Introduction

 Anything that is a present in potential hazard to living things can

be considered pollution.
 Air Pollution may be described as “The imbalance in quality of
air so as to cause adverse effects on the living organisms on
earth”.

 Composition of Air : Atmosphere is gaseous envelope

surrounding the earth which constitutes Major gases
(N2 – 78%, O2- 21%, Argon- 0.9 to 1% & CO2). Minor
gases include He, Neon, Methane, H, CO, O3 etc.
Classification
AIR
POLLUTANTS

Based on
Based on
state of
Origin
matter

Primary Secondary Gaseous Particulates

Classification
 Classification based on origin of air pollutants
 (1) primary pollutants, which are emitted directly from
identifiable sources
Ex: SO2, NO2, HC, Ash, Smoke, dust fumes, mist, radioactive
compounds etc
 (2) secondary pollutants, which are produced in the
atmosphere when certain chemical reactions take place
among primary pollutants.
Ex: Ozone, SO3, Aldehydes, ketones, etc.
 Classification based on the state of matter, air pollutants
 Gaseous Pollutants - gaseous state at normal temp. & pressure
 Particulate Air pollutants - included suspended droplets,
solid particles or other mixture in the atmosphere
Primary & Secondary Pollutant
The major Primary Pollutants include:
 particulate matter (PM),
 sulfur dioxide,
 nitrogen oxides,
 volatile organic compounds (VOCs),
 carbon monoxide, and
 lead.
Secondary pollutants
 Ozone
 Sulfur compounds
 Nitrogen compounds etc…
Utants
 Causes of AP/ Sources of AP
 Natural Source  Anthropogenic/ Man
made Source
 Volcanoes
 Industrial Plant
 Desert Dust
 Motor Vehicle
 Forest fire
 Power Plant (Thermal/
 Salt spray from oceans Nuclear)
 Dust storms  Agricultural activities
 Bacteria & other OM  Gas from waste/refuse
 Photochemical Combustion
reaction  Quarrying and Mining
 Air craft

 Domestic burning of
wood
 Causes of AP/ Sources of AP
 Point/Stationary  Area Source:
Source:
 Towns & cities add
 Adds pollutants to air smoke & gases over
at particulate pts or
wide areas & it is called
from the chimneys
area source
 Effects only in
restricted areas  Ex: Fossil fuel
 Ex: industrial unit
burning/ domestic
burning of woods
 Line/ Mobile Source:
 Adds pollutants along
a narrow belts & over
long distances
 Ex: Automobile
exhaust
Sources of Air Pollution
 Air pollutants are substances causing damage to animals, plants, building
material which is adversely affected by pollutants.
 Major Sources of Air Pollution
 Natural Sources :
Volcanic eruptions – poisonous gases such as SO2, H2S, CO etc.
Forest fires - H2S, CH4 etc.
Evapo transpiration process – CO2
Oxidation process – natural photochemical reactions
 Man made sources/Anthropogenic Sources include
Population explosion – emission of GHG’s result in global warming
Deforestation – imbalance of CO2 and O2 in the nature
Burning of fossil fuels – combustion process
Emission from transportation sector–Automobile exhausts result in
PCS
Rapid Industrialization – Power plants, Smelters, refineries etc.
Agricultural activities – pesticides, insecticides, herbicides etc.
Effects of Air Pollution
 Pollutants are generally classified as Gaseous pollutants, Particulate
pollutants, Aerosols, Radioactive pollutants.
Gaseous pollutants – CO2, CO, SOx, NOx, Hydro carbons
Carbon dioxide Traps heat in the atmosphere result in Global warming
Carbon monoxide Harmful to humans, affects respiration, cardiac and pulmonary functions
SOx :Oxides of Acid rains wash away nutrients, necrosis on leaves
Sulphur bronchitis, emphysema and psychological disorders in humans
Effects on materials,Stone leprosy: H2SO4 corrodes on marble monuments
NOx :Oxides of Toxic produces irritating effect, affects lungs – bronchitis, emphysema.
Nitrogen chlorosis effects and decreased photosynthetic activity in plants.
Hydro carbons React with NO to form secondary pollutants, Photo Chemical Smog
Particulate pollutants Toxic mist, chronic non specific diseases, soil corrosion.
(fumes, dust, smoke
etc)
Aerosols Air pollutants remain suspended in air
Radioactive Cellular damage in man and animals
Pollutants
Effects of Air Pollution - on human health
 Dizziness
 Headache
 Eye irritation - NOx, SO3,
smog, particulates etc.
 Nosal irritation
 Sore throat
 Possibility of lung cancer &
other lung diseases
 Coughing & shortness of
breathe
 Chest pains
 Increase Cold Allergies
 Increase mortality &
mobility rate
 High conc. of SOx, NOx,
SPM etc. can cause
Bronchitis & Asthma
 Cause Cardiovascular &
Pulmonary diseases
 Decrease O2 carrying
capacity of blood
 Heavy metals can cause
poisoning & damage
liver & kidney
 Effects of Air Pollution - on Plants
 SO2 – Bleaching of  Fluoride – Necrosis at
leaves, Necrosis (Killing leaf tip
of tissues)  PAN (Paroxyacyl
 NO2 – Suppressed Nitrate)/ PM-
growth, bleaching of Suppressed growth,
leaves silvering of lower leaf
 O3 – Premature ageing, surface
suppressed growth,
necrosis, bleaching,
collapse of leaf
 Effects of Air Pollution - on Plants
Some of diseases:  Chlorosis- Yellow Pattern
 Bifacial Necrosis – Tissue  Abscission – Dropping of
killed leaves
 Pigment Lesions- dark  Necrosis – Killing /
brown, black, purple, red collapse of plant tissue
spots on leaf
 Epinasty –sudden rapid
growth
 Acute Injury – Leaf
tissue damage
 Chronic Injury – Loss
green pigment
Effects of Air Pollution - on Property/ Mat.
 SO2 in presence of O2 &  Damage textile dyes &
moisture is converted fibers
into H2SO4. This acid  Cracking of rubber tires
deposition on metal & various electric
parts of building roofs, insulation
railway tracks, bridges  Soiling increase cost of
etc. cause corrosion cleaning shirts & other
wears, windows,
 H2SO4 – Deterioration curtains, building
& disfigure the building surfaces
materials.  Damage protective
 Deterioration of leather coating & paints of the
& paper due to H2SO4 surface
 Control of AP
Preventive Measures:
 Selection of suitable fuel: low S coal on power
plant, LPG/ CNG/ natural gas etc.
 Modification of industrial process/equipments to
reduce emissions
 Selection of suitable size & zoning for industrial
unit
 Proper env.tal studies before setting the industry
 Control of AP
Control Measures
 If not possible to control AP at
source, some measure are
adopted
 Release the pollutants through
tall chimneys for greater
dispersion
 Changing the pollutants to a
less toxic form
 Reforestation programs
 Collecting pollutants by using
equipments of PM (i.e Cyclone
Seperators, Gravitational
Settling chamber, Electrostatic
Precipitators, Fabric filters,
Scrubber etc.)
 Nox: Removal of NOx by
catalytic decomposition &
Scrubbing process
 Sox : Removal of S from fuel
before burning, and using
sorption methods.
 CO: Exhaust gas analyzers to
check emissions
 Vehicular pollution: up
gradation of fuel quality,
using catalytic convertors.
 HC: Incineration, adsorption,
absorption and condensation
GRAVITY SETTLING CHAMBER
 It’s structural device where the
velocity of gases containing dust
particles is reduced to a point in
order to ensure loss of inertia,
dissociating particles with gas
stream, resulting into gravity
settling before it reaches the outlet
end of chamber.
 Simplest APC device
 Easy to construct & maintain,
 Remove particles beyond 100
micron diameter or even 50 micron
 usually act as a screening device to
control dust emissions.
ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR (ESP)
 ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR (ESP)
PRINCIPLES : • The gas containing dust
• The removal of particles particle enters from the
due to electrostatic bottom , encounters corona
attraction which is where dust particles are
imparted due to high charged and migrate
voltage current passed towards collecting
between two electrodes, electrode due to potential
namely discharge difference, neutralize there
electrode and collecting and either due to gravity
electrode. fall in the hopper bottom or
• A high electric field is removed by rapping or
created around discharge shaking mechanism. A high
electrode which is called voltage of the order of 50 Kv
corona. is created in the ESP.
ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR (ESP)
ADVANTAGES : DISADVANTAGES:
 Can remove very small size  High initial cost
particles effectively (i.e. 0.1  Use of high voltage so may
to 1 µm) pose risk to personnel safety
 Can give very high collection of staff
η – 99%  Face difficulty in removal of
 Very widely used dust particles which are
 Comparatively low power highly resistive
consumption  Difficult to collect fly ash
 Easy to maintain from low temperature flue
 Low recurring cost gases unless certain amount
 Can operated at very high
of sulfur trioxide is present
temp 300 to 450 C in the gas
Cyclone Separator
 Cyclone Separator
 Centrifugal force is utilized η depend upon the
to separate the PM from the centrifugal force generated,
gas mass of particle, inlet
 Can remove- 10 to 50 µm velocity and radius of
 Inlet gas is transformed into cyclone
spinning vortex, & the  Collection η – 50 to 90%
particles from the gas are
thrown out under the
centrifugal force
 Particles thrown out pm the
walls of the chamber, slides
down to the hopper & thus
removed
 Cyclone Separator
ADVANTAGES : DISADVANTAGES:
 Low initial cost  Require large head room
 Requires less floor area  Less η for smaller particles
 Simple construction & (<10 µm)
maintenance  Quite sensitive to variable
 Low moderate pressure loss dust load and flow rate
(2.5 to 20 cm)
 Can handle large volume of
gas at high temp.
 Dry continuous disposal of
collected dust
Fabric filter (baghouse filter )
 Fabric filter (baghouse filter )
Principle:
 The flue gas is allowed to
pass through a woven or
felted fabric, which filters
out the PM and allows the
gas to pass.
 Small particles are retained
on the fabric, initially
through interception &
electro-static attraction and
later on, when a dust mat. Is
formed, the fabric starts
collecting particles more
efficiently.
 Remove particles up to 1 µm
 Collection η around 99%
 Provided in an ordinary
room of the factory, contains
several vertically hanging
fabric cylindrical bags (1.8 to
9 m long)
 Collected PM drop down in
to hopper
 Fabric filter (baghouse filter )
ADVANTAGES : DISADVANTAGES:

 High collection η for all  High temp. gases need to be

cooled
particle size, especially for
particles < 10 µm in dia  High maintenance & fabric
replacement cost (as a
 Nominal power general rule ¼ of the bags
consumption needs replacement every
 Dry disposal of collected year)
particles  Large size equipment
 The fabric is liable to
chemical attack
 Scrubber
 PM are incorporated into Diff. types
liquid droplets and thus  Spray Tower
removed from the gas  >10 µm & η <80%
stream.
 Venturi Scrubber
 flue gas is made to push
 >2.5 µm & η <80%
up against a down falling
water / liquid current.  Cyclone Scrubber
 PM mixes with water  >0.5 µm & η <99%
droplets and falls down &
get removed
 Water solution, mixed with
other aqueous chemical
solutions like lime,
potassium carbonate, slurry
of MnO & MgO etc. are used
 Scrubber
Clean Gas outlet

Water Inlet

Dirty Gas in

Dirty Water Out

Venturi Scrubber Spray Tower
 Scrubber
ADVANTAGES :
 Simultaneously remove
particulate and gaseous
pollutant
 Hot gases can be cooled
down
 Corrosive gases can be
recovered & neutralize
 Produce useful byproducts
as chemicals and fertilizers
DISADVANTAGES:
 A lot of w/w needing
disposal may be produced
 Wet outlet gases can not rise
high from the stack
 Poses freezing problems in
cold countries
 Maintenance cost is high,
when corrosive materials are
collected.
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