CHAPTER THREE

AIR POLLUTION

By
Mr. Solomon Tibebu
 Air Pollution
Objective

 Upon successful completion of this chapter:

» students will be able to describe sources, impacts

and mitigation strategies of air pollution.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution
Contents:

3.1. Introduction

3.2. Source of Air Pollution

3.3. Classification of Air Pollutants

3.4. Effect of Air Pollution

3.5. Air Pollution Control Technologies

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Introduction to Air Pollution

 Air is one of the five essentials (air, water , food, heat, and light) for the
human beings.

 Man breaths nearly 22,000 times in a day and inhales approximately 15kg of
air per day.

 Generally human beings can live for 5 weeks without any food, 5 days
without any water but not even 5 minutes without air.

 Even though the air is abundantly available over the surface of the earth, but it
contains lot of impurities.

 The general term “air pollution” refers to “undesirable amounts of particulate

or gaseous matter in the atmosphere”.

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 Introduction to Air Pollution
 Any substance occurring in the atmosphere that may have adverse effects on humans,
animals, plant life, and/or inanimate materials.
 Basis: Chemicals present in the environment
 Process: To determine the level of air pollution
– Use composition of the clean air as a bench mark.
– When the concentration of a chemical in air is above the bench mark, it is termed
as an air pollutant.

 Air pollution can occur naturally during a forest fire, dust storm or volcanic eruption,
but the biggest source of pollution for the past 100 years has been humankind.
 Air pollution is the presence in ambient atmosphere of substances, generally resulting
from the activity of human being, which interfere significantly with the comfort,
health or welfare of persons.
(Source: Indian Standards Institution IS-4167 (1966).

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 But what is the atmosphere?
• Atmosphere is a thin shell covering the Earth.
• Comprised of a mixture of invisible permanent
and variable gases as well as suspended
microscopic particles (both liquid and solid)
– Permanent Gases – Form a constant proportion of
the total atmospheric mass
– Variable Gases – Distribution and concentration
varies in space and time
– Aerosols – Suspended particles and liquid droplets
(excluding cloud droplets)
 Introduction to Air Pollution

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Composition of Earth’s Atmosphere

Important gases in the Earth’s Atmosphere

(Note: Influence not necessarily proportional to % by volume!)
 Introduction to Air Pollution

 The role of atmosphere:

» serve as a reservoir of gases

» moderates earth’s temperature

» absorbs energy

» Absorbs damaging ultraviolet radiation from the sun

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Introduction to Air Pollution

 Earth's atmosphere extends more than 560 kilometers (348 miles) above
the planet's surface and is divided into four layers:

» troposphere

» stratosphere

» mesosphere

» thermosphere

each of which has distinct thermal, chemical, and physical properties.

 This classification is based on temperature.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Introduction to Air Pollution

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution
Contents:

3.1. Introduction

3.2. Source of Air Pollution

3.3. Classification of Air Pollutants

3.4. Effect of Air Pollution

3.5. Air Pollution Control Technologies

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Source of Air Pollution

Source of Air Pollution

Natural Source Anthropogenic Source

 Forest fire • Industries

 Volcanic eruption • Domestic
 Flowers pollen • Agriculture
 Dust due to wind blow • Power plants
• Transportation

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Sources of Air Pollution
Natural versus Anthropogenic (Man Made)
 Natural

 A pollutant released from natural sources, including from

forest fires, pollen, volcanic emissions, dust, etc.

 Anthropogenic (Man Made)

 A pollutant released from human activities not normally

found in nature.
 It includes emissions from industry, agriculture, forestry,
transportation, power generation, space heating, etc.
 Natural Source of Air Pollution

 Biogenic and geogenic emissions from wildfires, wind blown, dust

storms, plants, trees, grasses, volcanoes, geyser, seeps, soil and lighting.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Natural Source of Air Pollution

Dust Storms

 Dust storms are produced

due to wind circulation
around the planet Earth.

 Global meteorological
processes makes the
environment with dust
pollution, in some areas
and in some occasions.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Natural Source of Air Pollution

Forest Fires

 Forest fires are the second-largest source of

from wood smoke in the province (second to
open-burning sources).

 They can have significant impacts on local

air quality, visibility and human health.

– particulate matter

– carbon monoxide

– atmospheric mercury

– ozone-forming chemicals

– volatile organic compounds

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Natural Source of Air Pollution

Volcanoes

 Volcanoes (eruption of lava from

earth’s core) release lot of particles,
gases like:
– Sulphur dioxide

– radiation

 Heat waves may be spread up to several

kilometers.

 The surrounding areas are greatly affected

with heavy dust and heat pollution.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Natural Source of Air Pollution

Sea Spray

 Sea spray is a continuous

phenomena, which is a major
source of particulate (liquid
droplets) pollution in the
atmosphere.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Natural Source of Air Pollution

Plant Pollen

 During spring season, lot of plant

pollen is produced and due to
wind motion, it is spread very
fastly, which makes the
atmosphere with dust pollution.

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 Anthropogenic Source of Air Pollution

Point Source

 Generally a major facility emitting pollutants from identifiable source

(pipe or smoke chimney).

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 Anthropogenic Source of Air Pollution

Area Source

 Any low-source of air pollution released over a diffuse area (not a point)
such as consumer products, architectural coatings, waste treatment
facilities, animal feeding operations, construction, open burning etc…
residential wood burning, swimming pools, and char broilers.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Anthropogenic Source of Air Pollution

Mobile Sources

 On-road sources includes any moving source of air pollution such as:

» cars

» trucks

» motorcycles

» buses

 Non-road sources include pollutants emitted by combustion engines on

farm and construction equipment, locomotives, commercial marine
vessels, recreational watercraft, airplanes, snow mobiles, agricultural
equipment, and lawn and garden equipment.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Anthropogenic Source of Air Pollution

Mobile Sources

On-road sources and non-road sources

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution
Contents:

3.1. Introduction

3.2. Source of Air Pollution

3.3. Classification of Air Pollutants

3.4. Effect of Air Pollution

3.5. Air Pollution Control Technologies

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Classification of Air Pollutants

Primary pollutants
Origin of Pollutants
Secondary pollutants

Organic pollutants
Chemical
Air Pollutants
Composition
Inorganic pollutants

Gaseous pollutants
State of Matter
Particulate pollutants

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Classification of Air Pollutants

Based on the Origin of Pollutants

 Primary pollutants

– Pollutants that exist in the same form as in source emissions.

– enter in the air directly e.g.

» release of sulphur dioxide by burning coal

» particulate matter

» carbon dioxide

» nitrogen dioxide

» carbon monoxide

» hydrocarbons

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Classification of Air Pollutants

Based on the Origin of Pollutants

Secondary pollutants

 Harmful substances are formed in the atmosphere when a primary air

pollutant reacts with substances normally found in the atmosphere or with
other air pollutants:
» ozone
» aldehydes/Ketones
» sulphuric acid
» nitric Acid
 Secondary pollutants which result from transformation of primary
pollutants into other chemical species.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Classification of Air Pollutants

Based on the Origin of Pollutants

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Ammonium sulfate [(NH4)2SO4]
How pollutants are formed
Ammonia (NH3) from burning of coal and oil

Sulfuric acid (H2SO4)

Water vapor (H2O) Carbon monoxide (CO)

and
Sulfur trioxide (SO 3 ) carbon dioxide (CO2)

Oxygen (O2)

Sulfur dioxide (SO2)

Burning coal and oil

Oxygen (O2)

Sulfur (S) in Carbon (C) in

coal and oil coal and oil
Major Air Pollutants
 Particulate Material

o Thousands of different solid or liquid

particles suspended in air
• Includes: soil particles, soot, lead, asbestos,
sea salt, and sulfuric acid droplets
o Dangerous for 2 reasons
• May contain materials with toxic or
carcinogenic effects
• Extremely small particles can become lodged in
lungs
 Nitrogen and Sulfur Oxides

o Nitrogen Oxides
• Gases produced by the chemical interactions
between atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen at
high temperature
• Problems
• Greenhouse gases
• Cause difficulty breathing
o Sulfur Oxides
• Gases produced by the chemical interactions
between sulfur and oxygen
• Causes acid precipitation
 Carbon Oxides and Hydrocarbons

o Carbon Oxides
• Gases carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon
dioxide (CO2)
• Greenhouse gases
o Hydrocarbons
• Diverse group of organic compounds that
contain only hydrogen and carbon (ex: CH4-
methane)
• Some are related to photochemical smog and
greenhouse gases
 Ozone

o Tropospheric Ozone
• Man- made pollutant in the lower atmosphere
• Secondary air pollutant
• Component of photochemical smog
o Stratospheric Ozone
• Essential component that screens out UV
radiation in the upper atmosphere
• Man- made pollutants (ex: CFCs) can destroy it
 Classification of Air Pollutants

Based on the Chemical Composition

Organic pollutants Inorganic pollutants

• Hydrocarbons, VOCs • CO2, SO2, SO3, CO NO2, this are

emitted in higher quantities to the
• PCBs-Polychlorinated biphenyls atmosphere
• NH3, N2O, N2O5, H2S, HCL, HF, are
• PAH-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
emitted to the environment trough
• Freon (popular name of compound human activates
• Particulate mater (consisting Fe, Zn…..)
containing C, H, F, Cl and Br)
• etc…
• etc…

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Classification of Air Pollutants

Based on the State of Matter

Particulate pollutants Gaseous pollutants

• thousands of different solid or liquid

• airosols
particles suspended in air such as:
• soil particles • smoke
• lead
• asbestos • soot (black dust given off by fire)
• sea salt
• smog
• sulfuric acid droplets
• etc… • etc…

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution
Contents:

3.1. Introduction

3.2. Source of Air Pollution

3.3. Classification of Air Pollutants

3.4. Effect of Air Pollution

3.5. Air Pollution Control Technologies

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Effects of Air Pollution

Effects on human health

 Air pollution can affect our
health in many ways with both
short-term and long-term
effects.

 Different groups of individuals

are affected by air pollution in
different way.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Effects of Air Pollution

Effects on human health

 People with health problems
such as:

– asthma,

– heart and lung disease may also

suffer more when the air is
polluted.

 Eye Irritation;

 Nose and throat irritation.

 Irritation of the respiratory

tract and so on.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Effects of Air Pollution
o Low level exposure
• Irritates eyes
• Causes inflammation of respiratory tract
o Can develop into chronic respiratory
diseases
 Health Effects of Air Pollution
o Sulfur Dioxide and Particulate material
• Irritate respiratory tract and impair ability of
lungs to exchange gases
o Nitrogen Dioxides
• Causes airway restriction
o Carbon monoxide
• Binds with iron in blood hemoglobin
• Causes headache, fatigue, drowsiness, death
o Ozone
• Causes burning eyes, coughing, and chest
discomfort
 Children and Air Pollution

o Greater health threat to children than

adults
• Air pollution can restrict lung development
• Children breath more often than adults
o Children who live in high ozone areas are
more likely to develop asthma
 Effects of Air Pollution

Effects on plant
 The most frequently effecting
air pollutants to vegetation
include: sulphurdioxide,
hydrogen, fluoride, ozone,
chlorine, oxides of nitrogen,
hydrogen sulphide, ammonia,
Mercury, vapours etc..

 They mainly attack on stomata

and palisade and spongy
mesophyll regions of the leaf.
Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20
 Effects of Air Pollution

Effects on plant
 Necrosis: tissue disease

 Chlorosis: loss of greenness

 Epinasty: down ward bending of

plant part

 Leaf abscission: detachment of leaf

 Acute injury: describes leaves

that end in a short narrow point

 Chronic injury: long lasting

injury

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Effects of Air Pollution

Effects on animal
 Air pollution also cause wide
spread damage to live stocks.

– the general effect of air

pollution on animal are
similar to those on human
beings.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Effects of Air Pollution

Effects on animal
 Fluorosis fluoride toxicity is
commonly found in domestic
animals ingest various fluoride
compounds that fall on leafy parts
of the plants.
– fluorosis results in lameness, loss
of weight frequent diarrhoea, and
abnormal calcification of bones
and teeth.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Effects of Air Pollution

Effects on climate
 Air pollution cause atmospheric
conditions.
– climate of big cities is evidently
different form rural areas.

 Some important effects:

– the release of greenhouse gases
from various sources are causing
rise in global temperature (global
warming or greenhouse effect).

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Effects of Air Pollution

Effects on climate
– Freon gas form aerosol sprays
and nitrogen oxide in the
atmosphere deplete ozone
layer .

– Warming of earth surface,

depletion of ozone layer, rising
of sea level and acid rains are
major effects of air pollution at
global level .

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Effects of Air Pollution

Summery Impacts

• Global warming (GHG)

• Ozone depletion
• Acid rain
• Smog and invisibility
• Carcinogenic diseases

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 Urban Air Pollution
o Photochemical Smog (ex: Los Angeles below)
• Brownish-orange haze formed by chemical reactions
involving sunlight, nitrogen oxide, and hydrocarbons
Formation of Photochemical Smog
 Air Pollution
Contents:

3.1. Introduction

3.2. Source of Air Pollution

3.3. Classification of Air Pollutants

3.4. Effect of Air Pollution

3.5. Air Pollution Control Technologies

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution Control Technologies

Approaches to contaminates control

 There are two broad approaches to the control of particulate and gaseous

contaminants.

– dilution of contaminants in the atmosphere

(accomplished through the use of tall stakes)

– control of contaminants at the source

(a more desirable and effective method than dilution)

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 Air Pollution Control Technologies

Control of contaminants at the source

 The prevention of contaminates to come in contact to the atmosphere

Example:

– in case of contaminants associated with combustion process,

substituting the energy source /power source

– the traditional fossil-fuel can be replaced by alternative energy source

(i.e., hydropower , geothermal or solar energy sources)

– some times traditional fossil fuel can be replaced by another fuel of

lower air pollution potential ( i.e. the use of refined and desulfured,
liquefied natural gas or petroleum gas)

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 Air Pollution Control Technologies

Control of contaminants at the source

 Proper use of existing equipment

(some times contaminant emissions can be controlled by the

proper operation and maintenance of equipment)

 Change the process being used with methods of controlling emissions at

there source

(use of electric furnaces than open hearth furnaces )

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution Control Technologies

Control of contaminants at the source

 Installing controlling equipment: It is important to use this method to gather with
the above once and can be done for:

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution Control Technologies

Gravity Settling chambers

 Settling chambers use the force of

gravity to remove solid particles.

 The gas stream enters a chamber where

the velocity of the gas is reduced.

 Large particles drop out of the gas and

are recollected. in hoppers

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution Control Technologies

Cyclones

 The general principle of inertia

separation is that the particulate-laden
gas is forced to change direction.

 As gas changes direction, the inertia

of the particles causes them to
continue in the original direction and
be separated from the gas stream.

 The walls of the cyclone narrow

toward the bottom of the unit,
allowing the particles to be collected
in a hopper. The gas.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution Control Technologies

Filter bag house

 Fabric filters, or bag-houses, remove dust from a gas stream

by passing the stream through a porous fabric.
 The fabric filter is efficient at removing fine particles and can
exceed efficiencies of 99% in most applications.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution Control Technologies

Electrostatic precipitators

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution Control Technologies

Electrostatic precipitators

 An ESP is a particle control device that uses electrical forces to move the
particles out of the flowing gas stream and onto collector plates.

 The ESP places electrical charges on the particles, causing them to be

attracted to oppositely charged metal plates located in the precipitator.
The gas.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Controlling Air Pollution

o Smokestacks with
electrostatic precipitator
(right)

Without
Electrostatic
precipitator

With Electrostatic
precipitator
Controlling Air Pollution

o Smokestacks with
scrubbers (right)
o Particulate material can
also be controlled by
proper excavating
techniques
 Air Pollution Control Technologies

Flue gas desulfurization

(Flue gas scrubbing)

 Crushed limestone, slurry, and an

alkali such as sodium bicarbonate
can be injected into a stack gas
steam to remove sulfur after
combustion's..

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution Control Technologies

Absorption

 Absorption is a process in which a

gaseous pollutant is dissolved in a
liquid.

 Water is the most commonly used

absorbent liquid.
 The gas.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution Control Technologies

Adsorption

 The most common industrial

adsorbents are activated carbon, silica
gel, and alumina, because they have
enormous surface areas per unit
weight.

 Activated carbon is the universal

standard for purification and removal
of trace organic contaminants from
liquid and vapor streams.
 The gas. Regenerative carbon adsorption

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution Control Technologies

POST Combustion

 In certain situations, combustion techniques, process changes and modifying

operating conditions might not meet the specified NOx emission limits.

 In these case, NOx emissions can be met by adding one of two post
combustion NOx reduction processes:

– selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SNCR) - at 850 °C

– selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR)- at 180 à 260 °C
 The gas.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Air Pollution Control Technologies

Non-point pollution control

 Carbon fixation through

photosynthesis

 Sequestration under ocean

 Algae CO2 fixation

 CO2 sucker
 The gas.

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

If every one would help to save the
earth we would live in a safe
environment!

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

 Do You Have

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20

Environmental Engineering // Chapter 3:Air Pollution and Control // Year:2019/20