Pollution

Pollution
Effect of undesirable changes in our surroundings that
have harmful effects on plants, animals & human beings.
From an ecological perspective, pollutants classified as:
(i) Degradable or non-persistent pollutants : e.g.,
domestic sewage, discarded vegetables, etc.
(ii)Slowly-degradable or persistent pollutants: e.g., DDT
(pesticides) & most plastics.
(iii)Non-degradable pollutants: e.g., toxics like lead or
mercury, & nuclear wastes.

Air pollution
Water pollution
Soil pollution
Marine pollution
Noise pollution
Thermal pollution

Air pollution
Air pollution: presence of undesirable
solid or gaseous particles in the air in
quantities that are harmful to human
health & environment

Air Pollution

Air pollution
Primary pollutants : Carbon monoxide,
carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur
oxides, volatile organic compounds, &
suspended particulate matter
Secondary pollutants: sulfuric acid,
nitric acid, carbonic acid, etc.

Air Pollution
Air pollution control act in India was passed in 1981 & Motor
Vehicle Act was passed in1988
Total Sources
Stationary Sources

Point

Area Sources

Mobile Sources

Line Sources

Area Sources

1. Industrial Processing 1. Residential & industrial areas 1. Highway vehicles

1. Motor vehicles 2. Power plants
2. On site incineration
2. Railroad locomotives Light-duty/Medium
duty/heavy duty
3. Fuel combustion
3. Open burning sites
3. Channel vessels
2. Railyard locomotives
(Industrial) Coal, Oil, Gas
4. Soil waste disposal
3. Port vessels
Municipal incinerators
4. Aircraft (airports)
5. Miscellaneous
5. Miscellaneous

TYPES OF PARTICULATES

Aerosol
Mist
Smoke
Dust
Fume
Plume
Fog
Smog

TYPES OF PARTICULATES:
Term

Meaning

Aerosol general term for particles suspended in air

Mist

aerosol consisting of liquid droplets

Dust

aerosol consisting of solid particles that are blown

Examples
Sprays from pressurized cans
Sulfuric acid mist
Dust storm

into the air or are produced from larger particles by

grinding them down
Smoke

aerosol consisting of solid particles or a mixture of

Cigarette smoke, smoke from

solid and liquid particles produced by chemical reaction burning garbage

such as fires.
Plume column of one fluid moving to another.
Fume

generally means the same as smoke but often applies

specifically to aerosols produced by condensation of hot
vapours of metals

Fog

aerosol consisting of water droplets

Smog

term used to describe a mixture of smoke and fog

Zinc/lead fumes

Effect of air pollution

(1)Air pollution on animals :
Direct: inhalation
Indirect :accumulation of air borne contaminants on the
vegetation: poisoning, reduction in yield
Effect on health
Symptoms could include lack of appetite, rapid loss in
weight, lameness, diarrhea & subsequently death.
(2)Effects on plants
necrosis, chlorosis, abcission, epinasty
(3)Effects on materials
(4)Effect on the stratosphere: ozone

 Toxic air pollution: cancer, genetic mutation, birth

defects etc Bhopal gas tragedy
Smog: a combination of fog and smoke
in the cities: 4000 people died in London in 1952:
all types of respiratory ailments
Photochemical smog
: particulates, nitrogen oxides, ozone,
aldehydes, peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN),
unreacted HC

Case study: Singapore

Cost for car ownership

Public transport
Area licensing scheme
45.3% reduction

Structure of the atmosphere:

Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and thermosphere.

Dispersion of air pollutant

Lapse rate: change in rate of
temperature in the layers of
troposphere ELR
Prevailing lapse rate env. Lapse rate:
using a balloon with thermometer

 Adiabatic lapse rate: = When a packet of

hot air is taken to the upper atmosphere
its temperature and density becomes
equal to the surrounding atmospheric
air . The rate at which this air cools
without addition or removal of energy is
called ALR mathematically calculated
ALR is between
9.8 deg/km 6deg/km for
dry and saturated gas resp. ALR

 1.ELR > ALR i.e RATE OF COOLING AT A

PLACE WITH RESPECT TO ALTITUDE IS
MORE THAN THEORITICAL ALR
Super adiabiatic lapse rate
Helpful to dessipate pollutants into the upper
atmosphere
Lessen the air pollution problems

2. ELR<ALR Atmosphere is stable and

prevailing ELR is called Sub adiabiatic lapse
rate
Dispersion of pollutants slower

 3.ELR = ALR - isothermal

Atmosphere neutral

4.Negative lapse rate / Inversion

Atmospheric temperature increases with altitude causes
negative LAPSE RATE .
Warm air lies over the colder air below .
It is a very stable environment
Dispersion of pollutants very poor
Hot gases goes not ascend above inversion layer
Major cases of pollution tragedies in the world leading to
death

Figures
from
Benny
Joseph

ELR<ALR Sub adiabiatic

lapse rate

ELR > ALR Super

adiabiatic lapse rate

Negative lapse rate / Inversion

Dispersion of pollutants
Impact of wind
Lapse rate and dispersion

Different types of plume behaviours

Figures
from
Benny
Joseph

 Looping: highly unstable atm higher chimneys req.

but automobile
Neutral: ELR ALR
Coning: slightly stable atm, clouds cover the region,
sub adiabatic, wind speed 32km/hr
Fanning: no vertical mix, extreme inversion
condition by ve ELR
Lofting: strong super ALR above a surface inversion,
min down ward mixing: most ideal case
Fumigating: Inversion layer occurs at short distance
above the top of stack: dangerous
Trapping: two inversions above and below, trapped,
dangerous

Control vs prevention
Prevention Changing raw material: low sulfur coal to
fuel oil (sulfur dioxide emission)
Process conditions
Procedures
Preventive maintenance: check leakages

Air pollution control Techno.

Depends upon the pollutant and situation
Settling chambers
Cyclone separator
Electronic precipitator
Fabric filter
Wet collector

Technologies used

Condensation
Absorption
Adsorption
Combustion

Catalytic converter of automobiles

 Efficiency E =

Win-Wout
W in

X100%

Depends upon The pressure drop

The space requirement
The initial operating cost
Whether the SPM is collected in dry or liquid
form
Temperature of emission gas

Cyclone separator
Bag filter
Electrostatic separator
Absorption and wet scrubbing equipment

Self reading

Cyclone separator

Legal aspects of air pollution control in India:

The air (prevention & control of pollution) act was legislated in 1981.

Environmental protection act (EPA) was passed in 1986.

The Central Motor Vehicles act of 1939 was amended in 1989.

The exhaust emission rules for vehicle owners notified in 1990 and the mass
emission standards
for vehicle manufacturers were enforced in 1991, revised in 2000.

Integrated approach with strict air pollution control laws : some suggestions:

Putting a greater emphasis on pollution prevention rather than control.

Reducing the use of fossil fuels.

Improving the quality of vehicular fuel.

Increasing the use of renewable energy.