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Welcome!

Welcome!. Please get out your Objectives #1-6 for a stamp and your outline from the textbook. Use this time wisely!!!! Add new insights on your objectives in a different colored pen. Breathing!. Some basics. Normal chemical composition of our atmosphere: (N 2 ) 78% (O 2 ) 21%

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Welcome!

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  1. Welcome! Please get out your Objectives #1-6 for a stamp and your outline from the textbook. Use this time wisely!!!! Add new insights on your objectives in a different colored pen.

  2. Breathing! Some basics

  3. Normal chemical composition of our atmosphere: (N2) 78% (O2) 21% Trace gases (water, argon, carbon dioxide, other pollutants) 1% What is in our atmosphere?

  4. What have you heard about ozone before? Ground level ozone in H-town

  5. Smog and ozone form together • N2 + O2 2NO • 2NO + O2  2NO2 • NO2 + UV radiation  NO + O • O + O2  O3

  6. Primary pollutants • Come directly from source • Step one: N2 + O2 2NO

  7. Secondary pollutants form in atmosphere as gases react • Step two: 2NO + O2  2NO2 • NO2 is smog – a yellow brown gas • Causes lung and eye irritation, makes asthma, bronchitis and emphysema worse

  8. Ozone formation Step 3: NO2 + UV radiation  NO + O Step 4:O + O2  O3 Ozone slows photosynthesis, eye and lung irritant, makes asthma, emphysema, bronchitis worse

  9. Smog and ozone form together • N2 + O2 2NO • 2NO + O2  2NO2 • NO2 + UV radiation  NO + O • O + O2  O3 Ozone season: March- November Ozone daily formation: noon-early evening

  10. Check out ozone formation • Texas Commission on Environmental Quality • EPA: National/Federal Regulatory agency • TCEQ: state regulatory agency • ozone animation

  11. AQI: set at 100 for each criterion pollutant level. Ozone 100 AQI = 85ppb

  12. Ozone breaks down naturally at the end of the day • O3 + NO  O2 + NO2 • UNLESS . . . .

  13. The VOCs are present!!! Rawr!!!

  14. VOCs contribute to smog • Volatile Organic Compounds: • Gasoline -propane -dry cleaning fluids • Benzene -toluene • VOCs reduce the troposphere’s ability to break down O3 after the sun goes down, so smog conditions persist

  15. We're #? . . . .for the number of days exceeding allowable ground level ozone levels. American Lung Association State of the Air

  16. Observations/Inferences

  17. So what is being done about this? - City monitoring

  18. 45 mobile monitoring stations

  19. Pollution prevention (don’t create the primary pollutants in the first place) Pollution clean up (now that they’re in the environment, let’s mitigate the effects) Two strategies

  20. Technology solutions: catalytic converters remove some NOx, CO, and VOC’s

  21. Switch to alternative energies! • Wind power • Solar power • Hydro power • Tidal power

  22. Technology solutions: more efficient lights

  23. Improvements suggested by the Mayor’s office for Houston refineries • Storage Tank Caps – traps gases • Infrared leak detection system – enable companies to respond to leaks in pipes and valves more quickly • Flare gas recovery – compressor and additional piping capture gases that usually leak during startups and shutdowns

  24. I=PAT analyzing the cause of the problem and the possible solutions • Impact of air pollution = • Population = human pop is increasing • Affluence = • Technology =

  25. Check your understanding! • Why are we more likely to hit an orange AQI at 3pm in August than at 8am in December? • Why is it important that Houston improve its air quality?

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