EVT711

1) Explain legislative approach to reduce outdoor air pollution from

stationary and mobile sources
- For ambient air as whole general, NAAQS
- Explain few sentences, For stationary sources: list act/regulation
related to emission Monitoring at Stack, open burning
- Explain few sentences, For mobile sources: list act/regulation related
to petrol engine, diesel engine, motorcycle, gasoline engine (plane)
2) Relate air particulate matter pollution to environment adverse
effect
- Adverse effect such as haze, loss of visibility
- Environmental damages: settling of APM cause lake (acidic), changes of
nutrient balance, and depleting of nutrient soil
- Aesthetic environmental damages: PM can stain and damage stones
- Black Carbon (global warming)
3) Impact of finest APM to the environment
4) Formation of ozone by chemical equation
5) Calculate emission of SOx by stoichiometry (remember atomic
no.)
6) Effect of performance ESP when combust low sulfur fuel
calculation ESP
7) How to control emission of NOx, CO, Hydrocarbon from petrol
engine
- Exhaust emissions are a major contributor to air pollution due to the
large number of vehicles on the road. Initial refinements to engines and
fuel systems were followed up by the introduction of catalytic
converters due to stricter global emissions regulations. A catalytic
converter treats the exhaust gas before it leaves the car and removes
about 90% of the pollutants. This is the main method of pollution
control in petrol engines. Carbon Monoxide (CO) : Produced during
combustion, this is a poisonous gas that is colourless and odourless,
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) : Consisting of unburned
hydrocarbons and products of combustion reactions, these can further
react to form ground level Ozone (O3), a major component of smog.
Nitrogen Oxides (NOX) : NO and NO2 contribute to smog and acid rain,
and also cause irritation to human mucus membranes. Typical RealWorld Engine Combustion Process:
o FUEL (hydrocarbons) + AIR (oxygen and nitrogen) = UNBURNED
or PARTIALLY BURNED HYDROCARBONS (VOCs) + NITROGEN
OXIDES (NOx) + CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) + CARBON DIOXIDE
(CO2) + Water (H2O)
- The harmful emissions are the three main regulated emissions , and
also the ones that catalytic converters are designed to reduce. Thus
often referred to as a three-way catalytic converter. The converter uses
two different types of catalysts. The reduction catalyst is the first stage
and uses platinum and rhodium to help reduce the NOx emissions by
converting harmful NO or NO2 molecules to harmless Nitrogen and

Oxygen molecules. The oxidation catalyst is the second stage and it

completes the removal of unburned hydrocarbons and carbon
monoxide by burning (oxidising) them over a platinum and palladium
catalyst. This catalyst aids the reaction of the harmful carbon monoxide
and hydrocarbons with the remaining oxygen in the exhaust gas
converting them into non-toxic Carbon Dioxide and water vapour.
- For the emission control system to work properly, the fuel/air ratio
must be carefully controlled so that all of the fuel is burnt using all of
the oxygen in the air. An essential part of the catalytic conversion
process is a control system that monitors the exhaust stream, and uses
this information to control the fuel injection system. An oxygen sensor
tells the engine computer how much oxygen is in the exhaust. The
engine computer can then increase or decrease the amount of oxygen
in the exhaust by adjusting the air-to-fuel ratio. This control scheme
allows the engine computer to ensure that there is enough oxygen in
the exhaust to allow the oxidation catalyst to burn the unburned
hydrocarbons and CO.
8) Evaluate advantages regeneration techniques
- Elimination of sludge disposal problems
- Generate saleable products include elemental sulfur, sulfuric acid, or
gypsum
9) Differentiate physical and chemical process (of liquid n gas
absorption)
10)
Function of packing material in wet scrubber material
system
- The function of packing material in wet scrubber is to provide a large
surface area for mass transfer.
- This packed-bed scrubber commonly used for gas absorption
- The liquids will be spread over the packing material in order to provide
large surface area for liquid / gas interaction
- For example in countercurrent design wet scrubber, the liquid is
introduced at the top of the tower using sprays or weirs and flow
downward over the packing material. The contaminated gas stream
enters at the bottom of the tower and flows upward through the
packing material.
- In a wet scrubber material system, the gas stream enters the bottom of
the column and passes upward through wetted packing material
- The packing material provides large surface area for mass transfer.
Usually made from plastic (PE, PP, and PVC) but also can be ceramic or
metal.
- Liquid should be distributed over the entire upper surface of the
packed bed. Can be achieved by weirs / feed tube arrangement
- Commercially available geometric shape designed to give max. gasliquid contact & low gas-phase pressure drop
- Requirement:
1) high wetted are per unit volume
2) Minimal weight
3) sufficient chemical resistance
4) Low liquid holdup
5) Low pressure drop
6) Low cost
11)
Principle SCR and SNCR similarity & dissimilarity

12)
Justify National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) does
not apply indoor air quality. Justify why
- Ambient air is the atmosphere, external to buildings, to which the
general public has access. Areas within the fenced or restricted access
boundaries of industrial facilities are generally not considered ambient
air for the purposes of the air quality program. Workplace (indoor) air
pollution exposure is regulated by the Federal Occupational Health and
Safety Administration (OSHA). The EPA has set National Ambient Air
Quality Standards for six principal pollutants, which are considered
harmful to public health and the environment. The primary NAAQS are
set at the levels to protect the public health with an adequate margin
of safety. Additionally, secondary NAAQS were created to protect the
environment and public welfare. As recommended by ASHRAE,
pollutants in indoor air should not exceed the NAAQS levels (ASHRAE,
1989). A district meeting a given standard is known as an "attainment
area" for that standard, and otherwise a "non-attainment area". If the
concentration of one or more criteria pollutants in a geographic area is
found to exceed the regulated or threshold level for one or more of
the NAAQS, the area may be classified as a nonattainment area. Areas
with concentrations of criteria pollutants that are below the levels
established by the NAAQS are considered either attainment or
unclassifiable areas.
13)
Summarize strategies to control indoor air quality (US EPA)
- There are three basic strategies to improve indoor air quality
o Source Control
o Improved Ventilation
o Air cleaner
- Source Control
o Usually the most effective way to improve indoor air quality is to
eliminate individual sources of pollution or to reduce their
emissions. Some sources, like those that contain asbestos, can
be sealed or enclosed; others, like gas stoves, can be adjusted to
decrease the amount of emissions. In many cases, source control
is also a more cost-efficient approach to protecting indoor air
quality than increasing ventilation because increasing ventilation
can increase energy costs.

Ventilation Improvements
o Another approach to lowering the concentrations of indoor air
pollutants in your home is to increase the amount of outdoor air
coming indoors. Most home heating and cooling systems,
including forced air heating systems, do not mechanically bring
fresh air into the house. Opening windows and doors, operating
window or attic fans, when the weather permits, or running a
window air conditioner with the vent control open increases the
outdoor ventilation rate. Local bathroom or kitchen fans that
exhaust outdoors remove contaminants directly from the room
where the fan is located and also increase the outdoor air
ventilation rate. It is particularly important to take as many of
these steps as possible while you are involved in short-term
activities that can generate high levels of pollutants for
example, painting, paint stripping, heating with kerosene
heaters, cooking, or engaging in maintenance and hobby
activities such as welding, soldering, or sanding. You might also
choose to do some of these activities outdoors, if you can and if
weather permits. Advanced designs of new homes are starting to
feature mechanical systems that bring outdoor air into the
home. Some of these designs include energy-efficient heat
recovery ventilators (also known as air-to-air heat exchangers).
For more information about whole house ventilation system
options, see the U.S. Dept. of Energy's Energy Saver: WholeHouse Ventilation. Ventilation and shading can help control
indoor temperatures. Ventilation also helps remove or dilute
indoor airborne pollutants coming from indoor sources. This
reduces the level of contaminants and improves indoor air
quality (IAQ). Carefully evaluate using ventilation to reduce
indoor air pollutants where there may be outdoor sources of
pollutants, such as smoke or refuse, nearby. The introduction of
outdoor air is one important factor in promoting good air quality.
Air may enter a home in several different ways, including:
through natural ventilation, such as through windows and doors;
through mechanical means, such as through outdoor air intakes
associated with the heating, ventilation and air conditioning
(HVAC) system; through infiltration, a process by which outdoor
air flows into the house through openings, joints and cracks in
walls, floors and ceilings, and around windows and doors.
Infiltration occurs in all homes to some extent. Natural
ventilation describes air movement through open windows and
doors. If used properly natural ventilation can at times help
moderate the indoor air temperature, which may become too hot
in homes without air-conditioning systems or when power
outages or brownouts limit or make the use of air conditioning
impossible. Natural ventilation can also improve indoor air
quality by reducing pollutants that are indoors. Examples of
natural ventilation are: opening windows and doors; window
shading such as closing the blinds. Most residential forced airheating systems and air-conditioning systems do not bring

14)
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outdoor air into the house mechanically, and infiltration and

natural ventilation are relied upon to bring outdoor air into the
home. Advanced designs for new homes are starting to add a
mechanical feature that brings outdoor air into the home
through the HVAC system. Some of these designs include energy
efficient heat recovery ventilators to mitigate the cost of cooling
and heating this air during the summer and winter.
Air Cleaners
o There are many types and sizes of air cleaners on the market,
ranging from relatively inexpensive table-top models to
sophisticated and expensive whole-house systems. Some air
cleaners are highly effective at particle removal, while others,
including most table-top models, are much less so. Air cleaners
are generally not designed to remove gaseous pollutants. The
effectiveness of an air cleaner depends on how well it collects
pollutants from indoor air (expressed as a percentage efficiency
rate) and how much air it draws through the cleaning or filtering
element (expressed in cubic feet per minute). A very efficient
collector with a low air-circulation rate will not be effective, nor
will a cleaner with a high air-circulation rate but a less efficient
collector. The long-term performance of any air cleaner depends
on maintaining it according to the manufacturer's directions.
Another important factor in determining the effectiveness of an
air cleaner is the strength of the pollutant source. Table-top air
cleaners, in particular, may not remove satisfactory amounts of
pollutants from strong nearby sources. People with a sensitivity
to particular sources may find that air cleaners are helpful only
in conjunction with concerted efforts to remove the source. Over
the past few years, there has been some publicity suggesting
that houseplants have been shown to reduce levels of some
chemicals in laboratory experiments. There is currently no
evidence, however, that a reasonable number of houseplants
remove significant quantities of pollutants in homes and offices.
Indoor houseplants should not be over-watered because overly
damp soil may promote the growth of microorganisms which can
affect allergic individuals. At present, EPA does not recommend
using air cleaners to reduce levels of radon and its decay
products. The effectiveness of these devices is uncertain
because they only partially remove the radon decay products
and do not diminish the amount of radon entering the home. EPA
plans to do additional research on whether air cleaners are, or
could become, a reliable means of reducing the health risk from
radon.
Explain the application of absorption control in air pollution
In the context of air pollution control, absorption involves the transfer
of a gaseous pollutant from the air into a contacting liquid, such as
water. The liquid must be able either to serve as a solvent for the
pollutant or to capture it by means of a chemical reaction. Wet
scrubbers trap suspended particles by direct contact with a spray of
water or other liquid. In effect, a scrubber washes the particulates out

of the dirty airstream as they collide with and are entrained by the
countless tiny droplets in the spray. Gas absorption can also be carried
out in packed scrubbers, or towers, in which the liquid is present on a
wetted surface rather than as droplets suspended in the air. A common
type of packed scrubber is the countercurrent tower. After entering the
bottom of the tower, the polluted airstream flows upward through a
wetted column of light, chemically inactive packing material. The liquid
absorbent flows downward and is uniformly spread throughout the
column packing, thereby increasing the total area of contact between
gas and liquid. In general, scrubbers are used at fertilizer production
facilities (to remove ammonia from the airstream), at glass production
plants (to remove hydrogen fluoride), at chemical plants (to remove
water-soluble solvents such as acetone and methyl alcohol), and at
rendering plants (to control odours).

EVT714 (Air Sampling)

1)
2)
3)
4)

Why need to monitor ambient air quality

Equation of pitot tube
Why need to have stack sampling
Differentiate passive and active sampling