Transcript Acid Rain and your community

Acid Rain and your community
By: Ester Boals,
Jennifer Kelley
& Kelsie Warner
Just what is Acid Rain?
Acid Rain is the term used to describe the ways in
which acid precipitates out of the atmosphere.
Acid Rain is more accurately termed acid
deposition.
There are two types of acid deposition: wet and dry.
The types of wet deposition are: acidic rain, fog,
and snow.
The types of dry deposition are: acidic gases and
particles.
The contributors
Factories give off sulfur
dioxide and nitric oxide.
The exhaust from the car
contains a lot of nitric oxide.
The making of Acid Rain
Atmospheric gases react with water, oxygen, and other
chemicals the produce the components of acid rain: sulfuric
acid and nitric acid. Sunlight acts as a catalyst to increases the
rate of most of these reactions.
Atmospheric gases + H2O(g) + O2(g) + chemicals  H2SO4(g) + HNO3(g)
The reactions…
• The making of Nitric acid:
lightning 2NO(g)
 N2(g) + O2(g) 
 2NO(g) + ½ O2(g)  NO2
 3NO2(g) + H2O  2HNO3(aq) + NO(g)
• The making of Sulfuric acid:
O2
H 2O
 SO2(g) 
SO3(g) 
H2SO4 (aq)
Effects of Acid Rain
http://ncert.nic.in/sites/learning%20basket/energy10class/combustion%20engine1.htm
Water and Aquatic Animals
• Lakes and streams
become acidic when the
natural buffers in the
water and surrounding
soil cannot neutralize
the acid rain.
• A low buffering capacity
allows aluminum, which
is toxic to many aquatic
organisms, to leach into
the water.
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/surface_water.html
Plants and Forests
• Acid rain causes slower
growth, injury, and death to
plants.
• Acid rain damages the
leaves of plants, leaches
important nutrients
(calcium, potassium, and
magnesium) from the soil,
and increases the level of
toxic aluminum in the soil.
http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=72754&rendTypeId=4
http://www.newsroom.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=257
Limestone
• Acid rain can cause the
corrosion of metals and
the deterioration of
stones like limestone.
• Reaction with limestone
(calcium carbonate)
– CaCO3 + H2SO4 
CaSO4 + H2CO3
– The calcium sulfate is
soluble in water which
causes the stone to
crumble.
http://www.micro.utexas.edu/courses/levin/bio304/ecosystems/rheims.statue.gif
Copper
• Copper naturally
oxidizes to form a
protective coating
that protects the
metal from corrosion
• Acid rain can cause
copper to corrode
before this coating
can form
http://www.professionalroofing.net/article.aspx?A_ID=526
Effects on Human Health
• Acid rain itself is not
harmful to humans,
but the pollutants
that cause it are
• The sulfur dioxide
and nitrogen oxide
can cause
respiratory problems
such as asthma and
bronchitis
http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/shr0714l.jpg
Clean Air Act
 In 1970 Congress created the Clean Air Act
as well as the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) to reduce air pollution.
 In 1990 the act was revised and introduced
changes to reduce acid pollution.
 The EPA sets limits on the amount of air
pollution that can come from sources like
chemical plants, utilities, and steel mills.
There are monetary penalties for plants that
exceed their limit of SO2 and NO.
The Good News
http://www.epa.gov/airtrends/econ-emissions.html
Bibliography
 http://www.policyalmanac.org/environment/ar
chive/acid_rain.shtml
 http://www.chemistry.wustl.edu/~edudev/LabT
utorials/Water/FreshWater/acidrain.html
 http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what/index.html
 http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/19
6buildings.html
 http://www.epa.gov/air/caa/peg/understand.ht
ml
 http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/index.html