- 1. Acid RainCharles Fletcher, Martyna S. Sowa, Svetlana
Zusina,ACID RAIN AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
2. 3.
- What is acid rain and what is the scale of the problem?
- How do we know if the rain is acid?
- What causes acid rain (chemical reactions)?
- Where do the acid rain precursors come from?
- How does acid rain affect the environment?
- What can we do to protect our planet form acid rain?
4. Acid rain, or acid deposition, is a mixture of sulphuric and
nitric acids.
5. The valid risk assessment
- The net acid deposition flux
- the total acid deposition flux
- deposition flux of base cations.
6.
- The acidity status of precipitation is a result of a balance
between
- acidifying compounds (oxides of sulfur and nitrogen) and
alkaline compounds (ammonia and alkaline material in windblown soil
dust).
- The acidity of precipitation is measured by the concentration
of hydrogen ion.
- (pH value -below 5.6 is acidic).
7. Causes and chemistry
- a) Acid reactions with sulphur
- SO 3 2-+ H 2O -> H 2 SO 4
- b) Acid reactions with nitrogen
- 4NO 2 +O 2+ 2H 2O ->4 HNO 3
8. PRECURSORS AND SOURCES
- The main precursors of acid rain are emissions of sulphur
dioxide (SO 2 ) and nitrogen oxides (NO x )
- Fuel combustion in power plants (SO 2 )
- Exhaust pipes in automobiles (NO x )
MAN MADE 9. NATURAL:
- Terrestial, tidal, and nutrient-rich oceanic areas
- Outgassings from anaerobic wetlands
- Breakdown of amino acids in organic wastes
10. TRANSPORT OF ACID RAIN PRECURSORS
- Acid rain in a certain area can be caused by pollutants from
emissions that are hundreds, even thousands of kilometers away
especially through wet deposition.
11. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS:
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- Extinction of fish in lakes
-
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- leaf necrosis, tissue damage, death of the whole tree
-
- Improper growth of plants and trees
12. POLICIES AND TAKING ACTION
- Strategies for mitigating acid rain
13. Liming bodies of acidified water
- This process of neutralizing acidity in endangered lakes and
streams is through the addition of lime (calcium carbonate and
calcium hydroxide). Chemicals such as caustic soda, sodium
carbonate, slacked lime and limestone help raise pH of acidified
water.
- Treatment needs to be repeated every 3-6 years
- Remote lakes are inaccessible
- Large pieces of lime dissolve slowly
- Doesnt solve the problem for soil acidification
14. Reducing SO 2and NO xemissions
- Changing from high to low sulfur coal
- Moving to non-fossil fuels such as nuclear power
- Using Solar, Wind or Hydro resources
- IMPROVING IN-PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
- REDUCTION OF COMBUSTION TEMPERATURE (NO X )
CHANGING THE FUEL USED: 15. Policy
- 1979 - Geneva Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air
Pollution took place with the idea to limit sulfur and nitrogen
emissions was successfully achieved
- 1995-1997 Title IV of the Clean Air Act was established to
reduce the adverse effects of acid deposition through reductions in
annual emissions of sulfur dioxide of ten million tons from 1980
emission levels.
Many policies and programs were established in the past couple
of decades once governments started to become concerned with the
harmful effects of air pollution. 16. Results and Conclusions
- Acid rain remains an acute problem in many parts of the world
and is threatened by the rapid industrial development of the
developing countries
- The future strategies should concentrate on both the decrease
of acidifying compounds and the increase of alkaline elements
- Everyone should stayed informed and educated on the matter of
acid rain and lead an energy efficient lifestyle
17. Thank you! www.steelumbrellas.com