ENGLISH PRESENTATION

ACID RAIN

2011

What is acid rain?

Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). Occurs in two forms: wet deposition (acidic rain, fog, and snow) dry deposition (acidic gases and particles) Principal components are SOX and NOX (About 2/3 of SOX and 1/4 of NOX comes from power plants (most are coal burning)) Formed when gases, such as CO2 and SO2 react with the water in the atmosphere The pH of Rain drops As low as pH of 2 Very harmful to our living environment Precipitation that has a pH of less than that of natural rainwater (which is about 5.6 due to dissolved carbon dioxide). It is formed when sulphur dioxides and nitrogen oxides, as gases or fine particles in the atmosphere, combine with water vapour and precipitate as sulphuric acid or nitric acid in rain, snow, or fog.

What causes acid rain?

Acid rain is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Burning oil, gas and coal in power stations releases Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) into the atmosphere. Burning oil and gas in motor vehicles puts nitrogen oxides (NOX) into the atmosphere. These gases mix with water droplets in the atmosphere creating weak solutions of nitric and sulphuric acids. When precipitation occurs these solutions fall as acid rain. Natural Sources Emissions from volcanoes and from biological processes that occur on the land, in wetlands, and in the oceans contribute acid-producing gases to the atmosphere Effects of acidic deposits have been detected in glacial ice thousands of years old in remote parts of the globe The principal cause of acid rain is from human sources Industrial factories, power-generating plants and vehicles Sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen are released during the fuel burning process (i.e. combustion) Burning coal. Oil and natural gas in power stations makes electricity, giving off sulphur dioxide gas. Burning petrol and oil in vehicle engines gives off nitrogen oxides as gases. These gases mix with water vapour and rainwater in the atmosphere producing weak solutions of sulphuric and nitric acids which fall as acid rain. Power Plants Automobile Natural Causes

What problems are caused by acid rain?

Trees

Lakes It kills micro-organisms It poisons plants It damages metals and limestone It kills fish Acid rain increases the acidity levels of rivers, lakes and seas. This can kill aquatic life. Acid rain increases the acidity levels of soils. This can kill vegetation. Acid rain has been found to destroy the roots and leaves of forests in Germany and Scandinavia have been destroyed as the result of acid rain emissions from the UK.

Acid rain can erode buildings and monuments (particularly if they are made from limestone). damage to forests and soils, fish and other living things, materials, and human health.

acidification of lakes and streams In a National Surface Water Survey (NSWS) Effects of acidic deposition in over 1,000 lakes larger than 10 acres and in thousands of miles of streams believed to be sensitive to acidification was studied.

acid rain caused acidity in 75 percent of the acidic lakes acid rain caused acidity in about 50 percent of the acidic streams regions in the U.S. identified as containing many of the surface waters sensitive to acidification include: the Adirondacks and Catskill Mountains in New York state, the mid-Appalachian highlands along the east coast, the upper Midwest, and mountainous areas of the Western United States. In areas like the Northeastern United States, where soil buffering capacity is poor, some lakes now have a pH value of less than 5.

 One of the most acidic lakes reported is Little Echo Pond in Franklin, New York. Little Echo Pond has a pH of 4.2. Affects Fish and Aquatic Species Acid rain causes a cascade of effects that harm or kill individual fish, reduce fish population numbers, completely eliminate fish species from a water body, and decrease biodiversity. Increased aluminum levels cause chronic stress that may not kill individual fish, but leads to lower body weight and smaller size and makes fish less able to compete for food and habitat. Generally, the young of most species are more sensitive to environmental conditions than adults. At pH 5, most fish eggs cannot hatch. At lower pH levels, some adult fish die. Tree and Forest Damage Damage of trees at high elevations (for example, red spruce trees above 2,000 feet) and many sensitive forest soils Water Quality Impacts Nitrogen impacts on water quality due to eutrophication (oxygen depletion, blooms of algae, declines in the health of fish and shellfish, loss of seagrass beds and coral reefs, and ecological changes in food webs): 10-45 percent of the nitrogen produced by various human activities that reaches estuaries and coastal ecosystems is transported and deposited via the atmosphere. For example, about 30 percent of the nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay comes from atmospheric deposition. Materials and Building Decay Accelerates the decay of building materials and paints, including irreplaceable buildings, statues, and sculptures that are part of our nation's cultural heritage. Acid rain can scar automotive coatings Acid rain and the dry deposition of acidic particles contribute to the corrosion of metals (such as bronze) and the deterioration of paint and stone (such as marble and limestone). Some manufacturers use acid-resistant paints, at an average cost of $5 for each new vehicle (or a total of $61 million per year for all new cars and trucks sold in the U.S.) Affects visibility Visibility affected from photochemical smog resulting from SOX,VOCs and NOX Sulfate particles account for 50 to 70 percent of the visibility reduction in the eastern part of the United States Harmful to aquatic life Increased acidity in water bodies Stops eggs of certain organisms (e.g. fish) to stop hatching Changes population ratios

Affects the ecosystem

Harmful to vegetation Increased acidity in soil Leeches nutrients from soil, slowing plant growth Leeches toxins from soil, poisoning plants Creates brown spots in leaves of trees, impeding photosynthesis Allows organisms to infect through broken leaves Accelerates weathering in metal and stone structures Eg. Parthenon in Athens, Greece; Taj Mahal in Agra, India

Affects human health Respiratory problems, asthma, dry coughs, headaches and throat irritations Leeching of toxins from the soil by acid rain can be absorbed by plants and animals. When consumed, these toxins affect humans severely. Brain damage, kidney problems, and Alzheimer's disease has been linked to people eating "toxic" animals/plants.

Solution
Industry can reduce acid rain creation by using coal with a low sulfur content, they can remove the sulfur from smoke their plants release, and they can limit processes known to generate high levels of acid rain. Environmentalists advocate the installation of sulfur cleaning scrubbers in factories, washing sulfur out of coal, and finding new methods of burning coal. Power plant operators are looking for less expensive solutions to the problem Preventive Measures Reduce amount of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen released into the atmosphere : Use less energy (hence less fuel burnt) Use cleaner fuels Remove oxides of sulphur and oxides of nitrogen before releasing Flue gas desulphurization Catalytic Converters

Use cleaner fuels Coal that contains less sulphur "Washing" the coal to reduce sulphur content Natural Gas

Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) Removes sulphur dioxide from flue gas (waste gases) Consists of a wet scrubber and a reaction tower equipped with a fan that extracts hot smoky stack gases from a power plant into the tower Lime or limestone (calcium carbonate) in slurry form is injected into the tower to mix with the stack gases and reacts with the sulphur dioxide present Produces pH-neutral calcium sulphate that is physically removed from the scrubber Sulphates can be used for industrial purposes

Use other sources of electricity (i.e. nuclear power, hydro-electricity, wind energy, geothermal energy, and solar energy) Issue of cost

1. Sulphur dioxide can be removed from power stations chimneys but this process is expensive. 2. Reduce the amount of electricity we use - Turn TVs off at the mains, dont leave on standby. Turn off lights when a room is not in use.

3. Use renewable energy like wind power, solar panels, tidal power, HEP schemes and geothermal energy. 4. Fit catalytic converters to vehicle exhausts which remove the nitrogen oxides. 5. Limit the number of vehicles on the roads and increase public transport. Reducing the effects of Acid Rain Liming Powdered limestone/limewater added to water and soil to neutralize acid Used extensively in Norway and Sweden Expensive, short-term remedy