APES air pollution vocab

Air pollution

the contamination of the atmosphere by the introduction of pollutants from human and natural sources

Tropospheric ozone

ground level ozone; is considered bad because it is closer to the earth making it more likely for someone to breathe it in. It is also more dangerous because it is made up of particulate matter.

Haze

atmospheric moisture or dust or smoke that causes reduced visibility

photochemical smog

An atmospheric condition formed through a combination of weather conditions and pollution, especially from motor vehicle emissions.

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

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

amendment of the EPA's Clean Air Act which specifies concentration limits for pollutants and requires localities to improve air qualities to meet these limits

Clean air act

(CAA, 1970) set emission standards for cars and limits for release of air pollutants

thermal inversion

A situation in which a relatively warm layer of air at mid-altitude covers a layer of cold, dense air below.

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

fluidized bed combustion

a clean-coal technology in which crushed coal is mixed with limestone to neutralize the acidic sulfur compounds produced during combustion

catalytic converter

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

Bag house filters

• Some coals produce an ash which is ineffective with electrostatic precipitators

• Fabric bag filters are assembled in parallel rows which entrap ash particles but not the flue gas molecules

• Fabric bags cannot be discarded so they are instead recycled by using a rapper or shaker system

• Some fabrics, such as polyamide or acrylic fibres, may operate safely at 290 deg.C and may accept up to 315 deg.C for short periods

Scrubbers

devices containing alkaline substances that precipitate out much of the sulfur dioxide from industrial plants.

electrostatic precipitator

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.

Ozone layer hole

A severe depletion of ozone in a region of the ozone layer, particularly over Antarctica and over the Arctic. The depletion is caused by the destruction of ozone by CFCs and by other compounds, such as carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4) and carbon tetrafluoride (CF 4).

sick building syndrome

a buildup of toxic compounds and pollutants in an airtight space; seen in newer buildings with good insulation and tight seals against air leaks

Stratospheric Ozone

good ozone, produces oxygen molecules to interact with UV radiation and prevent 95% of it from reaching the surface

Montreal Protocol

meeting in 1987 where a group of nations met in Canada and agreed to take steps to fight against Ozone Depletion-CFC's banned

Mobile sources

Sources of air pollutants that move from place to place, example: automobiles, trucks, buses, and trains

Stationary sources

non-moving sources of pollution, such as factories.

UV radiation

Energy from the sun that damages DNA structure, increases mutation rate, and causes skin cancer. [D Period DK]