PRESENTATION TOPIC

AIR POLLUTION
PAN, CFC’s & MTBE
 What is air?
• The invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth, mainly of O2 &
N2 .
• Air is one of the essential factors making life on the Earth possible.
• Protection of air from pollution is a matter of great importance.
• Oxygen and nitrogen compose ~99 % of inhaled air, unfortunately we
also inhale;
Dust Water Small amount of
particles droplets other gases
 Air and atmosphere:
Pollutants spread rapidly to far distances
in the atmosphere.

Troposphere contain almost 90% of all air mass.

What is air pollution?

Air pollution is a change in the physical, chemical and biological

characteristic of air that causes adverse effects on humans and
other organisms.

The ultimate result is a change in the natural environment or

ecosystem.
Types of air pollution:
1. Indoor air pollution:
• Pollutions from the housing materials and living and working activities of
the house.
• Around 3 billion people cook and heat their homes using solid fuels (i.e.
wood, charcoal, coal, dung, crop wastes) on open fires or traditional
stoves.
• The World Health Organization estimates that 4.6 million
people die each year from causes directly attributable to air pollution.
Many of these mortalities are attributable to indoor air pollution.
Types of air pollution:
2. Outdoor air pollution:
• Pollutions from outdoor services and environmental mixings,
such as: transportation-automobiles, industries-refineries,
atomic energy plant-nuclear, and community activities-
cleaning of streets is referred as outdoor air pollution.
• Outdoor air pollution is a complex
mixture of several pollutants.
What are air pollutants?
• An air pollutant is a substance in the air that can have adverse
effects on humans and the ecosystem.
• The substance can be solid particles, liquid droplets or gases.
• A pollutant can be of natural origin or man-made.
• In 1970, Congress passed the Clean Air Act that
established national air pollutant standards.
 Types of air pollutants:
1. Primary air pollutants: 2. Secondary air pollutants:
• Primary pollutants are usually come • Secondary pollutants are not emitted
in air directly by natural or directly. Rather, they form in the air
anthropogenic processes, such as ash when primary pollutants react or
from a volcanic eruption. interact.
Examples: Examples:
• CO from motor vehicle exhaust • Ground level ozone
• SO2 released from factories. • Sulphuric acid
Causes of air pollution:
• Emissions from industries and manufacturing activities
• Burning Fossil Fuels
• Agricultural activities
• Mining operations
• Indoor air pollution
Effects of air pollution:
• Acidification –acid rain
• Eutrophication
• Effects on wild life
• Respiratory and health problems
• Green house effect
• Global warming
 PAN (Peroxyacyl nitrate):
• Peroxyacyl nitrates (also known as Acylperoxynitrates, APN or
PANs) are powerful respiratory and eye irritants present in the
photochemical smog.
• They are nitrates produced in the thermal equilibrium between
organic peroxy radicals by the gas-phase oxidation of a variety
of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), or by aldehydes and other
oxygenated VOCs oxidizing in the presence of NO2.
Example:
• Peroxyacetyl nitrate CH3COOONO2 (the most abundant
member of this family);
Figure shows structural formula of peroxyacetyl nitrate
Hydrocarbons + O2 + NO2 + light → CH3COOONO2

The general equation is:

CxHyO3 + NO2 → CxHyO3NO2
Effects of PANs:
• PANs are both toxic and irritating, as they dissolve more readily
in water than ozone.
• They are lachrymators, causing eye irritation at concentrations of
only a few parts per billion.
• At higher concentrations they cause extensive damage to
vegetation.
• Both PANs and their chlorinated derivates are said to
be mutagenic, as they can be a factor causing skin cancer.
 Sources of PANs:
PANs are secondary pollutants, which means they are not directly
emitted as exhaust from power plants or internal combustion engines,
but they are formed from other pollutants by chemical reactions in the
atmosphere.

Free radical reactions catalyzed by ultraviolet light from the sun oxidize
unburned hydrocarbons to aldehydes, ketones, and dicarbonyl
compounds, whose secondary reactions create peroxyacyl radicals, which
combine with nitrogen dioxide to form peroxyacyl nitrates.
As constituents of photochemical smog:

• Photochemical smog is a mixture of pollutants which includes

particulates, nitrogen oxides, ozone, aldehydes, PAN, untreated
hydrocarbons etc.
CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons):
• Chlorofluorocarbons, commonly known as CFCs, are a group of
man-made compounds containing chlorine, fluorine and carbon.
They are not found anywhere in nature.
• CFCs are also known as Freons, are chemicals with varying
numbers of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine atoms.
• Being nontoxic, noncorrosive and non-flammable, CFCs are ideal for
foams blowing and aerosols, as industrial solvents and as a cooling
medium in refrigerators and air conditioners.
Effects of CFCs:
• Man-made CFCs however, are the main cause of stratospheric
ozone depletion.
• CFCs have a lifetime in the atmosphere of about 20 to 100 years,
and consequently one free chlorine atom from a CFC molecule
can do a lot of damage, destroying ozone molecules for a long
time.
• Emissions of CFCs to date have accounted for roughly 80% of
total stratospheric depletion.
 Effects of CFCs:
• The depletion of ozone layer causes UV rays to enter earth’s
atmosphere which in turn causes skin cancer, cataracts and other
eye damage.
• It is harmful on its own in large enough dosage Overexposure may
cause dizziness, loss of concentration, Central Nervous System
depression and/or cardiac arrhythmia.
• Direct skin contact with some types of CFCs can cause frostbite or
dry skin.
Effects of CFCs:
• Whilst chlorine is a natural threat to ozone, CFCs which contain
chlorine are a man-made problem.
• Although CFC molecules are several times heavier than air, winds
mix the atmosphere to altitudes far above the top of the
stratosphere much faster than molecules can settle according to
their weight.
• When UV radiation hits a CFC molecule it causes one chlorine
atom to break away.
Destruction of ozone by CFCs:
CCl2F2 +UV → Cl' +CClF2

Cl + O3 → ClO + O2

ClO + O → Cl + O2

O3 +UV → O + O2

net 2O3 → 3O2

 Sources of CFS’s:
• The most common emitter of CFCs are refrigerants, particularly
those used after the 1930s.
• Gasses containing CFCs were used for a long time as components
in aerosol cans and propellant liquids.
• Aviation regulations in some countries still require fire
suppression systems outfitted with Halon, a coolant containing
CFCs.
Sources of CFS’s:
• As refrigerants and aerosol cans containing CFCs become
older and more obsolete, people tend to forget about them,
leaving them eventually to leak and further contaminate the
atmosphere.
• Chlorofluorocarbons are far less abundant than carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere, but they are 10,000 times more powerful as
a greenhouse gas and can remain in the atmosphere for more
than 45 to 100 years.
 Steps taken to stop CFC emission:
• The Montreal Agreement of September 16, 1987, laid down rules for the phasing
out of the production and use of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). Every country in the
world agreed and ratified this, the only time this has happened in history.
• By choosing other products without CFCs.
• Unplug the electronic instruments when they are not in use.
• Replace your old refrigerators and air conditioners as they are the major
contributors of CFC in the atmosphere.
• Prefer buying energy-efficient appliances like fluorescent bulbs.
• Plant trees, as they absorb UV rays greatly and thus protect the environment.
MTBE(methyl tertiary-butyl ether):
• Methyl tert-butyl ether (also known as MTBE and tert-butyl methyl ether) is
an organic compound with a structural formula (CH3)3COCH3.
• MTBE is a volatile, flammable, and colourless liquid that is sparingly soluble in
water. It has a minty odour vaguely reminiscent of diethyl ether, leading to
unpleasant taste and odour in water.
• MTBE is a gasoline additive, used as an oxygenate to raise the octane number.
• Its use is controversial because of its contamination of groundwater and
legislation favouring ethanol. However, worldwide production of MTBE has
been constant owing to growth in Asian markets.
As an antiknocking agent:
• In the US it has been used in gasoline at low levels since 1979,
replacing tetraethyl lead as an antiknock (octane rating) additive to
prevent engine knocking.
• Oxygenates also help gasoline burn more completely, reducing tailpipe
emissions from pre-1984 motor vehicles; dilute or displace gasoline
components such as aromatics (e.g., benzene) and sulphur; and optimize
oxidation during combustion.
• Before the introduction of other oxygenates and octane enhancers, most
refiners had chosen MTBE primarily for its blending characteristics and low
cost.
Air quality benefits:
• MTBE had been used in U.S. gasoline at low levels since 1979 to replace lead
as an octane enhancer (helps prevent the engine from "knocking"). Between
1992 and 2005, MTBE had been used at higher concentrations in some
gasoline to fulfil the oxygenate requirements set by Congress in the 1990
Clean Air Act Amendments.
• Oxygen helps gasoline burn more completely, reducing harmful tailpipe
emissions from motor vehicles.
• Most refiners have chosen to use MTBE over other oxygenates primarily for
its blending characteristics and for economic reasons.
 Effects of MTBE:
• The majority of the human health-related research conducted to
date on MTBE has focused on effects associated with the
inhalation of the chemical. When research animals inhaled high
concentrations of MTBE, some developed cancers or experienced
other non-cancerous health effects.
• However, researchers have limited data about what the health
effects may be if a person swallows (ingests) MTBE.
Effects of MTBE:
• EPA's Office of Water has concluded that available data are not
adequate to estimate potential health risks of MTBE at low
exposure levels in drinking water but that the data support the
conclusion that MTBE is a potential human carcinogen at high
doses.
• Recent work by EPA and other researchers is expected to help
determine more precisely the potential for health effects from
MTBE in drinking water.
Effects of MTBE:
• In 1997, EPA issued a drinking water advisory of 20 to 40 ppb
based on taste and odour. EPA is currently revising its health
risk assessment for MTBE. The status of the MTBE health risk
assessment can be found on the IRIS Chemical Assessment
Tracking.
• Blue ribbon panel
 References:
• LaFranchi, B. W.; Wolfe, G. M. (2009). "Closing the peroxy acetyl nitrate budget: observations
of acyl peroxy nitrates (PAN, PPN, and MPAN) during BEARPEX 200". Copernicus
Publications.
• Rossberg, M. et al. (2006) "Chlorinated Hydrocarbons" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of
Industrial Chemistry,Wiley-VCH, Weinheim.
• Squillace, P.J., J.F. Pankow, N.E. Korte, and J.S. Zogorski. (1997). “Review of the Environmental
Behavior and Fate of Methyl tert-Butyl Ether”. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
• Blue Ribbon Panel on Oxygenates in Gasoline. (1999). Achieving Clean Air and Clean Water.
Available on the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/OMS/consumer/fuels/oxypanel/r99021.pdf