AIR POLLUTION,

WATER POLLUTION
&
SLUDGE -
 CONTROL AND TREATMENT

Group Members
Rohan Kanhai (091242)
Saadat Pasha (091243)
Sandeep Panchal (091244)
Sanjog Rai (091245)
Satyakam Padhee (091246)
Varun Singh (091258)
Air Pollution
 Major primary pollutants :
 Sulphur oxides(SOx)- especially sulphur dioxide, is produced by
volcanoes and in various industrial processes which further oxidizes and
results in acid rain.

 Nitrogen oxides(NOx) - especially nitrogen dioxide are emitted from high

temperature combustion.

 Carbon monoxide- is a very poisonous gas. It is produced by incomplete

combustion of fuel such as natural gas, coal or wood.

 Carbon dioxide(CO2) – is a greenhouse gas emitted from sources such

as combustion, cement production, and respiration.

 Volatile Organic Compounds- They are the solvents and other compounds
that evaporate into the air and contribute to the formation of smog. Typical VOCs
include the solvents in paints, adhesives and inks. Gasoline is 100% VOC.
 Cont….
 Particulate Matter- Are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in
a gas.

 Toxic metals, such as lead, cadmium and copper.

 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) - harmful to the ozone layer emitted

from products such as perfume, AC and refrigerator.

 Ammonia (NH3) - emitted from agricultural processes.

 Radioactive pollutants - produced by nuclear explosions, war

explosives and natural processes such as the radioactive decay of
radon.
SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION
Anthropogenic sources (human activity)
 Power plants

 Mobile Sources

 Chemicals dust and controlled burn practices in agriculture and

forestry management.

 Fumes from paint, hair spray , varnish, aerosols sprays and other
solvents
 Waste deposition in landfills, which generate methane.

 Military, such as nuclear weapons, toxic gases, germ warfare and

rocketry.
 Cont….
Natural sources

 Dust from natural sources, usually large areas of land with little or
no vegetation.

 Methane , emitted by the digestion of food by animals, for example

cattle.

 Radon gas from radioactive decay within the Earth’s crust.

 Smoke and carbon monoxide from wildfires.

 Volcanic activity, which produce sulphur, chlorine and ash particles.

CONTROL AND PREVENTIONS
 The Clean Air Act is a representation of the governments role in air
pollution prevention. This act helps to regulate and enforce laws that seek
to eliminate or reduce the causes of air pollution.
 The Environmental Protection Agency also plays a large role in air pollution
prevention. The EPA is working hard to regulate the emissions of vehicles.

1. Afforestation

2. Car Pool

3. Vehicle Care

4. Public Transport

5. Alternative energy sources

 Cont..

6. Activated Carbon - This method sees the use of dry chemical

scrubbing media such as carbon filters for the adsorption of fumes from
the air.

7. Biofilters: Clearing the Air

Biofilteration is a method of pollution control in which process pollutants
are biologically degraded using microorganisms. Biofilters use living
materials to degrade pollutants when immobilized in the biofilm.

8. Driving Towards Cleaner Emission

Catalytic oxidizers are placed in the exhaust system of cars to reduce
emissions from the exhaust pipe.
9. Wet or Dry Scrubbers
 DSIs are mainly used in medical waste applications and involve
the injection of an alkaline into a gas stream. Dry scrubbers are
ideal for air pollution reduction applications in which the lowest
level of water involvement is vital.
 SPAs remove the presence of acid gases from the environment
through absorption in the dryer.

10. Electrostatic precipitators- An electrostatic precipitator (ESP), or

electrostatic air cleaner is a particulate collection device that
removes particles from a flowing gas (such as air) using the force
of an induced electrostatic charge.

11. Baghouses - designed to handle heavy dust loads, a dust

collector consists of a blower, dust filter, a filter-cleaning system,
and a dust receptacle or dust removal system
At Home
 Conserve energy - turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
 Recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans. (This
conserves energy and reduces production emissions.)
 Keep woodstoves and fireplaces well maintained. You should also consider
replacing old wood stoves.
 Plant deciduous trees in locations around your home to provide shade in
the summer, but to allow light in the winter.
 Buy green electricity-produced by low-or even zero-pollution facilities.
 Connect your outdoor lights to a timer or use solar lighting.
 Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot.
 Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120°F.
 Use low-VOC or water-based paints, stains, finishes, and paint strippers.
 Test your home for radon-a dangerous, radioactive gas that is odorless and
tasteless. If the test shows elevated levels of radon, the problem can be
fixed cost effectively.
 Choose not to smoke in your home, especially if you have children. If you
or your visitors must smoke, then smoke outside.
 WATER POLLUTION
Water pollution is an undesirable change in the state of water,
contaminated with harmful substances.

Sources of Water Pollution :

• Dumping of industrial wastes, containing heavy metals, harmful
chemicals, by-products, organic toxins and oils, into the nearby
source of water.
• Improper disposal of human and animal wastes..
• A number of pollutants, both harmful and poisonous, enter the
groundwater systems through rain water.
• The residue of agricultural practices, including fertilizers and
pesticides.
• Untreated pollutants are drained into the nearest water body, such
as stream, lake or harbor, causing water pollution.
 Pathogens, sediments and chemical pollutants are other sources of
water pollution.
 The corporeal wastes produced by humans and farmed organisms
pollute rivers, lakes, oceans and other surface waters. 
HARMFUL EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION 

• Affects animals and plants.

• Alter the acidity, conductivity and temperature of water.
• Marine life becomes deteriorated. Results in lethal killing
of fish and aquatic plants in rivers.
• Affects the heart, poor circulation of blood and the
nervous system.
• Carcinogenic pollutants might cause cancer.
• Alteration in the chromosomal makeup of the future
generation is foreseen.
• Reduce the availability of oxygen in the water.
Methods to Control Water Pollution
• Waste can be converted into wealth. E.g. The sludge from pulp and
paper industry may be used for manufacturing boards used in
packing.

• Waste water can be reused for industrial processes.

• Paper mills, sugar industries and distilleries that let out more
effluents can be used for irrigation or as fertilizers after proper
treatment.

• To reduce the quantity of effluents, the waste water that is less

polluted is used in rinsing.

• Apply the pesticide at the appropriate time.

Methods to Control Water Pollution

• Monitoring water pollution involves setting up laws

regarding dumping and other polluting activities.

• Trickling filters have been used to filter water for various

end uses for almost two centuries.

• For drinking water, biological water treatment involves

the use of naturally occurring micro-organisms in the
surface water to improve water quality.
 Sludge
 Sludge refers to the residual, semi-solid material left from
industrial wastewater, or sewage treatment processes.
 For eg: Sewage sludge which is produced from the treatment of
wastewater, consists of two basic forms — raw primary sludge
(basically faecal material) and secondary sludge (a living ‘culture’
of organisms that help remove contaminants from wastewater).
 Disposal of the treated waste is problematic.
 Transporting sludge from wastewater treatment plants to landfills,
and burying the sludge, are expensive, time-consuming
processes that often have negative environment impact.
 Sludge buried in landfills can release methane gas into the
atmosphere.
 Effluent released into rivers and oceans often contains high levels
of ammonia and other deleterious substances which can be
harmful to the environment.
Treatment of Sludge
1) Incineration method
Incineration is a disposal method in which solid
organic wastes are subjected to combustion so as
to convert them into residue and gaseous
products.
This process reduces the volumes of solid waste
to 20 to 30 percent of the original volume. It
convert waste materials into heat, gas, steam and
ash. It is a controversial method of waste
disposal, due to issues such as emission of
gaseous pollutants.
2) Sewage is subjected in sequence to primary and secondary
treatment to derive separately there from a primary sludge
formed of heavier solids and a secondary sludge formed of
relatively lighter solids. The primary sludge is concentrated
by filtering to form a comparatively dry filter cake, and the
secondary sludge is delivered into a flotation tank, together
with a pressurized solution of air and water, so that air
bubbles released incident to the reduction of pressure attach
to the agglomerated sludge particles and float them to the
surface of the body of liquid within the tank. The floating
blanket of sludge is removed from the tank and blended with
the filter cake to form a substantially homogeneous liquid
slurry which is then spray-dried and incinerated.
3) Anaerobic digestion to produce biogas – Anaerobic digestion is
a bacterial process that is carried out in the absence of oxygen.
Sludge is fermented in tanks at a temperature of 55°C.
Anaerobic digestion generates biogas.

4) Aerobic digestion - Aerobic digestion is a bacterial process

occurring in the presence of oxygen. Under aerobic conditions,
bacteria rapidly consume organic matter. Once there is a lack of
organic matter, bacteria die. Solids reduction occurs in this
phase. Because the aerobic digestion occurs much faster than
anaerobic digestion, the capital costs of aerobic digestion are
lower.

5) Pyrolysis of the sludge - to convert reduced complex organics

to oil. The oil is usually treated further to make a refined useful
light grade of oil, such as no. 2 diesel and no. 4 heating oil, and
then sold.
6) Composting is also an aerobic process that involves mixing
the wastewater solids with sources of carbon such as
sawdust, straw or wood chips. In the presence of oxygen,
bacteria digest both the wastewater solids and the added
carbon source.
Both anaerobic and aerobic digestion processes can result in
the destruction of disease-causing microorganisms and
parasites to a sufficient level to allow the resulting digested
solids to be safely applied to land and can be used for
agriculture as a fertilizer.
Thank You