CED Unit 7: Atmospheric Pollution

Primary Pollutants

pollutants emitted directly from the source ex: car exhaust

Secondary Pollutants

pollutants that come from the reaction between primary pollutants and things in the atmosphere

Primary Pollutant Examples

• NOx (Nitrogen Oxides)

• CO (Carbon Monoxide)

• CO2 (Carbon Dioxide)

• VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds)

• SOx (Sulfure Dioxide)

• PM (Particle Pollution)

Secondary Pollutant Examples

• ozone

• sulfuric acid

• nitric acid

• smog

Two Sources of Air Pollution

• Transportation

• Industry

Particulate Matter

• from fossil fuel or biomass combustion

• Respiratory Irritant

Carbon Monoxide

• from fossil fuel combustion

• lethal to humans

Lead

• from ore metal processing, waste incenorators, gasoline

• neurotoxin

Nitrogen Oxides Health Concerns

• repiratory irritant

• → tropospheric ozone and smog

• nitric acid in the atmosphere

Nitrogen Oxide Cycle

N2+O2→NO

NO+O3 or O2→NO2

NO2+Photoreactive Sunlight→NO

Where are Sulfur Oxides From

• fossil fuel combustion, esp deisel

• volcanic eruptions

Sulfur Oxide Impacts

• acid rain

• grey smog

• respiratory irritant

• sunlight blocked

• SOx+Water Vapor→Sulfuric Acid

Ground Level Ozone

• secondary pollutant

• released from NOx

• respiratoey irritant

• slow plant growth

Coal Combustion

• Carbon Monoxide

• Carbon Dioxide

• Sulfure Dioxide

• Nitrogen Oxides

• PM

2 Types of Photochemical Smog

• Industrial Smog

• Photochemical Smog

Industrial Smog

• london smog

• grey

• coal combustion

• SOx and PM

Photochemical Smog

• LA smog

• brown

• automobile use

• NOx, O3, VOCs, PANs

• worse in summer

Ozone

NO2+Sun+VOC→Ozone

Photochemical Oxidants

NO+VOCs→Photochemical Oxidants

Photochemical Smog Impacts

• reduced NPP production

• animal impacts similar to human

• decreased lung capacity

• respiratory irritant

• eye irritant

Thermal Inversion

temp^ alt ^

Indoor Air Pollutants

• radon

• mold

• cigg smoke

• carbon monoxide

• nitrogen dioxide

• formaldehyde

• VOCs

• Particulate Matter

Volatile Organic Compounds

chemicals in home products that vaporize in air

• formadehyde

Electrostatic Percipitators

• removes particles in coal fired power plants

• electrical energy to neg charge particles

• neg charged pollutants → post charged walls

• then fall into collector

Wet and Dry Scrubbers

• pollution in

• liquid water in

• entrainment seperator

• clean gas out

• (air filter)

Catalyctic Converter

turns pollutants in vehicle exauhst into less harmful molecules

basically breaks them down, ex: CO→CO2 O2

Vapor Recovery Nozzle

• captures bad vapors from galoline and retuns them to the underground storage tank

• reduce ozone and smog

Acid Rain (Acid Deposition)

SO2+NO2+H2O→Sulfuric Acid H2SO4, Nitric Acid HNO3, & Carbonic Acid H2CO3

pH of Normal Water

5.6

pH of Sea Water

8

pH of Acid Rain

4.2-4.4

Wet Deposition

Sulfuric and Nitric Acid in percipitation

Dry Deposition

dry particles of Sulfuric and Nitric Acid

Enviormental Impacts of Acid Deposition

• lower pH of soil and water

• leach toxic metals like aluminium and mercury into soil → slow plan growth, kills