Acid Rain

Definition
• The term acid rain refers to what scientists
call acid deposition. It is caused by
airborne acidic pollutants and has highly
destructive results.
 Who was discover?
• Scientists first discovered acid rain in
1852, when the English chemist Robert
Agnus invented the term. From then until
now, acid rain has been an issue of
intense debate among scientists and
policy makers.
 What is Acid Rain
• Formed when gases, such as CO2 and
SO2 react with the water in the
atmosphere
• The pH of Rain drops
– As low as pH of 2
– Very harmful to our living environment
• Acid rain, one of the most important
environmental problems of all, cannot be
seen. The invisible gases that cause acid
rain usually come from automobiles or
coal-burning power plants.
Acid rain Sources and effects
 Causes of Acid Rain
• Burning coal. Oil and natural gas
in power stations makes electricity,
giving off sulphur dioxide gas.
• Burning petrol and oil in vehicle
engines gives off nitrogen oxides
as gases.
• These gases mix with water
vapour and rainwater in the
atmosphere producing weak
solutions of sulphuric and nitric
acids – which fall as acid rain.
•
 Compression between Neutral
rain and Acid rain
• Natural Rain • Acid Rain
– Water reacts with – Water reacts with
CO2 in the air to SO2 to form sulfuric
form carbonic acid acid (H2SO4), a
(H2CO3), a weak strong acid
acid – Water reacts with
– pH = 5.6 NOx to form nitric
acid (HNO3), a
strong acid
– pH typically of 4.2-
4.7 but sometimes
as low as 2.3
 Acid deposition

Acid deposition is created by reactions in the

atmosphere, and can fall many miles from where
pollution originated..
 Acid deposition
It also eats away at statues and buildings.
Acid deposition
Impacts on Human Health,
Materials & the Economy
• Contributes to human respiratory
diseases
• Can leach toxic metals such as
Pb & Cu from water pipes into
drinking water
• Damages statues, buildings,
metals & car finishes – especially
limestone & marble
• Decreases atmospheric visibility
• Can lower profits & cause job
losses in fisheries, forests &
farms
 Enviro. Impacts
• Loss of fish populations

• Release of Al3+ attached to minerals in

nearby soil into lakes & this causes a
mucus formation on fish gills & they can
suffocate
Research carried out in North America in
1982, revealed that sulphur pollution killed
51,000 people and about 200,000 people
become ill as a result of the pollution.
Solutions to Acid Deposition