AIR POLLUTION

Industrial Effluents
Gaseous Emissions
Municipal Waste Water
Suspended particulate
Agricultural & Livestock
matter
Waste

Environmental
Pollution

Solid Wastes Noise

Major Sources of
Environmental Chemical
Health Risk Hazards Water
supply,
Pesticides sanitation,
and hygiene
Food Safety
Lead Microbiological
Hazards
AirPollution
Type of Arbo-
Hazard Water
Occupational Viruses
se Resources
Noi Environment and
Physical F proto-
Hazards EM Agricultural zoans
on t i on Road environments
ia ti d ia Traffic Vectors
Media ra d ra
n Acci- High-risk
UV t io
iza dents natural
n
Io environments,
Accidents such as wetlands
Specific Agents
General
Environment
 Air Pollutants
1. Origin
a. Primary – emitted to the atmosphere from a process
b. Secondary – formed in the atmosphere as a result of
a chemical reaction
2. State of matter
c. Gaseous – true gases like SO2, NOx, C etc.; vapours
such as gasoline, paint solvents, dry cleaning agents
etc.
d. Particulate – finely divided solids (dust, fumes &
smoke) or liquids (droplets, mist, fog, aerosols)
Air pollutants
 may be classified into two broad categories:
 (1) natural and
 (2) human-made.
 Natural sources of air pollutants include:
 windblown dust,
 volcanic ash and gases,
 ozone from lightning and the ozone layer,
 esters and terpenes from vegetation,
 smoke,
 gases, and
 fly ash from forest fires,
 pollens and
 other aeroallergens,
 gases and
 odours from biologic activities and natural radioactivity.
 Human-made sources cover a wide spectrum of
chemical and physical activities and are the major
contributors to urban air pollution.
 The five main classes of pollutants are:
 particulates,
 sulfur dioxide,

 nitrogen oxides,

 volatile organic compounds, and

 carbon monoxide.

 Air pollutants may also be classified as to the

origin and state of matter:
 Origin
 Primary: Emitted to the atmosphere from a process
 Secondary: Formed in the atmosphere as a result of a
chemical reaction
 State of matter
 Gaseous: True gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide,
ozone, carbon monoxide, etc.; vapors such as gasoline, paint
solvent, dry cleaning agents, etc.
 Particulate: Finely divided solids or liquids; solids such as dust,
fumes, and smokes; and liquids such as droplets, mists, fogs,
and aerosols
 Gaseous pollutants may be classified as inorganic or
organic.
 Inorganic pollutants consist of:
 Sulfur gases
 Oxides of carbon
 Nitrogen gases
 Halogens, halides
 Photochemical products
 Cyanides
 Ammonium compounds
 Chlorofluorocarbons
 Organic pollutants consist of:
 Hydrocarbons
 Aliphatic oxygenated compounds
 (1) Particulate Pollutants
 Particulates may be defined as solid or liquid matter
whose effective diameter is larger than a molecule
but smaller than approximately 100 µm.
 Particulates dispersed in a gaseous medium are
collectively termed an aerosol.

 The terms smoke, fog, haze, and dust are

commonly used to describe particular types of
aerosols, depending on the size, shape, and
characteristic behavior of the dispersed particles.
 As a substance is broken up into smaller and
smaller particles, more of its surface area is
exposed to the air.
 Aerosols can absorb radiant energy and
rapidly conduct heat to the surrounding
gases of the atmosphere.

HUMAN HEALTH
 The WHO estimates that some 5-6 million
people die prematurely every year from the
illness related to air pollution.
Effects of Air Pollutants
 Humans : respiratory diseases, affects
neural and sensory functions, corrosive
action on body tissues etc.
 Animals : Arsenic, fluorides, lead &
molybdenum are harmful
 Vegetation : death, stunned growth,
reduced crop yield and degradation of colour
 Materials : discoloration, corrosion, soiling
of goods, impairment of visibility
 Heart attacks, respiratory diseases, and lung
Effects

of Air Pollution
cancer all are significantly higher in people who
breathe dirty air.
 The most common route of exposure to air
pollutants is by inhalation.

 Direct absorption through skin or contamination of

food and water are also important pathways.
 Sulfates,SO2, NOx, and O3 act as irritants
 Damage delicate tissues in the eyes and
respiratory passages.
 Fine suspended particulate materials penetrate
deep into the lungs and are irritants
 Inflammatory responses set in motion by
these irritants impair lung function
 Trigger cardiovascular problems as the
heart tries to compensate for lack of
oxygen by pumping faster and harder.
 Carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin and
decreases the ability of red blood cells to
carry oxygen.
 Causes headaches, dizziness, heart
stress, and can even be lethal if
concentrations are high enough.
 At lower levels, lead causes long-term
damage to critical neurons in the brain
 Chronic health effects of air pollutants
include bronchitis and emphysema.
 Smoking is the largest cause of
obstructive lung disease.
 PLANT PATHOLOGY
 Two probable ways that air pollutants
damage plants:
 Can be directly toxic, damaging sensitive
cell membranes.
 Acts as metabolic regulators or plant
hormones and disrupt normal patterns of
growth and development.
 PLANT PATHOLOGY
 Two probable ways that air pollutants
damage plants:
 Can be directly toxic, damaging sensitive cell
membranes.
 Acts as metabolic regulators or plant hormones and
disrupt normal patterns of growth and development.
 Certain combinations of enviromental factors have
synergistic effects
 The injury caused by exposure to two factors
together is more than the sum of exposure to each
factor individually
 Acid Deposition
 Unpolluted rain generally has a pH of
about 5.6 due to carbonic acid created by
CO2 in air.
 pH of rain can drop well below 5.6 due to:
 Volcanic emissions,
 Biological decomposition, and
 Chlorine and sulfates from ocean spray.

 Acid rain is only one form in which acid

deposition occurs.
 Fog, snow, mist, and dew also trap and
deposit atmospheric contaminants.
 Fallout of dry sulfate, nitrate, and chloride
particles can account for as much as half
of the acidic deposition in some areas.
Aquatic effects
 Some 18000 lakes in Sweden are now so
acidic that they will no longer support
game fish or other sensitive aquatic
organisms.
 Eggs and fry of many species are killed
when pH drops to about 5.0.
 Can disrupt the food chain by killing
aquatic plants, insects, and invertebrates
on which fish depend for food.
 Several ways acids kill fish:
 Acidity alters body chemistry,
 destroys gills and prevents oxygen uptake,
 causes bone decalcification, and
 disrupt muscle contraction.

 Acid water leaches toxic metals, such as

mercury and aluminum, out of soil and rocks.
 Forest soils have become depleted of
natural buffering reserves of basic cations
such as calcium, and magnesium through
years of exposure to acid rain.
 Replacement of these cations by hydrogen
and aluminum ions seems to be one of the
main causes of plant mortality.

 Over fertilization by nitrogen compounds

may make trees sensitive to early frost.

 Fungi that form essential mutalistic

association (called mycorrhizae) with tree
roots may be damaged by acid rain.
.
 Buildings and monuments
 Smoke and soot coat buildings, paintings,
and textiles.
 Limestone and marble are destroyed by
atmospheric acids at an alarming rate.
 The Parthenon in Athens, the Taj Mahal in
Agra, the Colosseum in Rome etc., are
slowly dissolving and flaking away
because of acidic fumes in the air.
 Visibility reduction: due to the pollution
effects in rural areas as well as cities.
Air Pollution Disasters
 Bhopal, India 1984
 Methyl Isocyanate escapes from Union Carbide
pesticide plant
 Heavier than air and settles over neighbouring

densely populated area (> ½ M people)

 Kills up to 8,000 people over 3 days;

 Affects 1-300,000.

 Dead people and animals found in local streets

following release.
 Has affected soils and groundwater = long term

pathway via food and water sources.

Acts & Rules
 The Water (Prevention And Control Of Pollution) Act
1974
 The Water (Prevention And Control Of Pollution)
Cess Act, 1977
 The Air (Prevention And Control Of Pollution) Act
1981
 The Environment (Protection) Act 1986.
 Hazardous Waste (Management And Handling)
Rules, 1989
 Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991
 The National Environment Tribunal Act, 1995
 Bio-medical Waste ( Management And Handling)
Rules, 1998
 Recycled Plastic Manufacture And Usage Rules,
1999
 Coastal Zone Regulation Notification
Factors in Control Equipment Selection
Engineering Factors
1. Contaminant characteristics
2. Gas-stream characteristics
3. Design and performance
characteristics of the particular control
system
Economic Factors
4. Capital cost
5. Operating cost
6. Life – cycle cost
Popular types of Air Pollution
Control Equipment
Cyclone Separators
Low cost
Simple
Low operating pressure
Dry collection & disposal
Small space requirement
Low collection efficiency
Wet Scrubbers
No secondary dust source
Small space requirements
Collect gases and particulates
Low capital cost
High collection efficiencies
Possible waste disposal
problem
Wet product
High maintenance cost
Solid build up
Corrosion problems
Electrostatic Precipitators
Large installation space
required
High efficiencies for small
particles possible
Low pressure drops and air
moving costs
High potential for ignition
sources
Re-entrainment, spark-over,
back corona problems
High temperature operation
possible
Susceptible to changes in
moisture and resistivity
 Fabric Filter Systems
High collection efficiencies
Internal condensation / corrosion
Over-temperature limitations
Need for internal inspection /
access
Possible to have variable flow
rates
Plugging / short-circuiting / break-
through/ collection media
fouling
Accumulation of flammable
gases/ dusts and ignition
sources
Unexpected bag failure due to
changes in operating
parameters
Absorption systems

High pressure drops required

Internal plugging, corrosion, erosion
Increased need for internal inspection
Formation / precipitation of solids
Few internal moving parts
Reduced opportunity for gas ignition
Gas and liquid chemistry control important
Increased relative velocity between scrubbing
the fluid and gas stream, increases efficiency
for solids
Adsorption Systems
Can recover contaminant for
reuse
May require multiple units; one
in service, one in recycle
mode
Few internal parts, controls, and
alternating cycler required
Potential for step-function
change in efficiency
Normal operation at ambient
temperature
Flammable hydrocarbons
Chemical mixture problems
 Combustion Systems

High destruction efficiencies possible

Variations in fuel content of waste
Transition among wastes require significant
control changes
Good for gases, liquids, and solids
High cost of supplementary fuel
High temperatures require good thermal loss
control
Hot surfaces, flashback, and explosive conditions
THANK YOU…