Unit 7 Atmospheric Pollution

Coal

A fossil fuel that forms underground from partially decomposed plant material, contains sulfur

Combustion

the process of burning something

Air pollution

Concentration of trace substances, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and solid particulates, at a greater level than occurs in average air

sulfer dioxide

SO2, a gas produced by coal burning which increases the acidification of rain water

Mercury

Hg, toxic metal released from fossil fuel combustion

PM 10

Particulates that are less than 10 microns in diameter. These particulates are present in the smoke created by burning wood.

PM 2.5

particulates less than 2.5 microns, particles are capable of being inhaled deeply into the lungs, particles are not cleared readily from the body

Nitrous oxides

NOX,Various gaseous compounds, including NO2 and NO3, which commonly result from industrial processes involving combustion.

trophospheric ozone

O3, Ozone that occurs in the troposphere, where it is a secondary pollutant created by the interaction of sunlight, heat, nitrogen oxides, and volatile carbon containing chemicals.

Hydrocarbons

organic molecules consisting of carbon and hydrogen

Clean Air Act

1970- law that established national standards for states, strict auto emissions guidelines, and regulations, which set air pollution standards for private industry

Primary pollutant

A pollutant that is put directly into the atmosphere by human or natural activity

Secondary pollutant

A primary pollutant that has undergone transformation in the presence of sunlight, water, oxygen, or other compounds

Acid deposition

Sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, emitted by burning fossil fuels, enter the atmosphere-where they combine with oxygen and water to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid-and return to Earth's surface

photochemical smog

A brownish haze that is a mixture of ozone and other chemicals, formed when pollutants react with each other in the presence of sunlight

Formaldehyde

An air pollutant that is a colorless chemical used to manufacture building materials and many household products, such as particleboard, hardwood plywood paneling, and urea-formaldehyde foam insulation.

Respiratory

relating to the lungs

Industrial smog

found in cities that burn large amounts of coal, Type of air pollution consisting mostly of a mixture of sulfur dioxide, suspended droplets of sulfuric acid formed from some of the sulfur dioxide, and suspended solid particles.

Thermal inversion

The temperature inversion in which warm air traps cold air and pollutants near the earth.

natural air pollution

dust, wildfires, volcanoes, and plants

Carbon monoxide

a colorless, odorless, and poisonous gas, bonds with hemoglobin getter than oxygen in the blood

Asphyxiant

substance that can cause unconsciousness or death by suffocation

Asbestos

A long, thin, fibrous silicate mineral with insulating properties, which can cause lung cancer when inhaled.

indoor air pollution

Compounds that affect breathing that occur indoors. Examples: woodstove smoke, furnace emissions, formaldehyde, radon, household chemicals, tobacco smoke

Radon 222

may cause damage to respiratory tissue when inhaled (lung cancer); is product of uranium decay and is an indoor pollutant, found in rocks/soil

VOCs

Volatile organic compounds: Hydrocarbon solvents used in paints, stains and other products that are released into the air during the application of coatings and react with nitrous oxides and sunlight to form ozone.

lead

Pb, impacts nervous system, kidney function, immune system, reproductive and developmental systems

Sulfur oxide

(SOx) Primary source is coal burning. Primary and secondary effects include acid deposition, respiratory irritation, plant damage. Reduction methods include: scrubbers, burn low sulfur fuel.

Particulates

Small particles released into the atmosphere by many natural processes and human activities

Vapor recovery nozzle

reduces air pollution by capturing vapors that escape from a fuel tank

Catalytic converter

device in vehicles that oxidizes most of the VOCs and some of the CO that would otherwise be emitted in exhaust, converting them to CO2.

Wet scrubber

removes 98% SO2 and PM, fine mists of water vapor trap PM and convert to sludge that is disposed in landfill

dry scrubber

Chemical reactions

Removing SOx from a combustion gas

Electrostatic precipitators

A device used for removing particulates from smokestack emissions. The charged particles are attracted to an oppositely charged metal plate, where they are precipitated out of the air.

pH scale

scale with values from 0 to 14, used to measure the concentration of H+ ions in a solution; a pH of 0 to 7 is acidic, a pH of 7 is neutral, and a pH of 7 to 14 is basic

Anthropogenic

Human-induced changes on the natural environment

Acidification

The lowering of the pH of a solution.

Limestone

a hard sedimentary rock, composed mainly of calcium carbonate or dolomite, used as building material and in the making of cement.

calcium carbonate

CaCO3

acid rain effects

corrodes metals and buildings, depletes fish populations, birds lay thin eggs, leach aluminum from soil, weaken forest ability to withstand cold

Mitigation

the action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something

Noise pollution

Any unwanted, disturbing, or harmful sound that impairs or interferes with hearing, causes stress, hampers concentration and work efficiency, or causes accidents.