HOW IS ACID RAIN
PRODUCED ?
Acid rain is rain in which the water droplets are acidic , meaning that it has a low
pH . Most water, including drinking water, has a neutral pH that exists between 6.5
and 8.5, but acid rain has a pH level lower than this and ranges from 4–5 on
average. The more acidic the acid rain is, the lower its pH is. Acid rain can have
harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and buildings etc. Acid rain is caused by
emissions of SO2 [Sulfur dioxide] and NO2 [Nitrogen Dioxide] , which react with the
water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids. Acid rain has been shown to
have adverse impacts on forests, fresh water, soils, microbes, insects and aquatic
life-forms. In ecosystems, persistent acid rain reduces tree bark durability, leaving
flora more susceptible to environmental stressors such as drought, heat/cold and
pest infestation. Acid rain is also capable of changing soil composition by stripping
it of nutrients such as calcium and magnesium which play a role in plant growth
and maintaining healthy soil. In terms of human infrastructure, acid rain also
causes paint to peel, corrosion of steel structures such as bridges, and weathering
of stone buildings and statues as well as having impacts on human health. Some
governments, including those in Europe and North America, have made efforts
since the 1970s to reduce the release of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide into
the atmosphere through air pollution regulations. These efforts have had positive
H2SO4 - Sulfuric Acid | HNO3 - Nitric Acid
results due to the widespread research on acid rain starting in the 1960s and the NO2 - Nitrogen Dioxide | SO2 - Sulfur dioxide
publicized information on its harmful effects. The main source of sulphur and
H2O - Water
nitrogen compounds that result in acid rain are environmental changed caused by
people, but nitrogen oxides can also be produced naturally by lighting strikes and
sulphur dioxide is produced by volcanic eruptions.
WHAT IS SMOG
?
Smog, or smoke fog, is a type of intense air pollution. The word "smog" was first used in the early
20th to refer to smoky fog due to its opacity, and odour. A familiar and serious problem in London
from the 19th century to the mid-20th century. This kind of visible air pollution is composed of
Nitrogen dioxide [NO2],Carbon Dioxide [CO2], Ozone [O3], smoke and other particulates. Man-
made smog is derived from coal combustion emissions, vehicular emissions, industrial emissions,
forest and agricultural fires and photochemical reactions of these emissions. Smog is often
categorized as being either summer\winter smog. Summer smog is primarily associated with the
photochemical formation of ozone. During the summer season when the temperatures are warmer
and there is more sunlight present, photochemical smog is the dominant type of smog formation.
During the winter months when the temperatures are colder, are command atmospheric inversions
are common, there is an increase in coal and other fossil fuel [Fossil fuels are made from
decomposing plants and animals] usage to heat homes and buildings. These combustion
emissions, together with the lack of pollutant dispersion under inversions, characterize winter
smog formation. Smog formation in general relies on both primary and secondary pollutants.
Primary pollutants are emitted directly from a source, such as emissions of SO2 (Sulphur dioxide)
from coal combustion. Secondary pollutants, such as O3[ozone], are formed when primary
pollutants undergo chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Photochemical smog, as found for
example in Los Angeles, is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal
combustion engines and industrial fumes. These pollutants react in the atmosphere with sunlight to
form secondary pollutants that also combine with the primary emissions to form photochemical
smog . In certain other cities, such as Delhi, smog severity is often aggravated by stubble burning in
neighbouring agricultural areas since 2002. The atmospheric pollution levels of Los Angeles,
Beijing, Delhi, Lahore, Mexico City, Tehran and other cities are often increased by an inversion
that traps pollution close to the ground. The developing smog is usually toxic to humans and can
cause severe sickness, a shortened life span, or premature death.
WHAT ARE
CFC’S
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are generally a mixture of chemicals that are
commonly used as a refrigerants. They are used as propellants in aerosol sprays too.
CFCs generally contain different substances, including fluorine, carbon, chlorine,
and hydrogen [F/C/CL/H]. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are generally colourless and
odourless, which is why they are a bit more difficult to detect. CFCs are generally
quite volatile, and start evaporating immediately when they’re exposed to open
air. That is one of the main reasons why they can be inhaled so easily. Even though
CFCs are considered non-toxic, exposure (commonly through inhalation) can result in
respiratory issues and may even cause a person to lose consciousness. in some
cases, CFCs can result in arrhythmia. Some people also experience skin or eye
irritation as a result. Because of its wide-ranging applications, CFCs are commonly
used in a variety of industries. From their use in refrigeration to aerosol sprays and
in packing materials, CFCs play an important role in various applications. CFCs are
generally inert in the lower atmosphere, so their release isn’t immediately harmful.
However, as CFCs reach the upper atmosphere, the change in the atmospheric
composition results in a significant reaction. For starters, a study in 1974 showed
that CFCs are one of the prime sources for the release of inorganic chlorine within
the stratosphere. That released chlorine then causes a depletion of the ozone layer,
an important gas that prevents ultraviolet radiation from reaching the ground. As a
result, in 1987, around 27 nations signed a treaty, known as the Montreal Protocol
to Reduce Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. An excessive release of CFCs is
one of the major causes of ozone depletion.
Ozone depletion then creates a knock-on effect, resulting in:
1. Harmful exposure to UV radiation which leads to skin cancer other diseases
2. Damage to a person’s immune system
3. Damage to both plant and marine life
WHAT IS GLOBAL
WARMING
Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO 2) and other air pollutants collect in the atmosphere
and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the earth’s surface. Normally this
radiation would escape trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter. These heat-trapping
pollutants—specifically carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and synthetic
fluorinated gases—are known as greenhouse gases, and their impact is called the greenhouse effect.
Scientists agree that the earth’s rising temperatures are fuelling longer and hotter heat waves, more
frequent droughts, heavier rainfall, and more powerful hurricanes.
In 2015, for example, scientists concluded that a lengthy drought in California-the state’s worst
water shortage in 1200 years-had been intensified by 15 to 20 percent by global warming. They also
said the odds of similar droughts happening in the future had roughly doubled over the past century.
And in 2016, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine announced that we can
now confidently attribute some extreme weather events, like heat waves, droughts, and heavy
precipitation, directly to climate change. Because of its wide-ranging applications, CFCs are
commonly used in a variety of industries. From their use in refrigeration to aerosol sprays and in
packing materials, CFCs play an important role in various applications.
CFCs are generally inert in the lower atmosphere, so their release isn’t immediately harmful.
However, as CFCs reach the upper atmosphere, the change in the atmospheric composition results
in a significant reaction.
For starters, a study in 1974 showed that CFCs are one of the prime sources for the release of
inorganic chlorine within the stratosphere. That released chlorine then causes a depletion of the
ozone layer, an important gas that prevents ultraviolet radiation from reaching the ground.
As a result, in 1987, around 27 nations signed a treaty, known as the Montreal Protocol to Reduce
Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. An excessive release of CFCs is one of the major causes of
ozone depletion.
Ozone depletion then creates a knock-on effect, resulting in:
1. Harmful exposure to UV radiation which leads to skin cancer or other diseases
[Link] to a person’s immune system
[Link] to both plant and marine life
Into space, but these pollutants, which can last for years to centuries in the atmosphere
WHAT IS GREEN HOUSE EFFECT ?
The greenhouse effect is a process that occurs when energy from a planet's host star goes through
the planet’s atmosphere and heats the planet's surface, but greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
prevent some of the heat from returning directly to space, resulting in a warmer planet. earth's
natural greenhouse effect makes life as we know it possible and CO2 plays a significant role in
providing for the relatively high temperature on Earth. The greenhouse effect is a process by which
thermal radiation from a planetary atmosphere warms the planet's surface beyond the temperature
it would have in the absence of its atmosphere. In addition to the naturally present greenhouse gases,
human-caused green house gases trap greater amounts of heat, causing the earth to be warmer over
time. Anything radiates energy related to its temperature: the Sun—at about 5,500 °C (9,930 °F)—
sends most of its energy as visible and near infrared light, while Earth's average surface temperature—
at about 15 °C (59 °F)—emits longer-wavelength infrared, radiant heat. The atmosphere is transparent
to most incoming sunlight, and allows its energy through to heat the surface. Most gases in the
atmosphere are transparent to infrared, but the small proportion of the atmosphere that constitutes
greenhouse gases absorbs some of the heat emitted by the surface rather than letting it escape into
space. These greenhouse gas molecules then emit radiant heat in all directions, passing heat to the
surrounding air and warming other greenhouse gas molecules. Radiant heat going downwards further
increases the temperature of the surface, which then returns heat to the atmosphere in a positive
feedback cycle. Without Earth's natural greenhouse effect the Earth would be more than 30 °C (54 °F)
colder.
COAL
Coal is a solid, black, readily combustible fossil fuel that contains a large amount of carbon based
material - approximately 50% of its weight. The formation of coal takes a significant amount of time (on
the order of a few million years), and the first coal-bearing rock units appeared about 290-360 million
years ago, at a time known as the "coal-bearing" Period. There are extensive coal deposits from the
about 65 to 144 million years ago. The formation of coal begins in areas of swampy wetlands where
groundwater is near or slightly above the topsoil. Because of this, the flora present produces organic
matter quickly - faster in fact than it can be decomposed. In these areas, layers of organic matter are
accumulated and then buried. It is these layers of organic material that then form coal. The energy in
coal initially comes from the sun , and is energy from sunlight trapped by dead plants. The process that
creates coal varies slightly in different areas depending on the plants and conditions that are present, but
the overall process is similar. There are two main phases in coal formation: peatification and
coalification. bacterial activity is the main process that creates the peat during peatification Increasing
temperature and pressure from burial are the main factors in coalification. To form coal, the following
steps are followed :
1. Plant matter in mires and wetlands, such as ferns, shrubs, vines, trees, and algae dies and
accumulates on the surface. Initially the organic matter is decomposed by bacteria, yielding
CO2[carbon dioxide] and CH4[methane].
2. The plant matter becomes buried, and are no longer exposed to air. Anaerobic bacteria then starts
to decompose the material. Burial and accumulation can occur for several thousands of years,
producing several meters of partially decayed plant matter known as peat. When this peat is deeply
buried, water and other compounds is squeezed out from the increasing pressure and the lowest
quality of coal, ignite, begins for form.
3. Continued burial, resulting in increasing pressures and temperatures, causes this low quality lignite
coal to be transformed into higher quality "black coals". First lignite becomes sub bituminous coal,
then bituminous coal, and finally the highest quality anthracate coal. As these transformations occur,
the amount of water and other compounds in the coal decreases and the coal becomes more dense.
Along with this comes a higher carbon concentration.
The
End
