Home sweet home . . .

1
Home sweet home . . .
2
Or is it????

3
Breathing!

• Some basics

4
What is in our atmosphere?

• Normal chemical composition of our atmosphere
• (N2) 78
• (O2) 21
• Trace gases (water, argon, carbon dioxide, other
  pollutants) 1

5
The air pollution flip chart for visual learners

• Draw and label the atmospheric layers in black or
  blue pen.

6
Primary pollutants come directly from a source

• Mobile sources

7
Mobile sources
8
Stationary Sources

• Power plants

9
Refineries
10
Secondary pollutants form in atmosphere as gases
react

• Smog, ground level ozone and acid rain

11
Add the sources to the three flip charts
12
We're ?

• . . . .for the number of days exceeding
  allowable ground level ozone levels.
• American Lung Association State of the Air

13
Measuring pollutants

• parts per thousand ppt
• parts per million ppm
• Parts per billion ppb
• Parts per trillion ppt (must know from
  context)

14
Clean Air Act

• Passed by Congress in 1970, updated in 1990, 93,
  97, 2008.
• Required EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to
  identify criteria pollutants and to establish
  minimum standards EPA came up with NAAQs

15
National Ambient Air Quality Standards

• Six criterion pollutants NOx, SOx, O3, Pb, CO,
  particulates
• Established minimum standards 1hr and 8 hr
• EPA is working to have greenhouse gases added by
  Congress to the NAAQs

16
Houstons special issues

• 1/3 of all US petrochemicals pass through our
  refineries
• Refineries separate crude oil into many different
  products from asphalt tar to gasoline to butane

17
Refineries create carcinogenic air pollutants
Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes
18
So what is being done about this? - City
monitoring
19
45 mobile monitoring stations
20
State monitoring

• Flexible permitting each facility has total cap
  emissions limit, but flexibility in how they meet
  that limit.
• TCEQ issues permits for emitting certain amount
  of pollutants
• Facilities do self reporting

21
Check your understanding!

• What is the difference between a primary and a
  secondary air pollutant?
• Give an example of a mobile source.
• Give an example of a stationary source.
• Which layer of the atmosphere are you in RIGHT
  NOW?!!!!
• What is the normal chemical composition of our
  atmosphere?