Chemists View of Acid Rain

1
A Chemists View of Acid Rain
2
Where Was Acid Rain First Discovered

• Acid rain was first reported in Manchester, which
  was a major industrial city in England during the
  Industrial Revolution. In 1852, Angus Smith
  analyzed the chemical components of rainfall in
  factory zones, and identified the relationship
  between atmospheric pollution and acid rain. It
  was around this time, too, that the term acid
  rain began to be used

3
When Did it Start?

• Even though acid rain was first discovered in
  1852, it probably originated during the 1730s at
  the height of the Industrial Revolution

4
Is Acid Rain a World Wide Phenomena?

• At the present time, the problem of acid rain in
  Europe and North America is no longer a local or
  even a regional problem it has become a truly
  grave, wide ranging environmental problem. The
  polluting substances that cause acid rain affect
  not only the areas near the pollutants' source,
  but also move thousands of kilometers on
  high-altitude air currents.

5
World Wide Phenomena Continued

• It has been clearly established that these
  pollutants cross national boundary lines and
  pollute very wide areas. Until recently, tall
  smokestacks were built in large cities as an
  anti-pollution measure, but it was found that
  tall smokestacks actually help to push smoke with
  pollutants to the upper atmosphere and contribute
  to the spread of pollutants to locations far from
  the pollutants' source. This border crossing,
  wide area pollution created international
  problems.

6
Is Acid Rain Getting Worse?

• The damage created by acid rain in Europe and
  North America is truly grave. It is reported that
  in many European countries about one half of the
  total area of forests has been damaged. In
  particular, in Germany's "Black Forest" or

7
European Acid Rain Forest Loss

• "Schwarzwald," more than 50 of the forest has
  been severely damaged by acid rain. Many trees
  have dried out and died already, while many
  others have discolored leaves. Even tree planting
  has failed to halt this destruction, since the
  soil is already acidic.

8
What gases cause acid precipitation?

• Acid rain is caused by
• Carbon Dioxide from air
• Sulfur Dioxide from volcanoes
• Sulfur and Nitrogen Oxides reacting with water,
  oxygen, and other chemicals in the air, that
  produce diluted sulfuric and nitric acids.

9
Sulfur Dioxide

• Fossil Fuels Containing Small Impurities of
  Sulfur Burn to Form Sulfur Dioxide.

10
Nitrogen Oxides

• Nitrogen in the air burns when
• temperatures are high enough, such as in motor
  vehicle engines and power station furnaces.

11
Carbon Dioxide

• Fuels containing carbon burn to form carbon
  dioxide

12
Carbon DioxideandSulfur Dioxide

• Form naturally in gases from volcanoes

13
What are the chemical reactions that produce
these harmful gases?

• S O2 SOx
• N2 O2 NOx

14
What are the chemical reactions that make rain
and snow acidic?

• CO2 H2O H2CO3
• NOx H2O HNO3
• SOx H20 H2SO4

15
pH Scale

• pH Scale measures how acidic or basic a solution
  is.
• Less than 7 to 0 is an Acid
• 7 neutral
• Greater than 7 to 14 is an Base

16
Acid Rain

• Pure Rain Fall is 5.6 pH when interacting with
  naturally produced components.
• Colorado ranges from 4.7pH to 5.6 pH
• Fort Collins - 5.0 pH

17
Is the pH of precipitation different in different
places?

• Yes. The pH level of precipitation varies
  depending on the air quality of the area. The
  air in an urban area would be very polluted and
  therefore it would have an acidic pH level of
  precipitation (a level of 1 to 6). The opposite
  is true for a rural area, where the air would be
  very clean and tend to have a basic pH level of
  precipitation (a level of 8 to 14). For
  instance, Denvers precipitation would have a
  much more acidic pH level than Durangos.

18
Where is pH of precipitation the worst?

• The pH level of precipitation differs from one
  place to another. It is better in some places
  than it is in others. The places with the worst
  pH levels of precipitation are Eastern North
  America, Northwestern/Central Europe, and Asia.
  All of these places have economies that are based
  on manufacturing, which ultimately pollutes the
  air and causes acid rain.

19
What is pH of precipitation like in Colorado?

• The average annual pH level of precipitation at
  the Colorado Plateau is usually between 4.9 and
  5.5 (slightly acidic). These numbers are about
  the same for everywhere in the state. However,
  the average pH level of precipitation (for
  anywhere on the planet) is about 5.6, so the
  people of Colorado have nothing to be worried
  about.

20
What are some ways of reducing pollutant gases at
the source?

• Some ways that the average person could eliminate
  pollutant gases are
• increase the efficiency of fuel and electricity
  used
• reduce use of motor vehicles
• -- Some ways that businesses (factories) could
  eliminate pollutant gases at the source are

21
Reducing Pollutant Gases Continued

• add molecular traps to paperboards used in the
  storage and display of collection materials
• use fuels with reduced sulfur content,
  principally coals and oils
• forbid the burning of rubbish and wood
• wash flue gases, which would remove particles and
  then discharge them at a great height
• eliminate the lead content of petrol
• substitute alcohols or liquefied gases for motor
  fuels

22
Bibliography

• Author unknown. Elimination of the sources of
  pollution. Anti-pollution strategies for
  archives. http//www.unesco.org/webworld/ ramp
  /html/r8818e/r8818e06.htm (24 Apr 03)
• Rempel, Sigfried. Zeolite Molecular Traps And
  Their Use In Preventative Conservation.
  Conclusion. http//www.nielsen- bainbridge.co
  m/Artcare/Conservator/IIIA-Zeolites/IIIA2a-Rempel/
  IIIA2a-Rempel- 5conclusion.htm5-1Conc (24
  Apr 03)
• Author unknown. Reducing Greenhouse Gases And
  Air Pollution A Menu of Harmonized Options.
  Sources and associated harmonized strategies.
  http//www.oecd.org/pdf/M0000700000007498.pdf
  (24 Apr 03)
• Author unknown. What is acid rain?
  http//www.madison.k12.wi.us/stugeon/what.ht
  m (29 Apr 03)
• Author unknown. Sites in Colorado (pH units).
  http//water.usgs.gov/nwc/NWC/pH/html/CO.htm
  l (29 Apr 03)

23
Bibliography

• Unknown Author, History of Acid Rain As a
  Pollution Problem. http//www.virtualglobe/en/inf
  o/env/03/acid06.html (28 Apr. 2003)
•  
• Unknown Author, The Acid Rain Report.
  http//www.angelfire.com/ks3/acidrainreport/acid.h
  tml (28 Apr. 2003)
• Unknown Author, Acid Rain Around the
  World.www.nysfola.org (21Apr. 2003)
• Unknown Author, What is Acid Rain?.
  www.itrmexico.com (21 Apr. 2003)
• Ryan Phillips, Death From the Sky.
  www.old.jccc.net (23 Apr. 2003)
• Phamornsumwana, Sarn. CAUSES, EFFECTS,
• AND SOLUTIONS OF ACID RAIN.
• http//www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/9111/
  DOC.HTML
• (28 Apr. 2003)