Transcript Air Pollution

Air & Air Pollution
Chapter 12
When is a Lichen like a Canary?
• Old Man’s Beard Usnea
trichodea
• Evernia
• Both sicken and die in the
presence of too much sulfur
dioxide – can help track
pollution to its source (ex.
sulfur dioxide poisoning and
Isle Royale in Lake Superior
Reindeer and Chernobyl
• 1986 -Chernobyl nuclear power facility in
Ukraine exploded and spewed radioactive
particles into the atmosphere
• Some particles fell to the ground in
Scandinavia and were absorbed by lichens
 people in this area depend on reindeer
meat for food, reindeer eat lichens. What
do you think happened?
Key Concepts
 Structure and composition of the atmosphere
 Types and sources of outdoor air pollution
 Types, formation, and effects of smog
 Sources and effects of acid deposition
 Effects of air pollution
 Prevention and control of air pollution
The
Atmosphere
• Troposphere
• Stratosphere
• Disruption of
Gaseous
Biogeochemical
Cycles
• Mesosphere
• Thermosphere
8 Classes of pollutants
Carbon oxides
Sulfur oxides
Nitrogen oxides
Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOC’s)
Suspended particulate Radioactive Materials
matter (SPM)
Toxics
Photochemicals
Carbon Oxides
• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Sulfur Oxides
• Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
• Sulfur trioxide (SO3)
Nitrogen Oxides
• NOX
– Nitrogen oxide (NO)
– Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
• Nitrous oxide (N2O)
VOCs
•
•
•
•
•
Methane (CH4)
Propane (C3H8)
CFCs
“new car smell”
Paint
SPM
•
•
•
•
•
Dust
Soot
Asbestos
PCBs
Pesticides
Photochemical Oxidants
• Ozone (O3)
• Aldehydes
Radioactive Substances
• Radon-222
• Iodine-131
• Strontium-90
Hazardous Air Pollutants
•
•
•
•
Benzene
Methyl chloride
Chloroform
Formaldehyde
Outdoor Air Pollution
 Primary pollutants
 Secondary pollutants
Ozone Animation
• Formation of Ozone:
http://www.airinfonow.org/html/makingozo
ne/o3play.htm
• Lung Damage:
http://www.airinfonow.org/html/lungattack/l
ungplay.htm
Photochemical Smog
• When pollutants react with
sunlight “smog” is produced.
• It is formed by both primary and
secondary pollutants.
Components of Smog
• Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
• Oxygen (O2 and O3) Hot summer days
increase the levels of ozone, a major
component
• VOCs (volatile organic compounds)
Photochemical Smog
 Brown-air smog
or “yellow smog”
 Photochemical
reaction
 Photochemical
oxidants
40
Nitric oxide
Nitrogen dioxide
Ozone
Parts per million
30
20
10
0
6
7
A.M.
8
9
10
11
12
1
Noon
Time
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
P.M.
Pollution Concentrations are Time Dependent
What can be done to reduce smog?
Industrial (Gray-Air) Smog
• Sulfuric acid
• Ash
• Soot
Industrial Smog
Gray-air smog
Industrial smog
Sulfuric acid
Sulfur dioxide
Particulates
Fig. 17-8 p. 426
Temperature Inversions
Subsidence inversion
Radiation inversion
A Thermal Inversion
Notice how
the clouds
rise to a
point then
stop rising.
That is
where the
temperature
change
occurs.
A Thermal Inversion
Taken during
the winter,
notice the
smoke rising
so far then it
stops
Thermal Inversion in a City
The warm air
above the city
traps the car
exhaust and
forces it to
street level.
Regional Outdoor Air Pollution from Acid
Deposition
Acid deposition
Wet deposition
Dry deposition
Acid Deposition and Humans
 Respiratory diseases
 Toxic metal leaching
 Decreased visibility
 Damage to structures, especially
containing limestone
 Decreased productivity and
profitability of fisheries, forests, and
farms
Effect of Acid Deposition on Plants
Acid Deposition Effects on Limestone
• http://news.discovery.com/videos/earthacid-rain-eating-washington-dc.html
Acid Deposition and Aquatic Systems
 Fish declines
 Undesirable
species
 Aluminum
toxicity
 Acid shock
Acid Deposition, Plants, and Soil
 Nutrient
leaching
 Heavy metal
release
 Weakens trees
Fig. 17-15 p. 432
Acid Deposition in the US
Fig. 17-11 p. 429
Indoor Air Pollution/Sick Building Syndrome
Radon
 Radon-222
 4 picocurie level
 Occurs in certain
areas based on
geology
 Associated with
uranium and organic
material in rock
Effects of Air Pollution on Living Organisms
and Materials
Damage to mucous membranes
Respiratory diseases
Damage to plant leaves and roots
Reduction in primary productivity
Deterioration of materials
Respiratory System
Solutions: Preventing and Reducing Air
Pollution
Clean Air Act
National Ambient Air Quality
Standards (NAAQS)
Primary and secondary standards
Output control vs. input control
Cleaned gas
Electrodes
Dust discharge
Dirty gas
Electrostatic Precipitator
Bags
Cleaned gas
Dirty gas
Baghouse Filter
Dust discharge
Cleaned gas
Dirty gas
Cyclone Separator
Dust discharge
Cleaned gas
Dirty gas
Clean
water
Wet
gas
Dirty water
Wet Scrubber
Emission Reduction