Air Pollution

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Air Pollution

• Causes, Effects, and Solutions

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Terms to be familiar with

• CAA Clean Air Act
• CO carbon monoxide
• NOx nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxides
• PM Particulate Matter
• SOx Sulfur dioxide and sulfur oxides
• VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds

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Our Atmospheric Composition
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Chemical and Transport Processes Related to
Atmospheric Composition. These processes link the
atmosphere with other components of the Earth
system, including the oceans, land, and
terrestrial and marine plants and animals.
Credit CCSP Strategic Plan (illustrated by P.
Rekacewicz).
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Air Pollution

• Air Pollution Control Act of 1955
• 1st federal air pollution law
• 1960s - Clean Air Act of 1963
• (Emissions standards set for stationary sources
  such as power plants and steel mills)
• 1970 The Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1970
• EPA was formed to enforce air pollution laws
  (change in national policy from advisor to
  enforcer) Six major air pollutant types
• 1990 The Clean Air Act of 1990
• Clean Air Act of 1970 is re-written and new
  titles established

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Six Common Air Pollutants

• Particulate Matter
• Carbon monoxide
• Nitrogen dioxide
• Lower Troposphere OZONE producing activities
• Sulfur dioxide
• Lead
• Source U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-
  March 2006

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Particulate Matter (PM)

• It is known as Particle Pollution and can range
  in sizes and effects on humans
• Particle sizes of 10 um (diameter) or smaller
  poses a greater health risk
• Course particles found near roadways and in
  mining and concrete industries are from 2.5 10
  um
• Fine particles found in smoke and haze can have
  diameters smaller than 2.5 um

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PM Health Effects

• Particle pollution - especially fine particles -
  contains microscopic solids or liquid droplets
  that are so small that they can get deep into the
  lungs and cause serious health problems. Numerous
  scientific studies have linked particle pollution
  exposure to a variety of problems, including
• increased respiratory symptoms, such as
  irritation of the airways, coughing, or
  difficulty breathing, for example
• decreased lung function
• aggravated asthma
• development of chronic bronchitis
• irregular heartbeat
• nonfatal heart attacks and
• premature death in people with heart or lung
  disease.

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Carbon monoxide (CO)

• CO is a colorless-odorless gas produced by the
  incomplete combustion of fossil fuels
• Motor vehicle exhaust contributes to 56 of the
  CO produced in the U.S.
• Over 20 comes from other engines, boats and
  equipment not on-road.
• It have adverse health affects
• Could be worse in the colder months due to more
  dense air masses

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CO Pollution
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CO Health Effects

• Cardiovascular Effects People with heart
  disease can feel effects from exposure to CO
  (chest pains and trouble breathing)
• Central Nervous System People who are exposed
  to high levels of CO can experience poor vision,
  reduced dexterity, and tiredness.
• High levels of CO are fatal

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Numbers of cases of carbon monoxide poisoning by
age group. ........ Data for 1996 and 1997 from
the Annual Report of the Am. Assoc. of Poison
Control Centers, Toxic Exposure Surveillance
System (published in the American J. Emergency
Medicine). Statistics reported to 67 reporting
centers for the two years. The total number of
poisonings in 1996 were 22,154, and in 1997,
20,930. For children less than age 6 the numbers
were 3,029 and 3,116 for children age 6-19 the
numbers were 3,814 and 3,530 and for adults (gt19
years), the numbers were 12,220 and 11,869.
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Nitrogen dioxide (NOx)

• Generic term for multiple combinations of
  nitrogen and oxygen
• Like CO, colorless and odorless
• NO2 can be seen as a brown-red gas
• Is mostly produced after combustion of fossil
  fuels at high temperatures
• Sources include motor vehicles, electric
  utilities, industry, and commercial and
  residential fossil fuel usages.

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Well Were Living Here in Allentown
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NOx is Alarming

• A key ingredient in the formation of ground level
  Ozone
• Contributes to the formation of acid rain
• Can contribute to nutrient load that affects
  water quality
• Contributes to atmospheric particles
• Reacts to form toxic chemicals
• Contributes to Global Warming (traps long wave
  radiation on Earth) which becomes Thermal
  Radiation.

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Los Angeles California the smog is the brown
layer in the picture Source http//www.city-data
.com/picfilesv/picv8898.php
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New York city picture This 1963 photo shows a
massive smog episode in New York City. (Photo
AP/Wide World Photo, EPA Journal Jan/Feb 1990.
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NOx Health Effects

• NOx and VOCs reacted with sunlight (UV) to form
  ground level Ozone
• Acid rain lowers pH on terrestrial and water
  bodies and affects many species
• Reacts with ammonia to form nitric acid which can
  cause respiratory distress and damage to lung
  tissue
• Can react with Ozone to produce mutagenic
  compounds. Examples of these chemicals include
  the nitrate radical, nitroarenes, and
  nitrosamines

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OZONE

• It is not usually emitted directly into the air,
  but at ground level is created by a chemical
  reaction between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and
  volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the presence
  of sunlight.
• Motor vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions,
  gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents as well as
  natural sources emit NOx and VOC
• Sunlight and hot weather cause ground-level ozone
  to form in harmful concentrations in the air.
• Studies show that Ozone can be carried away from
  cities into rural areas  

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Good
Good
Ozone is Bad Here
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Ozone
There are two forms of Ozone. The Ozone that
limits UV rays from reaching the Earth is in the
Stratosphere (10 30 miles above the Earths
surface. The Bad Ozone is in the lower
Troposphere.
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OZONE Health Effects

• Can irritate respiratory passageways
• Can cause wheezing, coughing, and breathing
  difficulties
• Permanent exposure can cause lung damage
• Chronic exposure can also cause asthma, reduces
  lung capacity, and bronchitis
• Plants too can become more susceptible to
  diseases
• Can reduce crop forest yields

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Ozone
Ground-level Ozone can be measured using remote
monitoring devices
Crops affected by ground-level ozone
Source Forsyth County Environmental Affairs
Department, 537 N. Spruce Street, Winston-Salem,
NC 27101-1362.
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Sulfur dioxide (SOx)

• These gases dissolve easily in water.
• Common in raw materials like coal, ore, and crude
  oil
• Processing and burning of raw materials emits SOx
  
• Over 65 of SO2 released to the air, or more than
  13 million tons per year, comes from electric
  utilities, especially those that burn coal. 
• Large ships and locomotives emit SOx too

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SOx emission
Source http//www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/so2/what1.
html
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Trends in Sulfur Dioxide Emissions Following
Implementation of Phase I of the Acid Rain
Program Total State-level Utility SO2 (1980,
1990, 1999) EPA Sourcehttp//www.epa.gov/airmark
ets/cmap/mapgallery/mg_so2_before_and_aft.html
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• Rank Facility County Tons
• 1..ILLINOIS POWER CO - BALDWIN POWER PLANT
  RANDOLPH, IL 245,243
• 2.TVA PARADISE MUHLENBERG, KY 181,066
• 3.HOMER CITY INDIANA, PA 163,462
• 4.KEYSTONE ARMSTRONG, PA 162,290
• 5.GIBSON GIBSON, IN 158,901
• 6.W H SAMMIS JEFFERSON, OH 150,782
• 7.TVA JOHNSONVILLE STEAM PLANT HUMPHREYS,
  TN 150,222
• 8.COLUMBUS SOUTHERN POWER-CONESVILLE COSHOCTON,
  OH 144,933
• 9.HATFIELD'S FERRY GREENE, PA 141,872
• 10.GA POWER CO BOWEN BARTOW, GA 140,154
• 11.KYGER CREEK GALLIA, OH 135,558
• 12.SIGECO-WARRICK PWR PLANT-ALCOA GENERATNG
  WARRICK, IN 119,656
• 13.EASTLAKE LAKE, OH 115,619
• 14.CARDINAL JEFFERSON, OH 115,001
• 15.MONTOUR MONTOUR, PA 113,787
• 16.TEXAS UTILITIES ELECTRIC COMPANY RUSK,
  TX 111,620
• 17.MONROE MONROE, MI 111,557
• 18.TVA KINGSTON STEAM PLANT KINGSTON ROANE,
  TN 109,194

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SOx Concerns

• SO2 and the pollutants formed from SO2, such as
  sulfate particles, can be transported over long
  distances and deposited far from the point of
  origin.  This means that problems with SO2 are
  not confined to areas where it is emitted.
• SO2contributes to the formation of acid rain,
  which
• -damages trees, crops, historic buildings,
  and monuments and
• -makes soils, lakes, and streams acidic.

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A steel factory in Homestead, Pennsylvania, 1907,
pictured on a stereopticon card.Library of
Congress, Prints and Photographs
Division,Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
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SOx Health Effects

• Respiratory Effects from Gaseous SO2 Peak levels
  of SO2 in the air can cause temporary breathing
  difficulty for people with asthma who are active
  outdoors.  Longer-term exposures to high levels
  of SO2 gas and particles cause respiratory
  illness and aggravate existing heart disease.
  Respiratory Effects from Sulfate Particles SO2
  reacts with other chemicals in the air to form
  tiny sulfate particles.  When these are breathed,
  they gather in the lungs and are associated with
  increased respiratory symptoms and disease,
  difficulty in breathing, and premature death.

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Normal Lung Aveoli (Left) versus Emphysema
(Right)
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SOx Environmental Impacts

• Acid Rain SO2  and nitrogen oxides react with
  other substances in the air to form acids, which
  fall to earth as rain, fog, snow, or dry
  particles. 
• Plant and Water Damage Acid rain damages
  forests and crops, changes the makeup of soil,
  and makes lakes and streams acidic and unsuitable
  for fish.  Exposure over a long time changes the
  natural variety of plants and animals in an
  ecosystem.
• Aesthetic Damage SO2 accelerates the decay of
  building materials and paints, including
  irreplaceable monuments, statues, and sculptures.

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Acadia, ME
Big Bend, TX
Bryce Canyon, UT
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Lead

• The major sources of lead emissions have
  historically been motor vehicles (such as cars
  and trucks) and industrial sources.
• These emissions have been phased out in the U.S.,
  but NOT globally
• The major sources TODAY are smelters, waste
  incinerators, utilities and lead-acid battery
  manufacturers.

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Notice the change in lead emission sources since
the banning of lead fuel use in the early 1980s
in the U.S.
Source http//www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/lead/what.
html
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Lead Concerns

• Particularly affects young children and infants
• Is still found at high levels in urban and
  industrial areas
• Deposits on soil and water and harms animals and
  fish
• In 1999, ten areas of the country did not meet
  the national health-based air quality standards
  for lead.

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Lead Health Effects

• Damages organs - Lead causes damage to the
  kidneys, liver, brain and nerves, and other
  organs.  Exposure to lead may also lead to
  osteoporosis (brittle bone disease) and
  reproductive disorders. 
• Affects the brain and nerves - Excessive exposure
  to lead causes seizures, mental retardation,
  behavioral disorders, memory problems, and mood
  changes. Low levels of lead damage the brain and
  nerves in fetuses and young children, resulting
  in learning deficits and lowered IQ

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Lead Environmental Effects

• Affects animals and plants - Wild and domestic
  animals can ingest lead while grazing.  They
  experience the same kind of effects as people who
  are exposed to lead.  Low concentrations of lead
  can slow down vegetation growth near industrial
  facilities. 
• Affects fish - Lead can enter water systems
  through runoff and from sewage and industrial
  waste streams. Elevated levels of lead in the
  water can cause reproductive damage in some
  aquatic life and cause blood and neurological
  changes in fish and other animals that live
  there.

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Air pollution types linked to fossil fuels

• Sulfur Dioxide SO2Particulate Matter Carbon
  Monoxide (CO) Nitrogen Dioxide NO2 Ozone O3
  Hydrocarbons Benzene 1,3-Butadiene Toxic
  Organic Micropollutants Lead Acid Rain

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Solutions to Industrial Emissions

• Wet Scrubbers
• Baghouse (Venturi) Filters
• Electrostatic Precipitators
• Cyclone Separators

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Wet Scrubbers

• The purge stream, which contains the particulate
  and sulfur oxides removed from the flue gas, may
  either be treated in the refinery's existing
  wastewater treatment system or may be treated in
  a dedicated PTU (Purge Treatment Unit).

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Cyclone Separators

• Cyclone dust collectors have been used as a
  pre-filter before a cartridge or baghouse
  collector, to weed out the larger, more abrasive
  dust particles that can easily damage standard
  media filters. 

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Baghouse filter

• "Baghouse" is an example of surface filtration
• "Filter" is a membrane (sheet steel, cloth, wine
  mesh, or filter paper) with holes smaller than
  the dimension of the particles to be retained.
• It is not the cloth/fabric that does the
  filtering, it is usually the cake on the filter
  that stops particles from flowing through

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Electrostatic Precipitators

• Electrostatic precipitators have collection
  efficiency of 99, but do not work well for
  flyash with a high electrical resistivity (as
  commonly results from combustion of low-sulfur
  coal). Flyash is a common emission from the
  burning of fossil fuels

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Indoor Pollutants

• Homes can have indoor pollutants
• - VOCs (emitted from dishwashers)
• - Radon gas is found in some homes from
  natural and human-caused emissions
  underground
• -Solvents (common) from paints, etc
• -Poorly maintained heating systems
• -Over-insulated homes can cause
  pollutants to be held indoors