Environment Engineering & Pollution Control

Instructor: Mahesh Kumar

Topic: Air Pollution and their causes

1
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources
The presence in or introduction into the air of a substance which has harmful or
poisonous effects is known as Air Pollution. These sources can be classified into two
major categories which are

1: Anthropogenic sources
Anthropogenic effects, processes, objects, or materials are those that are derived from
human activities, as opposed to those occurring in natural environments without
human influences
i. Transportation sources:
This category includes most emissions produced from transportation
sources during the combustion process. The internal combustion
engines fueled by gasoline and diesel are the biggest sources in this
category. The other sources include trains, ships, lawnmowers, farm
tractors, planes, and construction machinery.

ii. Stationary Combustion Sources

In this category the sources only produce energy and the emission is a
result of fuel combustion. The sources include power plants as well as
home heating furnaces.
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources
iii. Industrial Processes:
The sources which emit pollutants during manufacturing of products
are included in this category. Petrochemical plants, petrochemical
refining, food and agriculture industries, chemical processing,
metallurgical and mineral product factories and wood processing
industries are the major sources of air emissions. The smaller sources
include dry- cleaning, painting and degreasing operations

iv. Solid Waste Disposal:

This category includes facilities that dispose off unwanted trash.
Refuse incineration and open burning are important sources

http://environment.alberta.ca/02237.html
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources
2: Natural Sources
 Windblown dust contributes to the concentration of fine particulate matter in the air.

 Forest fires and wildfires release carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides,
ammonia, and particulate matter. Any burning of vegetation (biomass) will release
these substances to the atmosphere, with amounts of each depending on the
biomass.

 Volcanic activity releases large quantities of carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and
particulate matter into the atmosphere.

 Vegetation and microbial activity affect air quality (biogenic emissions). Plants
produce a organic compounds (for growth and development) but (hydrogen
sulphide and volatile organic compounds including isoprene, toluene and beta-
pinene) can affect air quality. Soil microbial activity releases carbon dioxide,
methane and nitrogen oxides to the atmosphere.

 Carbon monoxide, methane and nitrogen oxides can undergo photochemical

reactions to produce ozone in the troposphere.
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources
Sources Typical Air Pollutants Released

Transportation sources Carbon monoxide ( CO ), lead ( Pb ), nitrogen oxides

( NOx ), ozone ( O3 )

Stationary sources Carbon monoxide ( CO ), lead ( Pb ), nitrogen oxides

( NOx), particulate matter, sulfur dioxide (SO2)

Industrial processes Carbon monoxide ( CO ), lead ( Pb ), nitrogen oxides

( NOx), particulate matter, sulfur dioxide (SO2)

Solid Waste Disposal Carbon monoxide ( CO )

Miscellaneous ( forest fires, Carbon monoxide ( CO ), nitrogen oxides ( NOx),

asphalt road paving, coal particulate matter, sulfur dioxide (SO2)
mining)
http://www.eng.utoledo.edu/~akumar/IAP1/introduction.htm
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources
Carbon mono oxide (CO)
1: Carbon monoxide. A gas that comes from the burning of fossil fuels, mostly in
cars and from combustion process. It cannot be seen or smelled. It is a product by
incomplete combustion of fuel such as natural gas, coal or wood

Source
 Carbon monoxide is released when engines burn fossil fuels. Emissions are
higher when engines are not tuned properly, and when fuel is not completely
burned. Cars emit a lot of the carbon monoxide found outdoors.
 Furnaces and heaters in the home can emit high concentrations of carbon
monoxide, too, if they are not properly maintained.
 As a consequence, emissions of carbon monoxide are primarily a function of
combustion conditions; inefficient combustion generally increases CO emissions.
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources
Carbon mono oxide (CO)
Environmental and Health Effects

 Carbon monoxide is a local air pollutant, with respiratory impacts, and

contributes indirectly to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations in the
atmosphere (as it oxidizes to CO2)
 Carbon monoxide makes it hard for body parts to get the oxygen they need to
run correctly.
 Exposure to carbon monoxide makes people feel dizzy and tired and gives
them headaches.
 In high concentrations it is fatal. Elderly people with heart disease are
hospitalized more often when they are exposed to higher amounts of carbon
monoxide.
Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources  NOx
2: Nitrogen Oxides  (NOx) consist of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide
(NO2) and are formed when nitrogen (N2) combines with oxygen (O2. ).They are among
the most frequently reported atmospheric emissions, and the most commonly regulated.

 All combustion in air produces oxides of nitrogen (NOx), of which NO2 is a

major product

 Their life spans in the atmosphere range from one to seven days for nitric
oxide and nitrogen dioxide.

 Nitric oxide has no color, odour, or taste and is non-toxic. In the air it is
rapidly oxidized to nitrogen dioxide.

 Nitrogen dioxide is a reddish-brown gas with a pungent, irritating odour. It

absorbs light and leads to the yellow-brown haze sometimes seen hanging
over cities. It is one of the important components of smog.
Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources  NOx
 They are produced from the reaction of nitrogen and oxygen gases in the air
during combustion, especially at high temperatures. Nitric oxide (NO) is
generally produced during high temperature combustion. It is photo-chemically
oxidized to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the atmosphere

 NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react in the presence of sunlight,
they form photochemical smog, a significant form of air pollution, especially in
the summer
Sources
 Nitrogen dioxide mostly comes from power plants and cars. Nitrogen dioxide is
formed in two ways—when nitrogen in the fuel is burned, or when nitrogen in
the air reacts with oxygen at very high temperatures.

 Nitrogen dioxide can also react in the atmosphere to form ozone, acid rain, and
particles.
Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources  NOx
Environmental Effects

 High levels of nitrogen dioxide exposure can give people coughs and can make
them feel short of breath. People who are exposed to nitrogen dioxide for a long
time have a higher chance of getting respiratory infections.

 Nitrogen dioxide reacts in the atmosphere to form acid rain, which can harm
plants and animals.

 Acid rain also causes buildings, and statues.

 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources SOx
3: Sulphur oxides (SOx)  SOx refers to all sulphur oxides, the two major ones
being sulphur dioxide (SO2) and sulphur trioxide (SO3).

 Sulphur dioxide is a colourless gas with a bitter, irritating odour and taste. It is
highly soluble in water forming weakly acidic sulphuric acid. SO2 is a very
corrosive gas that cannot be seen or smelled.

 When sulphur dioxide combines with the oxygen (O2) in the air some sulphur
trioxide is slowly formed. Sulphur trioxide rapidly combines with water to produce
sulphuric acid one of the major components of acid rain.

 The lifespan of sulphur oxides in the atmosphere is from 4 to 10 days.

 Energy related sulfur oxide emissions are generally proportional to the fraction of
sulfur in fuels such as coal and crude oil
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources SOx
Sources
 The main emission source of sulphur dioxide is the burning of fossil fuels.
Power stations, oil refineries and other large industrial plants contribute the
majority of the total mass released..

 Motor vehicles and domestic boilers, as well as natural sources such as active
volcanoes and forest fires, release sulphur dioxide

 Smaller sources of SO2 emissions include industrial processes such as

extracting metal from ore, and the burning of high sulfur containing fuels by
locomotives, large ships, and non-road equipment

Health and Environmental Effects

 High concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) can result in breathing problems with
asthmatic children and adults who are active outdoors. Short-term exposure has
been linked to , chest infections and shortness of breath.
Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources SOx
 Sulphur oxides combine with other substances in the air to produce a haze
that reduces visibility.

 Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are the major precursors of acid rain,
which has acidified soils, lakes and streams, accelerated corrosion of
buildings and monuments, and reduced visibility.

 Sulfur dioxide also is a major originator of fine particulate soot, which

poses a significant health threat.
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources  PM
4: Particulate Matter. Particle pollution (also called particulate matter or PM) is
the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air.

Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen
with the naked eye. Others are so small they can only be detected using an electron
microscope resulting from the burning of fuels by industry and diesel vehicles and from
earth-moving activities such as construction and mining.

o Primary PM is emitted at the emissions source in particle form, for example,

the smokestack of an electrical power plant

o Secondary PM formation results from a series of chemical and physical

reactions involving different gases, such as sulphur oxides and nitrogen
oxides, and ammonia reacting to form sulphate, nitrate and ammonium
particulate matter
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources  PM
The amount of particulate matter emitted during combustion is a function of the fuel
type, the amount of non-combustible fuel contaminants such as ash present in the fuel,
the firing conditions, and the level of pollution control equipment used.

Coarse Particles (PM10) Fine Particles (PM2.5)

What they are? Smoke, dirt and dust toxic organic compounds
from factories, farming,
and roads
Mold, spores, and pollen heavy metals

Sources Crushing and grinding  Driving automobiles

rocks and soil and then  burning plants (brush fires and forest
blown by wind fires or yard waste)
 smelting (purifying) and processing
metals
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources  PM
o The smaller particles are lighter and they stay in the air longer and travel farther.
PM10 (big) particles can stay in the air for minutes or hours while PM2.5 (small)
particles can stay in the air for days or weeks

o PM10 particles can travel as little as a hundred yards or as much as 30 miles.

PM2.5 particles go even farther; many hundreds of miles.

Sources
Particulate matter can be divided into two types coarse particles and fine particles.
 Fine" particles (less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, known in the jargon of air
pollution as "PM 2.5") result from motor vehicles, coal-burning electric power
plants, factories as well as from residential fireplaces and wood stoves

 Larger "coarse" particles come largely from windblown dust, vehicles traveling on
unpaved roads, and crushing and grinding operations.

 In other cases, gases such as sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides interact with other
compounds in the air to form fine particles. These tiny bits of soot can travel
hundreds of miles downwind of the original pollution sources.
Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources  PM
Effects
o The size of PM particles largely determines the extent of environmental and
health damage caused.

o Most of the developed countries is concerned about particles that are 10

micrometers in diameter or smaller because those are the particles that generally
pass through the throat and nose and enter the lungs.

o Both PM10 (big) and PM2.5 (small) particles can cause health problems;
specifically respiratory health (that's the lungs and airway). Because the PM2.5
travels deeper into the lungs AND because the PM2.5 is made up things that
are more toxic (like heavy metals and cancer causing organic compounds),
PM2.5 can have worse health effects than the bigger PM10

o Once inhaled, these particles can affect the heart and lungs and cause serious
health effects.

o Particulate soot is a major cause of reduced visibility in many parts of the

world. It also can cause damage to paints and building materials.
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources O3
5: Ozone.  A gas that can be found in two places. Near the ground (the
troposphere), it is a major part of smog. The harmful ozone in the lower atmosphere
should not be confused with the protective layer of ozone in the upper atmosphere
(stratosphere), which screens out harmful ultraviolet rays.

Ground level ozone is not emitted directly into the air, but is created by chemical
reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in
the presence of sunlight
Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources O3
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources O3
 Tropospheric ozone is formed most efficiently on hot, sunny days under stagnant
and humid air conditions. High humidity and high temperatures enhance the
formation of ozone

 Many urban areas tend to have high levels of "bad" ozone, but other areas are also
subject to high ozone levels as winds carry NOx emissions and ozone hundreds of
miles away from their original sources

 High winds tend to dilute ozone concentrations locally but they also transport
ozone to other locations, often causing high ozone concentrations in areas Low
wind speeds lead to the buildup of high local pollutant concentrations.

 Strong ventilation with high wind speeds prevents the local build-up near the
sources, but contributes to long-range transport and regional ozone particularly
during directionally persistent wind conditions

 The distance of O3 transport between the originator emissions and O3 removal is

in the range of 150 to 500 miles
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources
Weather and Seasons: warm sunny days mean more ozone.
 Since sunlight and heat are the engines that drive ozone formation, warm
sunny days should have more ozone than cool or cloudy days.
 Wind can also play a role. On windy days the wind can disperse the ozone,
causing levels to drop.
 Ozone pollution can be especially bad during summer heat waves when the air
does not mix very well and air pollution doesn't disperse.

Time of Day: ozone levels build during the day

 On a clear day, ozone levels can continue to rise all day long, and then
decrease rapidly after sunset. Since heat, sunlight, the ingredient gasses each
usually increase during the day, ozone formation also increases.

 When the sun goes down, there is no energy for ozone formation and fewer
ingredient gases - so ozone levels drop.

The highest ozone concentrations tend to occur in and around large urban areas that
generate the precursors necessary for ozone formation. However, rural areas can also
experience high ozone concentrations due to transport.
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources O3

Ozone concentrations vary over different scales of time. In urban areas where ozone is
generated, ozone concentrations tend to peak in the middle of the day and dip to their
lowest concentrations during the middle of the night. This type of cycle is called diurnal
Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources O3
 Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources O3
Sources
 Ozone is not created directly, but is formed when NOx and volatile organic
compounds mix in sunlight. That is why ozone is mostly found in the summer.

 Nitrogen oxides come from burning gasoline, coal, or other fossil fuels. There
are many types of volatile organic compounds, and they come from sources
ranging from factories to trees.

 Anthropogenic sources of VOCs include transportation, chemical plants, and

refineries
Effects
 Ozone near the ground can cause a number of health problems. Ozone can lead
to more frequent asthma attacks in people who have asthma and can cause sore
throats, coughs, and breathing difficulty. It may even lead to premature death.
Ozone can also hurt plants and crops

 During the summer months high temperatures and bright sunshine lead to
increased ozone formation. Second, people may spend more time outside
engaged in physical activities.
Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources Lead
6: Lead. A blue-gray metal that is very toxic and is found in a number of forms and
locations. It is a pollutant of major concern due to both the amount of lead emitted and
to its effects on human health.

 Lead is found in widely varying concentrations in solid and unrefined liquid fuels
such as coal and crude oil--as well as in the heavier refined oil products such as
residual oil and is emitted, often associated with particulate matter, when theses
fuels are burned.

 The most important source of lead emissions from the energy sector, however, is
the lead that is used as an "anti-knock" additive in gasoline.

 Once emitted, lead may remain and be transported in the atmosphere in

association with fine particulate matter, or may settle fairly near where it was
emitted (such as a roadway)
Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources Lead
Sources
o In the past, motor vehicles were the biggest source of lead. But since leaded
gasoline has been phased out, lead emissions have decreased by about 98 percent.

o Today, metal processing is the biggest source of atmospheric lead. Paints, smelters,
chemical and pesticide industries, petrochemicals are the largest sources

 Outdoors, lead comes from cars in areas where unleaded gasoline is not used.
Lead can also come from power plants and other industrial sources.

 Indoors, lead paint is an important source of lead, especially in houses where

paint is peeling. Lead in old pipes can also be a source of lead in drinking water.
Effects
 High amounts of lead can be dangerous for small children and can lead to
lower IQs and kidney problems.
 For adults, exposure to lead can increase the chance of having heart
attacks or strokes.
 Lead can also be deposited on leaves of plants, presenting a hazard to
grazing animals.
Common Air Pollutants and Their Sources
 Air Quality Index (AQI)
 The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells how clean or polluted the
air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern.

 The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience within a few hours or days
after breathing polluted air. Generally AQI is calculated for five major air
pollutants regulated

o Ground-level ozone, particle pollution (also known as particulate

matter), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide

 Ground-level ozone and airborne particles are the two pollutants that pose the
greatest threat to human health.

 Different countries have their own air quality indices which are not all consistent.
Different countries also use different names for their indices such as Air Quality
Health Index, Air Pollution Index and Pollutant Standards Index
 Air Quality Index (AQI)
Good" AQI is 0 - 50. Air quality is
considered satisfactory, and air pollution
poses little or no risk.

Moderate" AQI is 51 - 100. Air quality is

acceptable; however, for some pollutants
there may be a moderate health concern
for a very small number of people. For
example, people who are unusually
sensitive to ozone may experience
respiratory symptoms.

Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" AQI is 101 - 150. Although general public is not likely to be
affected at this AQI range, people with lung disease, older adults and children are at a greater risk
from exposure to ozone, whereas persons with heart and lung disease, older adults and children
are at greater risk from the presence of particles in the air
o To convert an air pollutant concentration to an AQI, EPA has developed a calculator
o If multiple pollutants are measured at a monitoring site, then the largest or
"dominant" AQI value is reported for the location.
 Air Quality Index (AQI)
"Unhealthy" AQI is 151 - 200. Everyone may begin to experience some adverse
health effects, and members of the sensitive groups may experience more
serious effects.

Very Unhealthy" AQI is 201 - 300. This would trigger a health alert signifying
that everyone may experience more serious health effects.

“Dangerous" AQI greater than 300. This would trigger a health warnings of
emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.