Chapter 15 Air Pollution

1. A bowl is formed by the Appalachian Mountains and this makes it more susceptible to pollution, much like Boise inversions. Dense smog gets trapped and cannot rise above the mountains Chapter 15 Air Pollution

2. Air pollution:chemicals, particulate matter, or microorganisms found in the atmosphere at concentrations high enough to harm plants, animals, and materials such as buildings or to alter ecosystems

3. Air pollutants are found throughout the entire global system. Air Pollution is the 5th largest killer in India. China, India, Africa

4. Major Air Pollutants • Sulfur dioxide SO2 • Nitrogen oxides NO or NO2 (NOx) • Carbon oxides CO, CO2 (COx) • Early air pollution legislation didn’t care about CO2, • Particulate matter (ash, dust, combustion of gas or diesel black smoke)

5. CO • Prevents O2 from attaching to hemoglobin in blood. • Odorless, Colorless, • It is created by incomplete combustion of gas and is found in car emissions

6. Particulate Matter (PM) PM ranges in size from .01μm to PM10. PM2.5, is of great concern, because nose hair does not filter it out and it can become embedded in the lungs. Asbestos. PM can also scatter light.

7. Particulate Matter

8. PM can create what is called a haze or smog.

9. Amazon has haze from slash and burning of rainforest

10. Major Air Pollutants • Volatile organic compounds (VOC) • Ozone in troposphere • Lead • Mercury

11. Sulfates are considered to be secondary pollutants because they are transformed from primary pollutants.

13. Gas can become a VOC because it evaporates at room temperature, leaving a strong smell, is a hydrocarbon that can leave PM, The combustion of coal is the primary cause of mercury in the air. Dry cleaner fluid, spilled gas lighter fluid are additional VOC.

14. Primary Pollutants • Primary pollutants: polluting compounds coming directly out of smoke-stacks, exhaust pipes, or natural emission source • E.g., CO, CO2, SO2, NOx, and most suspended particulate matter

15. Secondary Pollutants • Secondary pollutants: pollutants transformed in the presence of sunlight, water, oxygen or other compounds • E.g., ozone, sulfate, and nitrate

16. Air pollution comes from both natural and human sources.

17. Natural Sources of Air Pollution • Volcanoes • Lightning • Forest fires • Plants

18. Anthropogenic Sources of Air Pollution Anthropogenic: From the Greek, • Anthropos, “human” • -genesis, “created” • Meaning anything caused or created by human activity

19. Anthropogenic Sources of Air Pollution • On-road vehicles • Power plants • Industrial processes • Waste disposal

21. Photochemical smog is still an environmental problem in the United States.

22. Smog Formation California smog is mostly due to ozone and called brown smog. London has SO2 smog and is called tea and crumpets smog. Ok, I made that up, it is gray smog. • Smog forms when sunlight, nitrogen oxides (Nox), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are present.

23. Smog Formation • The secondary pollutant ozone is a major component of photochemical smog. • Sulfur is the main ingredient in sulfurous smog.

24. Photochemical Smog

25. Thermal Inversions • Thermal Inversion: a relatively warm layer of air at mid-altitude covers a layer of cold, dense air below. • The warm inversion layer traps emissions (pollutants) that then accumulate beneath it.

27. Acid Deposition • These secondary pollutants further break down into nitrate and sulfate, which create the acid in acid deposition.

28. Acid deposition: nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides released into the atmosphere combine with atmospheric oxygen and water. • These become the secondary pollutants nitric acid and sulfuric acid. Acid Deposition

29. Acid Deposition

31. Metamorphic differences due to acid rain during development and pollution in the soil.

32. Effects of Acid Deposition • Lowers the pH of lake water • Decreases species diversity in aquatic ecosystems • Mobilizes metals found in soils and releases these into surface waters • Damages statues, monuments, and buildings and other structures

34. Pollution control includes prevention, technology, and innovation. Nitrates are produced in combustion of coal and gas. By reducing the temperature of burning the coal and gas, less NOx is produced

35. Ways to Prevent Air Pollution • Removing sulfur dioxide from coal by fluidized bed combustion • Catalytic converters on cars Acatalytic converter is a vehicle emissions control device that converts toxic pollutants in exhaust gas to less toxic pollutants, by catalyzing a redox reaction (oxidation or reduction). Catalytic converters are used in internal combustion engines fueled by either gasoline or diesel—including lean burn  engines. • Scrubbers on smoke stacks • Baghouse filters • Electrostatic precipitators

36. Why is there no leaded-gasoline anymore? The metals in the catalytic converter (platinum and palladium) cannot be exposed to lead to work properly. This lead to less lead and CO, NO in atm.

37. Baghouse filter removes particles by using a series of filters. It is the most common means of removing particle pollution.

38. Particles given a negative charge, after attaching to plate, it is disposed of.

39. Particles are scrubbed from the exhaust stream by water droplets. The sludge is collected and disposed of. All three filters requires additional energy and emit heat pollution. They are very expensive to prevent PM air pollution

40. The stratospheric ozone layer provides protection from ultraviolet radiation. Ultra Violet has 3 sub wavelengths of energy UV-A passes through atm. w/o being absorbed and can cause skin cancer. UV-B, UV-C can cause severe tissue damage, DNA damage, Ozone blocks 99% of UV-B and UV-C

41. Stratospheric Ozone • The stratospheric ozone layer exists roughly 45-60 kilometers above the Earth. • Ozone has the ability to absorb ultraviolet radiation and protect life on Earth.

42. Formation and Breakdown of Ozone • UV-C radiation breaks the bonds holding together the oxygen molecule, leaving two free oxygen atoms: O2 + UV-C → 2 O • Sometimes these free oxygen atoms produce ozone: O2 + O → O3 • Ozone breaks down into O2 and free oxygen atoms when it absorbs both UV-C and UV-B light: O3 + UV-B + UV-C → O2 + O

43. Anthropogenic Contributions to Ozone Destruction • Certain chemicals can break down ozone, particularly chlorine. • The major sources of chlorine in the stratosphere are compounds known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). • CFCs are used in refrigeration and air conditioning, as propellants in aerosol cans, and as “blowing agents” to inject air into foam products like Styrofoam.

44. Anthropogenic Contributions to Ozone Destruction • CFCs released into the troposphere disperse into the stratosphere.

45. Anthropogenic Contributions to Ozone Destruction • In the stratosphere, UV radiation has enough energy to break the bond connecting chlorine to the CFC molecule, producing Clatoms. • The Cl atoms act as catalysts and can break apart the ozone molecules.

46. Anthropogenic Contributions to Ozone Destruction • Initially, chlorine breaks ozone’s bonds and pulls off one atom of oxygen, forming a chlorine monoxide molecule and O2: O3 + Cl → ClO + O2 • Next, a free oxygen atoms pulls the oxygen atom from ClO, liberating the chlorine atom and creating one oxygen molecule: ClO + O → Cl + O2

47. Anthropogenic Contributions to Ozone Destruction • One chlorine atom can catalyze the breakdown of as many as 100,000 ozone molecules before it leaves the stratosphere. • This depletes the ozone layer.

48. Depletion of the Ozone Layer • Global ozone concentrations have decreased by more than 10%. • Depletion is greatest at the poles. • Decreased stratospheric ozone has increased the amount of UV-B radiation that reaches the surface of Earth.

49. Indoor air pollution is a significant hazard, particularly in developing countries. More die from indoor air pollution than out door air pollution (2nd hand smoke) 90% of deaths attributed to indoor pollution are in developing countries. 56% of those deaths are children under 5

50. Indoor Air Pollutants • Wood, animal manure or coal used for cooking and heating in developing countries. • Lack of indoor ventilation can lead to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and increase in particulates in the air. • This increases the risk for respiratory diseases such as infections and even cancer.