Air pollution and Control

Atmosphere: general introduction

Atmosphere: one of the components for Biosphere (sphere where ecosystem operates)
Meaning : Atmos (vapor) : It is a region consisting of layers of gases surrounding
a planet or any other celestial object

Atmosphere meets other parts of biosphere which are

Hydrosphere (meaning : water) and Lithosphere (meaning : rocky)

Biosphere Sphere of life

Atmosphere Lithosphere Hydrosphere

Atmosphere is being polluted with human activities that happen on earth.

So it is extremely important to be careful if we want to survive !!!
Atmosphere: different parts of atmosphere

1. Troposphere
2. Stratosphere
3. Mesosphere
4. Thermosphere/ Ionosphere
5. Magnetosphere/ Exosphere
Troposphere Lowest part of atmosphere and contains ~75 % of atmosphere’s
Tropos meaning change mass and 99 % of its water vapour and aerosols.

8-10 km at poles

12 km at moderate latitude

18 km at equatorial regions

Stratosphere
Tropopause
(region which separates the troposphere and stratosphere)
Troposphere
Troposphere
It is this sphere where most of the climatic change occurs, natural happenings like
rain, storms and thunder storms occur in this region.

All living beings live in troposphere. They are surrounded by an envelope of air, but
It has no color or odor.

Troposphere is filled with different gases

Composition (% by volume)

Nitrogen : 77.2 %
Oxygen : 20.6 %
Carbon dioxide : 0.04 %
Water vapour : Varies
Inert gases : 0.94 %
Other traces : 0.03 %
 Troposphere

Nitrogen : A colorless, tasteless and odorless gas which is diatomic.

Due to formation of three bonds among two atoms of nitrogen, it is highly stable.
But reacts at high temperature.

It is basic part of amino acids and proteins and therefore very important for plant and
animals..
Troposphere

Oxygen : A colorless, odorless and tasteless gas which is diatomic.

Troposphere

Carbon dioxide : A colorless with faint pungent smell gas.

O=C=O

Important substituent for the photosynthetic process…

Chlorophyll of plants

(carbohydrate)

CO2 is used up and carbohydrate is produced and O2 is released.

Troposphere

O=C=O In general, the net dipole moment is zero.

CO2 can absorb infra red radiation of the

solar spectrum keeping the earth warm.

Due to this specific molecular structure,

It can absorb IR radiations and is a
heat trapping green house gas.
 Troposphere

water vapors

The bond angle is 104.5 degree which has

deviated from classical tetrahedral structure
because of two pairs of electrons.

Water vapour in the upper atmosphere is mainly responsible for clouds and rain.

Inert gases

These are monoatomic gases with completely filled octet and generally
can not take part in chemical reaction.

Eg. of inert gases : Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon etc.

1. Troposphere
2. Stratosphere
3. Mesosphere
4. Thermosphere/ Ionosphere
5. Magnetosphere/ Exosphere
Stratosphere
The layer above tropopause is called Stratosphere.

The thickness of this layer is 50 km above the earth’s surface and it consists of a
rich layer of Ozone

The short wavelength (190 nm-380 nm) wavelengths are absorbed by ozone which
results in hating up of the air and therefore this layer acts as a shield from the UV
radiation

Within this layer, temperature increases as altitude increases the top of the
stratosphere has a temperature of about −2°C, just slightly below the freezing point
of water. The stratosphere is layered in temperature because O3 here absorbs high
energy UV energy waves from the Sun.
Stratosphere

UV rays
O2 O+O
Thus UV rays which is very harmful for skin, is
O2 + O O3 absorbed by the Stratosphere and does not reach
Ultraviolet rays The earth
2O3 3O2

Ozone is a pale blue gas, and has a strong odor, when inhaled it causes headache
and can be fatal in high doses.
1. Trophosphere
2. Stratosphere
3. Mesosphere
4. Thermosphere/ Ionosphere
5. Magnetosphere/ Exosphere
Mesosphere

This region is above the stratosphere and extends upto a height of 85 km above
earth’s surface. Concentration of ozone is very low and decreases rapidly with
increase in height. As a result there is decreased heating in this region and the
temperature falls upto -92 ⁰ C.

The dominant chemical species are oxygen and nitric oxide

Nitric oxide (NO) : It is a colorless gas.

.
¨ ¨
:N=O: :N=O:
.
- +

From the resonating structures we can understand that there is an odd electron
on N and hence this molecule is paramagnetic.

This sphere has the highest clouds, and this layer is also responsible for
reflecting all the sound waves from the earth. So beyond this layer, a valley of silence
prevails.
1. Trophosphere
2. Stratosphere
3. Mesosphere
4. Thermosphere/ Ionosphere
5. Magnetosphere/ Exosphere
 Thermosphere / Ionosphere
The thermosphere is the layer of the Earth’s atmosphere directly above the mesosphere
and directly below the exosphere. It extends up to 500 km above the earth surface.

Dominant species present: O2, NO, atomic O. They absorb UV, X-rays and gamma rays and
undergo ionization. The maximum temp is 1200 oC.

Upon ionization the gases exists as O2+, NO+, O+ and corresponding electrons and
therefore this band is known as ionosphere.

This region was important previously because this sphere reflected back short radio waves
back to the earth.

Aurora lights occur

in the thermosphere
 1. Troposphere
2. Stratosphere
3. Mesosphere
4. Thermosphere/ Ionosphere
5. Magnetosphere/ Exosphere

This region exists after ionosphere and extends upto 2000 km.
It has very high temperature and merges with airless black space.
This layer protects earth from ‘solar wind’ and cosmic radiation coming from sun and other
stars.
+
Overview
Air Pollution
What is a pollutant ?
Any substance living or non-living which is toxic at an undesirable limit is pollutant.

Atmosphere protects us from harmful radiations of sun.

CO2 absorbs IR radiations to keep earth warm.

Thus troposphere controls the weather conditions.

In the stratosphere, ozone layer protects us from harmful UV rays.

The problem occurs when

1.these layers are disturbed (Ozone layer depletion)
2. Or there are extremely high amounts of undesirable material present within the
atmosphere.
 Causes of air pollution
There are many sources of pollutants
1. Burning of fossil fuels (CO, CO2, SO2, Nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, particulate matter)
2. Fertilizer plants (NH3, Nitogen oxides, Hydrocarbons)
3. Chemical plants ( Cl2)
4. Steel plants (CO, CO2 SO2, F2, particulate matter)
5. Automobiles (CO, CO2 Nitrogen oxides, HC)

Secondary pollutants
Primary pollutants

In this case, the pollutants are not directly

Those which are directly emitted to the
atmosphere.
For eg. N oxides, C-oxides, S-oxides
which are produced when fuel is burnt.
emitted into the atmosphere, but are
formed by various physical or chemical
processes in the atmosphere.
For eg: Ozone which is formed through
various chemical reactions in troposphere.
PAN (Peroxyacyl nitrate)
Causes of air pollution

6 pollutants which is mainly contributing to air pollution are

Primary
1. Carbon monoxide (CO)
2. Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
3. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
4. Lead (Pb)
5. Particulate matter (PM)

Secondary
6. Ground level ozone (O3)
 Carbon Monoxide

C O Colorless, odorless and tasteless gas, but extremely poisonous.

The reason for its being poisonous is that it binds to the oxygen carrier haemoglobin
present in blood. When someone inhales CO, it diffuses into the blood stream and
binds to the active site (metal) of the protein.

In general oxygen is transported to various parts of the body by this carrier haemoglobin

O2 + Hb O2Hb (Oxyhaemoglobin)

But when CO is present in sufficient amounts, there is competition between the two gases
and CO forms a stable complex with Hb

CO + Hb COHb (Carboxyhaemoglobin)

Thus the metal site of Hb is blocked and the oxygen cannot bind.
 Oxides of Nitrogen
Nitric oxide (NO)
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
Nitrous oxide (N2O)
Dinitrogen trioxide (N2O3)
Dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5)
:N=O:. Oxidation
¨ state of N= +2
Sources
Burning fossil fuel
Nitrogen based fertilizer plants
Explosive industry
Manufacture of HNO3
Automobile exhaust
Aerial oxidation of nitrogen at high temp

Nitric oxide is a free radical which is important in chemical industry.

Generally it is responsible for acid rain and depletion of ozone layer along with
nitrogen dioxide
.
N Oxidation state of N= +4
O O

At a lower concentration of NO, it has no adverse effects, but it subsequently

oxidises to NO2 which is a toxic pollutant
Adverse effects of Nitrogen dioxide
NO and NO2 also react with volatile
• Respiratory irritation organic compounds (VOC) to produce
• Impairment of lung defense photochemical oxidants, which has
• Headache adverse effects on health.
• Bronchitis
• Loss of appetite
• Corrosion of teeth
• Leaf damage to sensitive plants

.
NO2 + OH (radical) Nitric acid (acid rain)

NO is also responsible for ozone layer depletion.

 Sulphur dioxide
..
S Oxidation states of S= +4
O O
Sulphur dioxide is a colorless poisonous gas. It has pungent and suffocating odor.
It has bent (V-shaped) structure.

Sources
Fossil fuels: Burning of fossil fuels like coal
That has maximum content of Sulphur (1-6 %) Burning fossil fuel
Thermal power plants
Fossil fuels give out sulphur dioxide and sulphur Fertilizer plants
trioxide Manufacture of Sulphuric acid
Steel plants
Oil refining
Smelting of sulphide ores
Volcanic eruptions
Sulphur dioxide
. . Photo-dissociation
SO2 + OH HOSO2 . of water produces
hydroxy radical (OH), which reacts with oxides
. .
HOSO2 + O2 SO3 + O2H of sulphur dioxide to produce sulphur trioxide

Thus it readily dissolves in water to form

SO3 + H2O H2SO4 Sulphuric acid , which is the principle cause
of acid rain.

This acid either deposit on particulate present in air or merge with water vapours
to form aerosols. These aerosols are 0.2 to 0.9 microns in size and easily penetrate
respiratory tracts and cause trouble.

Effects of sulphur dioxide on human health

- Increased breathing rate
- Suffocation
- Respiratory irritation
- Asthma and bronchitis
- Irritation of throat and eyes
Sulphur dioxide effects… Acid rain

Acid rain.. It decreases the pH of the soil and dissolves Aluminium which hamper
uptake of nutrients.

SO2 causes yellowing of paper, and reduces their mechanical strength.

SO2 erodes paints and causes organic fibers to weaken.

Acid rain also damages buildings, statues and monuments.

CaCO3 + H2SO4 CaSO4 + H2O + CO2

CaSO4 is slowly washed away leaving behind the eroded surface.

This is the thought to be the main cause for yellowing of Taj Mahal !!!
What are fossil fuels ???
General term for buried
deposits of decayed plants
and animals that have been
converted to Coal, Crude oil,
Natural gas, or heavy oils by
heat and pressure.
Particulate Matter (PM)

Tiny solid particles and liquid droplets are collectively called particulate matter.

In this case, the individual components aggregate to form molecular clusters

Size 0.005- 100 microns

-6
1 Micron = 10 metre

Classification of PM (on the basis of size and phase)

Most common are aerosols which are tiny particles dispersed in atmosphere

o Dust… Solid particles dispersed in air

o Fume… Solid or Liquid particles formed when vapour condenses
o Fog… Liquid dispersed in gaseous medium
o Smoke... Carbon resulting from incomplete combustion dispersed in air
o Smog... PM which originates from smoke and fog
Particulate Matter (PM) Sources and effects

Sources

• Volcanic eruptions, ashes, blown away by the wind

• Crushed powdered form of stones, rocks and minerals
• Combustion of leaded gasoline
• Polycyclic aromatics
• Bacteria, Virus and fungi (Living pollutants)

Effects

• Blocking of solar radiation

• Deposition on plants
• Respiratory disease/ neural disorders
 A heavy metal known as Plumbum (Pb)

Important ores of Pb are (PbS- Galena), (PbSO4-Anglesite), (PbCO3-cerusite)

Sources Mainly present as Pb inorganic particulates

• Automobile emissions due to burning of gasoline, containing anti-knock additive

containing tetra ethyl Pb (TEL)
• Burning of gas and oil
• Glass manufacturing
• Mining, Plumbing
• Metal smelters and plants
• Paints
• Water pipes made of Pb can get leached, further causing lead pollution

Effects
• Liver and kidney damage
• Mental retardation
• Abnormalities in fertility and pregnancy
Ground level Ozone

Although ozone acts as a protecting layer in the startosphere,

but it is a secondary pollutant in the troposphere.
When large concentrations of NO2
NO2 + hν NO + O exposed to atmosphere are photo-
dissociated, by photons, atomic oxygen
breaks from Nitrogen dioxide.

This atomic O further combines with

molecular O2 to form Ozone in presence of a third body (mainly N2)

O + O2 + N 2 O3 + N2

Ozone in itself is not very stable, but in presence of Nitrogen it does not dissociate
 Volatile Organic compounds

This class of compounds are unburnt hydrocarbons when solvents, fuels and
other organic evaporates…

The decomposition of organic wastes and garbage also produces hydrocarbons..

Motor vehicles exhaust and factories emit ethane, propane etc. and aromatic
hydrocarbons like benzene, toluene etc.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemicals that have a high vapour
pressure at ordinary room temperature. Their high vapour pressure results from a
low boiling point, which causes large numbers of molecules
to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and enter
the surrounding air. For example, formaldehyde, which evaporates from paint, has
a boiling point of only –19 °C (–2 °F)

Aromatic hydrocarbons are more toxic than aliphatic hydrocarbons (they reduce WBC
counts in the blood causing leukomia and are therefore carcinogenic)

CFC (Chlorofluorocarbons) are also important in terms of pollution.

They are responsible for ozone layer depletion.
 Toxic Chemicals

Carcinogenic…. Directly involved in causing Cancer

Neurotoxic… Alters the normal activity of the nervous system
Mutagenic… a physical or chemical agent that changes the genetic materials
Teratogenic … any agent that can disturb the development of fetus or embryo

Toxin
Poisonous substance developed in living organisms (plant or animal origin).

This cause
• Air Pollution (CO, NOx, CFC)
• Water Pollution (Industrial effluents and pesticides)
• Soil Pollutants (Pesticides, Insecticides)
• Food contaminants ( Mercury, Arsenic, Lead)
 Heat transfer

Radiation
Conduction
Convection
Heat transfer without
Heat transfer through a matter heating the medium
Heat transfer due to
motion of molecules
 The heat is transferred because of vibration of molecules
Conduction inducing vibration of neighbouring molecules and transferring
the energy

h
Heat transfer through the relay of this vibration

The heat is transferred because of heated particles which

moves from one point to another Convection
(mainly applicable for liquids and gases)

The heat is transferred from one place to another without

heating the intervening medium. For eg. the rays from Sun
heating up the earth. In case of heat radiation, it is transferred
in the form of electromagnetic waves.
Radiation
Black body

A perfect black body absorbs

All kinds heat radiations that fall on it…

It neither transmits nor reflects

Therefore, at room temperature, it would appear to be

perfectly black.

When heated, It emits all kinds of radiations of all wavelengths at that temp
The range of wavelength is independent of the material and is
dependent on the temperature only.
 Wien’s Displacement Law
Statement : The product of the wavelength corresponding to which max energy
is emitted and the absolute temperature of the black body is always constant.

Formula: λmax. T = b x

Interpretation: The energy is not uniformly distributed over the entire wavelength
The energy emitted is max for a particular wavelength λmax

So if T increases i.e if we heat a

substance more it goes from
red to blue (smaller wavelength).
 Stefan’s Law

Statement : The total amount of energy radiated per second per unit area is directly
proportional to the fourth power of absolute temp. of surface.

Formula: E α T4 σ = x
E = σ T4

Validity Condition : The body radiating heat energy is perfectly black body.
The body does not receive any heat energy from surroundings.

If a perfect black body at temp T is placed in an enclosed area at temp T1, the
heat energy per second per unit area is given by

E = σ( T4 - T14 )

e = radiation emissivity
In case it is not perfect black body, E = e σ( T4 - T14 ) of the surface