetation

Methane,emittedby
thedigestionof
food
byanimals
Smokeandcarbon monoxidefromwildfires
Volcanicactivity, which producessulphur,chlorine
and ash particulates

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FFECTS OF

AIR POLLUTION

Health Effects
Agricultural Effects
Global Warming
Acid Rain

Ozone Layer Depletion

Photochemical Smog

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H&

AGRICULTURAL EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION IN

India has the highest death rate due to air pollution

in the world.
India also has more deaths from asthma than any
other nation according to the World Health
Organisation.
Causes of deaths includestrokes,heart disease,
lung cancer, and lung infections.
The capital city of India, Delhi has been facing major
smog related problems in the recent year especially
during the winters.
In India in 2014, it was reported that air pollution had

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ECTS OF

AIR POLLUTION : GLOBAL WARMING

Global warmingandclimate changeare terms for the

observed century-scale rise in the average temperature
of the Earth'sclimate systemand its related effects.

2014 was the warmest year on record since

1880

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ECTS OF

AIR POLLUTION : GLOBAL WARMING

Effects of Global Warming

Melting of Ice Sheet

Sea Level Rise
Extreme Weather
Changes in Ecological Systems
Destabilization of Average Global Temperature

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ECTS OF

AIR POLLUTION : GLOBAL WARMING

Remedies for Global Warming

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Enhance the capacity of carbon sinks to absorb
GHGs
Energy conservation and energy efficiency
Use of low-carbon technology
Preventing deforestation, encouraging reforestation
Climate engineering
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OZONE LAYER DEPLETION

Effects

Remedies

Decrease
Increased UV radiation
CFC
release
Biological effects
Find alternative
Cortical cataracts
to CFC as a
Increased tropospheric ozone
Increased production of vitamin Dcooling agent

International
Effects on non-human animals
policy
Effects on crops

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FECTS OF

AIR POLLUTION : ACID RAIN

Acid
rainis
arainor
any
other
form
ofprecipitationthat is unusuallyacidic, meaning that
it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions (lowpH).
It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals
and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions
ofsulphur dioxideandnitrogen oxide, which react with
thewater moleculesin theatmosphereto produce
acids.

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Effect of Acid Rain on Stone

FECTS OF

AIR POLLUTION : ACID RAIN

Causes of Acid Rain

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FECTS OF

AIR POLLUTION : ACID RAIN

Effects of Acid Rain

Surface water and aquatic animals

Soils
Forest and vegetation
Corrosion of steel
Adverse effects on stones
Human health effects
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FECTS OF

AIR POLLUTION : ACID RAIN

Remedies for Acid Rain

Use of wet scrubber in power plants

Use of fluidized bed combustion
Vehicle emission control
International treaties
Emissions trading

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Can you give an example of a

very famous structure in
India that had decoloured
due to acid rain?

Decolouration of the Taj Mahal due to Acid Rain

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Solution applied:

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EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION : PHOTOCHEMICAL

S
MOG
Photochemical
Smogis the haze in the
atmosphere accompanied
by high levels of ozone
and
nitrogen
oxides,
caused by the action of
sunlight and pollutants.
Smog = smoke + fog
Cities like Los Angeles, New York, Sydney and
Vancouverfrequently suffer episodes of photochemical
smog.

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EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION : PHOTOCHEMICAL

S
MOGCauses/Pollutants
Involved:
Nitrogen Oxides

Volatile
Organic
Compounds
Ozone
Peroxyacetyl Nitrates
Conditions for Photochemical Smog:
(PAN)
Source of Nitrogen oxides and VOCs
Time of the day

Meteorological
factors
(precipitation,
temperature)
Topography
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wind,

EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION : PHOTOCHEMICAL

S
MOG
Chemistry
of Photochemical Smog:
O3+ NONO2+ O2
NO + RO2NO2+ other products
NO2+ sunlight NO + O
O + O2 O3
NO2+ Rproducts such as PAN

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EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION : PHOTOCHEMICAL

S
MOG Effects
of
Photochemical Smog:
Decreased visibility
Heart and lung problems
Suppression of plant
growth
Decreased immunity
Spread of cancer
Eye irritation
Respiratory problems
Remedies:
Bronchial congestion
Harsh odour
Decrease of nitrogen
oxide and VOC emissions

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In the AREAS AFFECTED section of

the Wikipedia page for Photochemical
Smog, can you guess which city comes
first?

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CASE STUDY: LONDON SMOG

Date:
5th

December, 1952

Location:
England

9th

London,

London Smog or Great

Smog of 1952 or Big
Smog was a severe air
pollution event.
A period of cold
weather, combined with
ananticycloneand
windless
conditions,

It lasted for 4 days and

then dispersed quickly
when
the
weather
changed.

It
lowered
visibility

the
and

CASE STUDY: LONDON SMOG

4,000 people had died
prematurely
100,000 more were
made ill because of the
smog's effects on the
humanrespiratory tract.
It is known to be the
worst air-pollution event
in the history of the
United Kingdom.
It led to several
changes in practices and

It was significant in terms

of
its
effect
on
environmental
research,
government regulation, and
public awareness of the
relationship between air

ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR

Anelectrostatic precipitator(ESP) is a filtration

device that removes fine particles, like dust and smoke
from a flowing gas using the force of an
inducedelectrostatic chargeminimally delaying the

ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR

w of Thin Vertical Wires

egative Voltage of
everal ThousandVolts

Stack of Large Verti

Flat Metal Plates

Air Stream
Flows Horizontally

1
cm

to

18
c
m

ap
ar

Schematic Diagram of Electrostatic Precipitator

ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR: WORKING

Electrostatic precipitators contain a row of thin
vertical wires and followed by a stack of large
vertical flat metal plates, with the plates typically
spaced about 1cm to 18cm apart, depending on the
application.
The air stream flows horizontally through the
spaces between the wires, and then passes through the
stack of plates.
A negative voltage of several thousandvoltsis
applied between wire and plate.
If the applied voltage is high enough, an
electriccorona dischargeionizes the air around
the electrodes, which then ionizes the particles in the
air stream.
The ionized particles, due to theelectrostatic force,
are diverted towards the grounded plates.

VENTURI SCRUBBER

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VENTURI SCRUBBER
Aventuri scrubberis designed to effectively use the energy from the inlet
gas stream to atomize the liquid being used to scrub the gas stream.
This type of technology is a part of the group ofair pollutioncontrols
collectively referred to aswet scrubbers.
Venturidevices have also been used for over 100 years to measure fluid
flow (Venturi tubesderived their name fromGiovanni Battista Venturi, an
Italian physicist).
About 35 years ago, Johnstone (1949) and other researchers found that
they could effectively use the venturi configuration to remove particles from
gas streams.

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VENTURI SCRUBBER: WORKING

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D

VENTURI
S
CRUBBER: WORKING

A venturi scrubber consists of three sections: a

converging section, a throat section, and a diverging
section.
The inlet gas stream enters the converging section and,
as the area decreases, gas velocity increases (in
accordance with theBernoullis equation).
Liquid is introduced either at the throat or at the entrance
to the converging section.
The inlet gas, forced to move at extremely high velocities
in the small throat section, shears the liquid from its walls,
producing an enormous number of very tiny droplets.
Particle and gas removal occur in the throat section as the
inlet gas stream mixes with the fog of tiny liquid droplets.
The inlet stream then exits through the diverging section,
where it is forced to slow down.
Venturis can be used to collect bothparticulateand
gaseous pollutants, but they are more effective in removing
particles than gaseous pollutants.
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VENTURI SCRUBBER: TYPES

. Wetted Throat Venturi Scrubber

. Non-Wetted Throat Venturi Scrubber

. Rectangular Throat Venturi Scrubber

. Adjustable Throat Venturi Scrubber with Plunger

. Adjustable Throat Venturi Scrubber with Movable Plates

. Venturi Rod Scrubber

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URI

SCRUBBER: WETTED THROAT VENTURI SCRUBB

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URI

SCRUBBER: WETTED THROAT VENTURI SCRUBB

Liquid is injected at the converging section.

Thus, the liquid coats the venturi throat making it
very effective for handling hot, dry inlet gas that
containsdust.
Otherwise, the dust would have a tendency to cake
on or abrade a dry throat.
These venturis are sometimes referred to as having a
wetted approach.

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RI

SCRUBBER: NON - WETTED THROAT VENTURI SC

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RI

SCRUBBER: NON - WETTED THROAT VENTURI SC

Liquid is injected at the venturi throat.

Since it is sprayed at or just before the throat, it does

not actually coat the throat surface.
These throats are susceptible to solids buildup when
the throat is dry.
They are also susceptible to abrasion by dust
particles.
These venturis are best used when the inlet stream is
cool and moist.
These venturis are referred to as having a non-wetted
approach.
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RI

SCRUBBER: RECTANGULAR THROAT VENTURI SC

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RI

SCRUBBER: RECTANGULAR THROAT VENTURI SC

Venturis scrubbers with round throats can handle

inlet flows as large as 88,000 m/h (40,000 cfm)
(Brady and Legatski 1977).
At inlet flow rates greater than this, achieving
uniform liquid distribution is difficult, unless additional
weirs or baffles are used.
To handle large inlet flows, scrubbers designed with
long, narrow, rectangular throats have been used.

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URI

SCRUBBER: ADJUSTIBLE THROAT VENTURI SCRU

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with movable plunger

URI

SSimple
CRUBBER: ADJUSTIBLE THROAT VENTURI SCRU
venturi scrubbers have fixed throat areas
with movable plunger

and cannot be used over a wide range of gas flow

rates.
Manufacturers
have
developed
other
modifications to the basic venturi scrubber design to
maintain scrubber efficiency by changing the throat
area for varying inlet gas rates.
Certain types of orifices (throat areas) that create
more turbulence than a true venturi were found to be
equally efficient for a given unit of energy consumed
(McIlvaine Company 1974). Results of these findings
led to the development of the annular-orifice, or
adjustable-throat venturi scrubber.
The size of the throat area is varied by moving a
plunger, or adjustable disk, up or down in the throat,
thereby decreasing or increasing the annular opening.
Gas flows through the annular opening and atomizes
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liquid that is sprayed onto the plunger or swirled in

URI

SCRUBBER: ADJUSTIBLE THROAT VENTURI SCRU

with movable plate

In this scrubber, the

throat area is varied by
using a movable plate.
A water-wash spray is
used to continually wash
collected material from
the plate.

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NUCLEAR POLLUTION
Nuclear pollution is pollution that contains radioactive
elements.
Nuclear pollution may be in the air, water or on land.

NUCLEAR POLLUTION: CAUSES

Nuclear pollution is caused by a range of human
activities that relate to the creation of fuel for nuclear
energy and the construction of nuclear weapons.
The process of mining and processing uranium ores to
create fuel for nuclear power and weapons also
generates by-products that are radioactive.
The largest amount of nuclear pollution was
generated due to detonations of nuclear weaponry.
The weapons were detonated in combat during the
end of World War II and as part of various weapons
testing and experimentation processes.
The production of nuclear weapons also generates a
minimal amount of radiation due to the radioactive
materials used in the process.

NUCLEAR POLLUTION: CAUSES

The handling and disposal of nuclear waste generated
from nuclear power plants typically generate low to
medium levels of radiation pollution over time.
Nuclear waste is generally treated and disposed of in
remote areas, such as abandoned mines or remote
caves.
However, pollution generated by these wastes can
spread into the soil, water and air around the storage
location over time as both natural and artificial shields
deteriorate.
Nuclear accidents, such as those in Chernobyl in 1986
and Three Mile Island in 1979, can also lead to
significant amounts of radiation pollution being
dispersed into the air and the area surrounding a
nuclear plant.

NUCLEAR POLLUTION: EFFECTS

Direct effect of a nuclear blast is damage to life and
property. This explosion is most serious in places of
higher altitude. The blast range increases with height
gain.
The blast winds are much more powerful than a
hurricane.
A nuclear explosion releases large amounts of
radioactive substance. This can cause damage to the
eyes. The retina of the eye can either become blinded
due to the intensity of the infra red rays or it can melt
because of the high temperature release.
The tremendous heat output will result in burn
injuries, both to the skin and to the skeletal system.

NUCLEAR POLLUTION: EFFECTS

Earthquakes can occur as an aftermath to nuclear
blasts. The pressure wave will travel from the
underground to the area of explosion and cause a
quake of great intensity.
It will result in the death of many living organisms.
Those that survive will show symptoms of radioactive
poisoning.
In the survivors, gene mutation will occur as a result
of the radiation. This mutation will bring serious health
hazards for the future generations.
The explosion will have negative impact on the
environment and the atmosphere.

CASE STUDY: FUKUSHIMA DISASTER

TheFukushima
Daiichi
nuclear
disaster
was
a
nuclearenergy
accidentat
theFukushima
I
Nuclear Power Plant
inFukushima,
initiated
primarily by thetsunami
following
theThoku
earthquakeon
11th
March 2011.
Immediately after the
earthquake, the active

However, the tsunami

destroyed the emergency
generators cooling the
reactors, causing reactor
4
to
overheat
from
thedecay
heatfrom

CASE STUDY: FUKUSHIMA DISASTER

Theinsufficient coolingled to threenuclear
meltdownsand
therelease
of
radioactive
materialbeginning on 12 March.

Severalhydrogen-airchemical
explosions
occurred between 12 March and 15 March.
The Fukushima disaster is the largest nuclear
disaster since the 1986Chernobyl disasterand the
second disaster to be given the Level 7 event
classification of theInternational Nuclear Event
Scale.
Though there have been nofatalities linked to
radiationdue to the accident, the eventual number of
cancer deaths caused by the accident is expected to
be around 130-640 people in the years and decades
ahead.

Thank you!