5/9/2022

Lecture 1

Air Pollution, origin, source,

types, effects and control

Subject: Environmental Engineering II

Section: Air and Noise Pollution

 Air Pollution, origin, source, types and effects

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After completion of this class discussion

the students will be able to:
Describe Air Pollution, origin, source, types and
effects
Classify Atmospheric contaminents

CONTENT
Definition, Composition of atmospheric
air, Classification and sources of air
pollutants. Effects of air pollution on
human, plant and material, Air
pollution control methods, equipment
and safety.

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The earth is the only planet known in the universe capable of

supporting life.

The life supporting properties are The Atmosphere and

Hydrosphere .

Environment pollution and efforts for the betterment of living

standards are the two sides of the same coin.

In the wake of industrialization, consequent urbanization and

ever increasing population, the basic amenities of life namely,
air, water and land are being polluted continuously.

THE ATMOSPHERE

0 600 800 1,000

120 75
Temperature
110
Pressure
65
100 Thermosphere

90 55
Altitude (kilometers)

80
Altitude (miles)

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70

60
35
50
Stratosphere
40 25

30 Tropopause

Ozone “layer” 15
20
Heating from the earth
10 Troposphere 5

0
(Sea –80 –40 0 40 80 120 Pressure = 1,000
Temperature (˚C)
Level) millibars at
ground level

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WHAT IS POLLUTION ???

 Pollution is “change in background conc.”.

 “Anysubstance introduced into the

environment that adversely affects the
usefulness of a resource”.

 Pollution happens because no process is

100% efficient; each process produces
pollution.

Atmosphere is a thin layer of gas which

surrounds the Earth.
Four major layers : Troposphere, Stratosphere,
Mesosphere and thermosphere.
99% of the volume of clean air is in
Troposphere, which extends 17km above MSL.
Nitrogen (78%) and Oxygen (21%) and 1%
Argon, CO2 and water vapour.

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As per the definition of the World Health

Organization (WHO), air pollution is a
“situation in which the outdoor atmosphere
contains materials in concentrations which
are harmful to people or their
environment”.

AIR POLLUTION

 Air pollution defined as the of one or more

contaminants or combinations in such
quantities and of such durations as may be or
tend to be injurious to human, animal or plant
life, or property, or which unreasonably
interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life
or property or conduct of business.

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AIR POLLUTANTS
 Substance dwelling temporarily or permanently in the air.

 Alters the environment by interfering with the health, the

comfort, or the food chain, or by interfering with the
property values of people.

 A pollutant can be solid (large or sub-molecular), liquid or

gas .

 It may originate from a natural or anthropogenic source

(or both).

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CLASSIFICATION OF POLLUTANTS

 Pollutants can be grouped into two categories:

(1)primary pollutants, which are emitted

directly from identifiable sources, and

(2)secondary pollutants, which are produced in the

atmosphere when certain chemical reactions take
place among primary pollutants.

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PRIMARY POLLUTANTS

The major primary pollutants include:

 particulate matter (PM),

 sulfur dioxide,
 nitrogen oxides,
 volatile organic compounds (VOCs),
 carbon monoxide, and
 lead.

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SOURCE AND CLASSIFICATION

 Natural

 Man- made or anthropogenic

 Natural- pollen grains, volcanic eruptions,

forest fires, dust storms, spores, bacteria
and other microorganisms.
 Man- made- industrial units, thermal power
plants, automobile exhausts, fossil fuel
burning, mining, nuclear explosions,

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 Itis estimated that anthropogenic sources have

changed the composition of global air by less
than 0.01%.

 Even a small change can have a significant

adverse effect on the climate, ecosystem and
species on the planet.

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SOURCE AND CLASSIFICATION

 Stationary

 Mobile

 Point source- large stationary source

 Area source- small stationary source and
mobile source with indefinite routes
 Line source- mobile source with definite
routes

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SECONDARY POLLUTANTS

 Some primary air pollutants react with one

another or with other chemicals to form
secondary pollutants.

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 Atmospheric sulfuric acid is one example of a

secondary pollutant.
 Air pollution in urban and industrial areas is often
called smog.
 Photochemical smog, a noxious mixture of
gases and particles, is produced when strong
sunlight triggers photochemical reactions in the
atmosphere.
 The major component of photochemical smog is
ozone.

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 COx
 SOx
 NOx
 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
 Suspended particulate matter
 Photochemical oxidants
 Radioactive substances
 Heat

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MAJOR POLLUTANTS SOURCES AND

EFFECTS

 Carbon monoxide (CO)- colorless, odorless, tasteless

gas.
 No effect at normal conc. (0.1ppm)
but higher conc. seriously affect.

 Volcanoes, natural gas emissions,

seed germination contribute to CO.

 Transport sector contribute 75% CO.

Residential wood burning 10%, industrial process

15% CO.

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Effects:
 Reduce oxygen carrying capacity of blood.

 Decrease in vision and causes cardio vascular

disorders.

 Carbon dioxide (C02)- Fossil fuel combustion.

 Jet plane use O2 and release CO2.

Burning

Effects:
 Causes headache and nausea.

 Effect on climate, increase global temp.

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 Oxides of nitrogen – NOx group contains NO, NO2, N2O.

 Fuel combustion in automobiles and industries.

 Lightening.

 Forest fires.

 Natural ionizing radiations.

Effects:
 Reduce blood carrying capacity.

 Causes lung problems.

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 Oxides of sulphur – generally called SOx, include SO2,

SO3.
 67% SOx pollution due to volcanic activities and other
natural sources.
 Remaining due to fossil fuel burning, transportation.

 Industrial activities.

Effects:
 Respiratory problems

 Marbles, clothes, paper, leather also affected.

 Plants also heavily affected.

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 Hydrocarbons (HC) – these include methane, ethylene,

acetylene, terpenes etc.
 Sources include coal fields, natural fires.

 Incomplete combustion

 Forest fires

 Agricultural burning

Effects:
 Carcinogenic effect

 Form ozone and PAN which are harmful.

 Damage plants, rubber materials, fabric and paints.

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PARTICULATE MATERIALS

 Particles of different substances suspended in the

air

 In the form of solid particles and liquid droplets

 Particles vary widely in size

 Different particulate materials are aerosols, dust,

smoke, fumes, mist, fog, fly ash etc.

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 Fine particles come from a variety of sources:

-diesel trucks and buses
-construction equipment
-power plants
-woodstoves
-wildfires

 Also, Chemical reactions in the atmosphere can

transform gases into fine particles.

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Effects:
 Premature death

 Aggravated asthma

 Acute respiratory symptoms

 Chronic bronchitis

 Decreased lung function (shortness of breath)

 People with existing heart and lung disease, as well

as the elderly and children, are particularly at risk

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Human health
Animals
Vegetation
Environment

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EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION ON HUMAN

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 around 30-40% of cases of asthma and 20-30%

of all respiratory disease.
 effect our health in many ways with both short
term and long term effect.
 Short term effect are: irritation to nose, eye,
throat, bronchitis, headache etc.
 Long term affect are: lung disease, chronic
respiratory problem, damage to heart, brain,
eyes etc.
 Eye irritation due to NOx, O3, PAN, particulates.
 Nose and throat due to SO2, NOx etc.

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 Gaseous pollutants like H2S, SO2, NO2 and

hydrocarbons cause odor nuisance.
 Irritation of respiration tract caused by SOx, NOx,
CO, O3.
 Increase in mortality.

 High conc. of SO2, NO2 and SPM causes

bronchitis and asthma.
 CO and NO react with haemoglobin and reduce O2
carrying capacity of blood.
 Heavy metals like lead can cause poisoning. High
conc. cause damage to liver and kidney.

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FACTORS AFFECTING HUMAN HEALTH

 Nature of the pollutants

 Concentration of the pollutants

 Duration of exposure

 State of health of receptor

 Age group of the receptor

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EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION ON PLANT

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 Decrease yield in agriculture.

 Suppressed growth of vegetables.

 Leaf injury and damage to young plants.

 Decreased growth rate and increased death

rate.

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EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION ON MATERIALS

 Corrosion of metals due to SO2 in presence of oxygen

and moisture is converted into H2SO4 acid.
 H2SO4 acid react with limestone, marble and other
building materials to cause deterioration.
 Soiling and eroding of building materials.

 SO2, O3, H2S and aerosols damage protective coating

and paints of the surface.
 O3 and PAN causes cracking of rubber and various
electrical insulations.
 Deterioration of art work due to SPM.

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AIR POLLUTION CONTROL

 Cannot be fully prevented but can be
controlled.
1. Preventative measures
2. Control measures.

Preventative measures (source control)

 Selection of suitable fuel. (Low sulphur coal in power
plant, using of CNG)
 Modification in industrial process.

 Selection of suitable site and zoning for industrial unit.

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The government is trying to

 remove the use of leaded petrol, a major

cause of air pollution.

 the industrial acts are implemented to control

the harmful emission of gases.

 the natural management team work to

minimize the effect of various natural disaster
like forest fire, volcanic eruption that are
causes of air pollution.

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PREVENTATION BY LAWS

 Various laws has been established for the menace

of air pollution.
 Air (Prevention & control of pollution ) Act,1981.

 Air (Prevention & control of pollution ) Amendment

Act,1987.
 Motor vehicle Act, 1988.

 Air (Prevention & control of pollution) Union

Territories Rules, 1983.
 Environment Protection Act, 1986.

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Control measures

 When source control not possible some measures

taken to prevent pollution.
 Collecting pollutants by using equipments.

 Destroying the pollutants by thermal or catalytic

combustion.
 Changing the pollutants to less toxic form.

 By releasing the pollutants through tall chimneys for

greater dispersion.

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1. Control at source
2. Controlling devices and technology
 Particulate pollution control
 Gaseous pollution control

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1. Source relocation
2. Source shut down
3. Fuel or Energy substitution
4. Process changes
5. Good operating practices
6. Vehicular emission control

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AIR POLLUTION CONTROLLING

EQUIPMENTS

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Particulate matter is the sum of all solid and liquid particles

suspended in air, many of which are hazardous. This complex
mixture contains for instance dust, pollen, soot, smoke, and liquid
droplets.
Temperature and chemical composition of gases to be cleaned from
particulants before the selection of proper control device.
Information on the physical form of the suspended material, its
abrasive properties, size and shape, chemical composition and
electrical sensitivity is required for this selection.
There Five major groups of processes.
a) Settling chambers
b) Inertial separator or Cyclone
c) Electrostatic precipitator
d) Bag houses and filters
e) Wet scrubbers
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SETTLING
CHAMBERS
 A simplest device, collecting dust of size
>10µm.
 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. Because settling chambers are
effective in removing only larger
particles, they are used in conjunction
with a more efficient controldevice.
 The size, shape of particles and density
and viscosity are important parameters.

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 Gravitational settling chamber

 Used to remove particles with size greater than 50

μm.
 Velocity of flue gas reduced in large chamber.

 Particles settle under gravitational force.

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Advantages
 Low initial cost.

 Easy to design.

 Low pressure drop.

 Low maintenance cost.

 Dry and continuous disposal of solid particulates.

Disadvantages
 Require large space.

 Less collection efficiency.

 Only larger size particles can be collected.

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INERTIAL SEPERATOR
OR CYCLONE

This process is achieved by a sudden

change in the direction of gas flow.
The dust particle is spinning in a
circular path, it is subjected to an
outward force. As a result the
particles collect on the wall and fall
to the bottom of the vessel.

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Cyclone separator
Centrifugal force is utilized to

separate the particulate matter.

 It can remove 10 to 50 μm
particle size.
 Used mostly in industries.

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Advantages
 Low initial cost.

 Require less floor area.

 Simple construction and maintenance.

 Can handle large volume of gas at high temp.

Disadvantages
 Requires large head room.

 Less efficiency for smaller particles (<10μm).

 Sensitive to variable dust load and flow rate.

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ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS
 Passing the particle laden gases
between high voltage discharge
electrodes.
 Majority of particles get charged
and collected on ground
electrodes.
 At intervals both discharge and
collecting electrodes are rapped to
dislodge collected particles from
the electrodes, which then fall into
hoppers at the bottom of the
precipitator.
 Ele. Precipitator is efficient for the
particle size below 0.01µm, can
tolorate operating temperature as
high as 7000k.

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Electrostatic precipitators

 Works on the principle of electrical charging of

particulate Matter (-ve) and collecting it in a +ve
charged surface.

 99% efficiency.

 Can remove particle size range of 0.1 μm to 1 μm.

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Advantages
 High collection efficiency.

 Particles may be collected dry or wet.

 Can be operated at high temp. (300-450˚c).

 Maintenance is normal.

 Few moving parts.

Disadvantages
 High initial cost.

 Require high voltage.

 Collection efficiency reduce with time.

 Space requirement is more.

 Possible of explosion during collection of

combustible gases or particulates.

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BAG HOUSE AND FILTERS

This method is most often used type of
device, which is required to meet
any future standards limiting the
emission of respirable particles.
The collection efficiency is very high
and even for particle of 0.01µm
diameter .
The 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.

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Fabric filters
Flue gas is allowed to

pass through a woven

Fabric, which filters out
Particulate matter.
Small particles are

retained on the fabric.

 Remove particles up to 1 μm.
 Its efficiency up to 99%.

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Advantages
 Higher collection efficiency for smaller than

10 μm particle size.
 Performance decrease becomes visible, giving
prewarning.
 Normal power consumption.

Disadvantages
 High temp. gases need to be cooled.

 High maintenance and fabric replacement cost.

 Large size equipment.

 Fabric is liable to chemical attack.

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WET SCRUBBERS
Objective of scrubber is to
entrain the particulate matter
in liquid droplets. Water
subsequently flows from the
bottom of the scrubber, the
particulate is allowed to settle
and clarified water is re-
circulated.

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Scrubbers

 Particulate matters are incorporated into liquid droplets

and removed from the gas stream.
 Different types of scrubbers are-

- Spray tower
- Venturi scrubber
- Cyclone scrubber
 Flue gas made to push up against a down falling water
current.
 Particulate matter mix up with water thus falls down
and gets removed.

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Spray tower

Cyclone scrubber

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Advantages
 Simultaneously remove particulates and gaseous
pollutants.
 Hot gases can be cooled down.

 Corrosive gases can be recovered and neutralize.

Disadvantages
 Lot of waste waters produced.

 Poses freezing problem in cold countries.

 Maintenance cost is high when corrosive materials are

collected.

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The removal methods for gaseous pollutants

are designed to concentrate the pollutants in a
liquid (absorption) or a solid (adsorption).
Sometimes direct conversion of gaseous
pollutants is possible by combustion.
The central pollution (prevention and control)
board, has fixed standard for ambient air
quality under the Air Act, 1981 beyond which
an ambient air can be considered polluted in
a legal sense.

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Ambient Air
Ambient air is atmospheric air in its natural
state. It is what we breathe when the
atmosphere is not contaminated by
airborne pollutants. The composition
of ambient air varies depending on the
elevation above sea level as well as
human factors such as the level of
pollution.

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NAAQS

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AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDs

(concentration in µgm3)

Area Suspended SO2 CO NO2

category particulate
matter
Industrial 500 120 5000 120
and mixed
use
Residential 200 80 2000 50
and Rural
Sensitive 100 30 1000 30
area (tourist
resort, game
sanctuary)

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STANDARD FOR VEHICULAR EMISSION

Diesel driven vehicles: (Smoke density)

Vehicle at manufacturing stage 60 Hatridge Smoke Units (HSU)

Vehicle on road 70 HSU

Petrol driven vehicles: (Limits of CO in percentage

volume)
Category Vehicle on Vehicle at
road manufacturing
stage
2 or 3 wheeler 5.0 5.0
vehicles with
engine
displacement less
than 50cc

Other 2 or 3 4.5 5.5

wheelers
4 wheelers 4.0 3.5

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This processes is selected to remove gaseous

pollutants by dissolution into a liquid
solvent such as water or in a caustic or acid
solution. (most commonly water is used as
an absorbent).

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 As the gas stream passes through the

liquid, the liquid absorbs the gas.
Absorption is commonly used to recover
products or to purify gas streams that have
high concentrations of organic compounds.
Among several considerations in
absorption unit design, the most important
is the selection of a suitable liquid solvent,
determination of the limits of absorption
efficiency, selection of appropriate
equipment for liquid-gas contact and
capital cost of the unit.

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b) ADSORTION
Adsorption is a process where gases,
vapours or liquids are concentrated
on a solid surface as a result of
surface or chemical force (physical
adsorption and chemisorptions
respectively). The amount of
adsorbed substances depends directly on the internal
surface area of solid and the kinetics of the process.
The most important adsorbents in industrial use to-
days are Bauxite, activated carbon, activated alumina,
silica gel and molecular sieves.

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This method for the removal of VOCs

since they can be decompose to CO2 and
H2O.
The Direct and indirect or catalytic
methods are used.
The catalytic method is preferred when
low temperature of the process is
desired.

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The most commonly used catalysts

are the Cu, Ni, V and Zn compounds.
IF the concentrations of air
pollutants are high, a combination
of sorption methods and catalytic
reaction is used.

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• Air pollution is a major environmental issue. It can affect

the health and life support systems as well.
• Since clear air is an essential factor of life for respiration,
it is necessary to prevent the sources of air pollution.
• Due to air pollution destructive phenomena like acid rain,
global warming etc.
• Using appropriate controlling devices and processes, the
pollutants in the air can be removed.
• There are five processes for the removal of particulate
matters. Settling chambers, Cyclone, Electrostatic
precipitators, Bag houses and filters and Scrubbers.
• For gaseous matters, Absorption, adsorption and
combustion processes are used.

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References

 Water Supply, Twort, Ac Twist. F.M. Low and FW Crowley

 Environmental Engineering and management, Suresh K. Dhamejarg,
 Water Supply Engineering, S. K. Garg, Khana
 Water supply engineering, rangwala
 https://nptel.ac.in/
 https://www.slideshare.net/

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