5 Pollution

5- POLLUTION

5- POLLUTIONClimatic Change. ITESM Campus SaltilloM Sc. Flavio Orta-Davila

PollutionPollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light. Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollution is often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution.

The Blacksmith Institute issues an annual list of the world's worst polluted places. In the 2007 issues the ten top nominees are located in Azerbaijan, China, India, Peru, Russia, Ukraine and Zambia.

Types of Sources:

Point source - single, identifiable source e.g. smokestack, drainpipe etc Non-point source - dispersed source, e.g. runoff from pesticides, fertilizers

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Non-point sources

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Point source

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Pollution Environmental Pollution thus includes any discharge of material or energy into water, land, or air that causes or may cause acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) detriment to the Earth's ecological balance or that lowers the quality of life.

Pollutants cause primary damage, with direct identifiable impact on the environment, and/or secondary damage in the form of minor perturbations in the delicate balance of the biological food web that are detectable only over long time periods.

Pollution can be seen as well asAn undesirable change in physical, chemical or biological characteristics of air, water and soil that harmfully affect human, animals, plants, industrial progress, economical condition and cultural assets .

Ancient cultures to Industrial Revolution

Air pollution has always accompanied civilizations. According to a 1983 article in the journal Science, "soot found on ceilings of prehistoric caves provides ample evidence of the high levels of pollution associated with inadequate ventilation of open fires.It was the industrial revolution that gave birth to Environmental Pollution as we know it today. The emergence of great factories and consumption of immense quantities of coal and other fossil fuels gave rise to unprecedented air pollution

Sources of Pollution= Natural + Man Made

POLLUTION

Others TransportBiomedicalIndustryDomestic & MunicipalMiningAgricultureNatural

Sources

Liquid-acids ,bases, etcGaseous-Nox , COx,Sox,etc Solid-dust ,HC , etc Types of Pollutants

Types of Pollutants.First Classification

Types of Pollutants Secondary Primary Types of Pollutants.Second Classification

Chemical Biological Physical Types of Pollutants

Types of Pollutants.Third Classification (V gr. Air)

Modern awareness

Pollution became a popular issue after World War II, due to radioactive fallout from atomic warfare and testing. Then a non-nuclear event, The Great Smog of 1952 in London, killed at least 4,000 people. This prompted some of the first major modern environmental legislation, The Clean Air Act of 1956.Pollution began to draw major public attention in the United States between the mid-1950s and early 1970s, when Congress passed the Noise Control Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.

Types of pollution

1.Air pollution2.Water pollution3.Noise pollution4. Soil pollution5. Water pollution

The Paul Ehrlich Equation. A quick approach towards impact estimations.I = P * A * T = Eye PATImpact =Population xAffluence x Technology. where:I is the impact on the environment resulting from consumptionP is the population numberA is the consumption per capita (affluence)T is the technology factor Preventing I to increase due to growing consumption (P*A) requires the technology factor T to be reduced (V gr, eco-efficiency).

16Per capita consumption refers to the average consumption per person within a population. While this information can be helpful for determining how much a population consumes, it does not account for consumption disparities between individualshttp://www.ecoglobe.org/population/agerley/ipat.html

AIR POLLUTIONExcessive discharge of undesirable foreign substances into the atmospheric air thereby adversely affecting the quality of air and causing damage to human, plants and animal lives.

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Air PollutantsParticulates Dust, Smoke, Fly AshCarbon monoxide (CO)Carbon dioxide (CO2)Ammonia (NH3)Sulphur dioxide (SO2)Nitrogen Oxides (NxOy)Hydrogen CyanideHydrogen SulphideHydrogen fluorideChlorinePhosgeneAsbestosAldehydesRadiationsHydrocarbons (VOCs, volatile organic compounds)

Classification of Air PollutantsPrimary Air PollutantsThe poisonous gases and undesirable chemicals which cause air pollution.Carbon particles from unburned fuel, Ammonia (NH3), Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Hydrocarbons, Oxides of nitrogen, Oxides of carbon, Lead.

Secondary Air PollutantsDerived from Primary Air PollutantsIn bright sunlight nitrogen, nitrogen oxides, oxygen and hydrocarbons photochemical reaction powerful oxidants Ozone, Aldehydes, Sulphuric acid, Peroxy acetyl nitrate (PAN), Peroxides, etc.They form photochemical Smog

Types of Air Pollution: A clear image

Primary air pollutants: harmful chemicals that enter directly into the atmosphere.

Secondary air pollutants: harmful chemicals that form from other substances in the atmosphere.

Sources of Air PollutionNaturalNatural contaminants (fungi, spores, cysts, bacteria, methane, dust, etc.)Carbon monoxide from Methane GasVolcanic EruptionsForest firesElectric storms and Solar flaresSalt spray from oceansDust stormsMan Made (Anthropogenic)Rapid industrializationAutomobile RevolutionDeforestation

Sources of air pollutionMan made sources1.Burning of fossil fuels2.Automobiles 3.Steel plants4.fertilizer industries 5.Thermal power plant6.Textile industries7.Chemical and pesticides plantsNatural sourcesA.Forest fireB.Bio pollutionsC.Volcanic eruption

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.A.B.

C.

Classification of PollutantsGasesOxides of SulphurOxides of NitrogenOxides of CarbonCarbon dioxideOzoneHydrogen SulphideChlorofluoro CarbonsHydrogen fluorideHydrocarbonsPhotochemical oxidantsAerosolsParticulatesDustSmokeFogSmogLondon SmogLos Angels SmogFly AshSootFumesNatural Particulates

Effect of Air PollutionOn Human HealthIrritate respiratory tractIrritate eyes, nose and throatLead particles cause Lead PoisoningCadmium particles Cardio vascular disease, Kidney and Liver damageNickel particles respiratory damageMercury Central nervous system, kidney and brainRadioactive substances affect future generations

Effect of Air Pollution Contd...On AnimalsFeeding particulate coated plants (fluorine, lead, arsenic) Arsenic PoisoningLead Poisoning Bronchitis, Lack of appetite in pet animals

Effect of Air Pollution Contd...On PlantsSpraying Pesticides, Organic manure and agricultural applications affect growth of plants Destroy chlorophyll formation disturb photosynthesisSO2 decreases chlorophyll content causes ChlorosisNO2 permanent leaf fallOzone Necrosis - dead area on leaf damages the leaves

Effect of Air Pollution Contd...On MaterialsCorrosionAbrasionDepositionChemical attack on surface

Acid Rain

Effect of Air Pollution Contd...On ClimateIncrease in CO2 increase temperature of atmosphere ice and polar glaciers melt flooding of coastal towns change rainfall pattern agricultural output changesDepletion of Ozone layer increase penetration of harmful UV rays on earth skin diseases, sunburns, inactivation of RNA, DNA and protein molecules

Control of Air PollutionPlanting more treesReducing vehicle exhaustsUsing less polluting fuelsUsing mass transportRemoval of particulate matter using electrostatic precipitator, cyclone filter, etc.Industrial area should be cited far away from residential area.Suitable chemical methods applied to remove hydrocarbonsMulti stage combustion process suggested to remove oxides of nitrogen

Control of Air Pollution Contd...Activated carbon, charcoal, commercial zeolite and pulverized lime stones (CaO3)can be used to remove polluting gases by absorption methodsUse of tall chimneys reduce concentration of air pollutants at ground level

Cyclone Collector

Cottrell Electrostatic Precipitator

Types of Smog

Industrial smog = the gray air in industrial cities in cold winter areas, caused from burning fossil fuel.

Industrial smog is in the forms of dust, smoke, soot, ashes, asbestos, oil, lead, heavy metals, and sulfur oxides.

In 1952, industrial smog held in place by a thermal inversion caused the 4,000 deaths in London.

Types of Smog

Photochemical smog = brown and smelly, found in large cities in warm climates.

Most are the result of gases from auto exhaust.

This is the type of smog that hangs over Los Angeles or Houston and causes air quality warnings many days each year.

Photochemical Smog

Industrial Smog

Mexico City Smog

Examples of Catastrophic Air Pollution1911 in London - 1150 died from the effects of coal smoke. Author of the report coined the word smog for the mix of smoke and fog that hung over London.

1952 in London - 4000 died from smog.

1948 in Donora, Penn. Town of 14,000 people - 20 died and 6000 were ill from smog from the community's steel mill, zinc smelter,and sulfuric acid plant.

1963 in New York City - 300 people died from air pollution.

London Smog 1952

Temperature InversionA temperature inversion is when a layer of warmer air covers the colder air at ground level.It forms when the ground level air is kept cold by the cold ground.

Then a warm air mass comes from another area and covers the cold air.

The inversion acts like a lid over the cold ground level air

How it Happens

Smoke STOPS rising.

Contribution of Climate - Inversion Layers

Contribution of Climate - Inversion Layers

All Over Town

The Air Gets Dirty!

Really Dirty!

This is how Temperature Inversion looks:

WATER POLLUTIONWATER POLLUTIONWater pollution is the introduction into fresh or ocean waters of chemical, physical, or biological material that degrades the quality of the water and affects the organisms living in it. Water pollution, by the discharge of wastewater from commercial and industrial waste (intentionally or through spills) into surface waters; discharges of untreated domestic sewage, and chemical contaminants, such as chlorine, from treated sewage; release of waste and contaminants into surface runoff flowing to surface waters (including urban runoff and agricultural runoff, which may contain chemical fertilizers and pesticides); waste disposal and leaching into groundwater; eutrophication and littering.

SOLID POLLUTIONSolid Waste Mostly, municipal wastes alone--that is, the solid wastes sent by households, business, and municipalities to local landfills and other waste-disposal facilities.Approximately, each person generates 18 k of solid waste per week. Additional solid wastes accumulate from mining, industrial production, and agriculture as well. Among the most significant soil contaminants are hydrocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbons.Radioactive , resulting from 20th century activities in atomic physics, such as nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons research, manufacture and deployment. (See alpha emitters and actinides in the environment)

TYPES OF POLLUTIONTHERMAL POLLUTIONThermal pollution is the discharge of waste heat via energy dissipation into cooling water and subsequently into nearby waterways. (V gr Thermoelectric & Power Plants). LAND POLLUTIONOr degradation of the Earth's land surface through misuse of the soil by poor agricultural practices, mineral exploitation, industrial waste dumping, and indiscriminate disposal of urban wastes. (V gr Maize Mono-cultivation in MX during the 60s-70s)

TYPES OF POLLUTIONPESTICIDE POLLUTIONOrganic and inorganic artificial chemicals used to control undesirable life forms such as bacteria, pests, worms and foraging insects. Their effectiveness, however, has caused considerable damage to humans. (V gr 5-bromouracyl, Chlordane)RADIATION POLLUTIONAny form of ionizing or non-ionizing radiation that results from human activities. The most well-known radiation results from the detonation of nuclear devices and the controlled release of energy by nuclear-power generating plants (see nuclear energy). (V gr mobile phones, radio waves, TV, electricity appliances)

TYPES OF POLLUTION. NoiseNOISE POLLUTION has a relatively recent origin. It is a composite of sounds generated by human activities ranging from blasting stereo systems to the roar of supersonic transport jets. Although the frequency (pitch) of noise may be of major importance, most noise sources are measured in terms of intensity, or strength of the sound field (in dB).

The major forms of pollution are listed belowLight pollution:- includes light trespass, over-illumination and astronomical interference.Littering:- the criminal throwing of inappropriate man-made objects, unremoved, onto public and private properties.Noise pollution:- which encompasses roadway noise, aircraft noise, industrial noise as well as high-intensity sonar.Visual pollution, which can refer to the presence of overhead power lines, motorway billboards, scarred landforms (as from strip mining), open storage of trash, municipal solid waste or space debris.

Overview China, United States, Russia, Mexico, and Japan are the world leaders in air pollution emissions. Principal stationary pollution sources include chemical plants, coal-fired power plants, oil refineries, petrochemical plants, nuclear waste disposal activity, incinerators, large livestock farms (dairy cows, pigs, poultry, etc.), PVC factories, metals production factories, plastics factories, and other heavy industry. Agricultural air pollution comes from contemporary .

OverviewAbout 400 million metric tons of hazardous wastes are generated each year. The United States alone produces about 250 million metric tons. Americans constitute less than 5% of the world's population, but produce roughly 25% of the worlds CO2, and generate approximately 30% of worlds waste. In 2007, China has overtaken the United States as the world's biggest producer of CO2,while still far behind based on per capita pollution - ranked 78th among the world's nations.

Now, about Air: What does IMECA stand for?I is for INDEXME is for MetropolitanC is for Quality (Calidad)A is for AirSo, IMECA means Metropolitan Air Quality Index for any population to know if levels of contamination are satisfactory or not.

Interval Points IMECA0-5051-100101-150151-200201-300Air Quality GoodRegularMild BadBadExtremely Bad

I.M.E.C.A Colors according to the scale.