Module 2

General Definition for Air pollution

“Air pollution is the presence of undesirable material in air, in quantities large enough to produce
harmful effects”

Or

All pollution is the presence in ambient atmosphere of substances, generally resulting from the
activity of man, in sufficient concentration, present for a sufficient time and under circumstances
which interfere significantly with the comfort, health as welfare of persons as with the full use as
enjoyment of property {ISI-IS-4167(1966)}

Or

Air pollution is the expensive concentration of foreign matter is the air which adversely affect
the well being of the individual causes damage to property (American medical association AMA)

Classification and properties of air pollution

The variety of matter emitted into the atmosphere by natural and anthropage sources is so
diverse that ait is difficult to classify air pollutants neatly and easily. However usually they are
divided into two categories

1. Primary pollutants
2. Secondary Pollutants

PRIMARY POLLUTANTS: Are those that are emitted directly from the sources. Typical
pollutants are particulate matter such as ash, smoke, dust, fumes, mist & spray inorganic gas
such as SO2, H2S, CO, CO2, nitric oxide, ammonia, hydrogen fluoride etc.

SECONDARY POLLUTANTS: Are those formed in the atmosphere by chemical reactions

between primary pollutants and normal atmospheric constituents pollutants such as SO3, NO2,
Peroxy actetyl nitrate(PAN), ozone aldehydes, ketones and various sulphate and nitrate salts are
included in this category.

Properties of Air Pollution:(Sources)

 Particulate matter: The term particulate refers to all atmospheric substances that are not
gases. They can be suspended droplets solid particles as mixture of the two. Particulates
can be composed of inert as extremely reactive materials ranging in size from 100µm

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 down to 0.1µm and less. The inert materials donot react readily with the environment nor
do they exhibit any morphological changes as a result of combustion or any other
process, whereas the reactive materials could be further oxidized as may react chemically
with the environment.
The classification of various particulates are as follows.
Dust: It contains particles of size ranging from 1-200µm. These are formed by natural
disintegration of rock & soil.
Smoke: It contains particles of size ranging from 0.01-1µm which can be liquid as solid
& are formed different colours depending on nature of material burned.
Fumes: These are solid particles of the size ranging 0.1-1µm & are normally released
from chemical or metallurgical processes.
Mist: It is made up of liquid droplets generally smaller than 10µm which are formed by
condensation in the atmosphere or released from industrial operation.
Fog: It is the mist in which the liquid is water and is sufficiently dense to obstruct vision.
 Oxides of sulphur: The most important oxides emitted by pollution sources is SO2.
 It is a colourless gas with a characteristic.
 Shows pungent odour.
 Moderately soluble in water forming weak acidic sulphurous acid (H2SO3)
 It is oxidized slowly in clean air to sulphur trioxide.
 In a polluted atmosphere, SO2 reacts photochemically or catalytically with other
pollutants to form SO3, H2SO4& salts of H2SO4.
 SO2 & SO3 are quickly washed out of atmosphere by rain or settle out as
Aerosols.
 Nitrogen Oxides: Of the six or seven oxides of Nitrogen only, Three- Nitrous oxide
(N2O), Nitric oxide(NO) & Nitrogen dioxide(NO2) are formed in any appreciable
quantities in the almost.
Nitrous oxides(N2O):
 It is a colourless, odourless, Non toxic gas present in the atmosphere.
 The major sources of N2O in the atmosphere is biological activity of the soil, it
has a low reactivity & is generally not considered as an air pollution.

Nitric oxide(NO): It is a colourless, odourless gas produced by fuel combustion.

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 Nitrogen Oxide(NO2):

 It is a brown pungent smell with irritating odour.

 It absorbs sunlight & initiates a series of photochemical reactions.
 NO2 is probably produced by the oxidation of NO by ozone.
 NO2 is of major pollutants & is emitted by fuel combustion.

Hydrocarbons:

The hydrocarbons can be saturated or unsaturated. In the saturated class methane is by far
the most abundant hydrocarbons constituting about 40-60% of the total hydrocarbons present in
an urban atmosphere. The unsaturated class includes alkenes and acetylenes. Among alkenes the
prominent pollutants are ethylene & propene.

The hydrocarbons in air by themselves alone cause No harmful effects. The

Hydrocarbons undergo chemical reactions in the presence of sunlight & nitrogen oxides forming
photochemical oxidants of which the predominant one is ozone. Methane has a very low
photochemical activity as compared to that of other hydrocarbons.

Emission sources:

The source of air pollution is numerous. They can be grouped according to

 Types of sources
 Number & spatial distribution of sources
 Type of emissions

Types of Sources: Refers to natural & anthropogenic source as well as to additional

classifications within each group. Natural sources include wind-blown dust, pollan grains, sea
salt nuclei, volcanic gas & ash smoke & trace gasses from forest tire and per penes from forest
anthropogenic source cover a wide spectrum of type.

Number & spatial distribution of sources: Air pollution sources can also grouped according to
number and spatial distribution. These include

 Single or point sources

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  Area sources
 Line sources

Total Sources
Stationary sources Mobile sources
Point sources Area sources Line sources Area sources
 Industrial  Residential  Highway  Motor
processing heat vehicles vehicles(light,
 Power plants  Institutional  Railroad medium,
 Fuel heat locomotive heavy duty)
combustion  On site  Channel  Rail yard
 Solid waste incineration vessels locomotive
disposal  Open burning  Airport
 Miscellaneous  Evaporation locomotive
losses  Port vessels
 Miscellaneous  Airports
 Miscellaneous

Type of Emissions: Another source grouping by the type of emissions with particulate and
gaseous emissions being the two major divisions.

Classification of Anthropogenic Air pollution sources:

Source type Category Important sources Typical pollutants

 Stationary Power plants, industrial Oxides of sulphur,
boilers, diesel NOx, CO, smoke, fly
generators. Municipal ash, trace metal
or Industrial oxides
Combustion incineration & refused
burning
 Mobile Motor vehicle aicraft CO, HC’S, NOx, SO2
Particles

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  Non ferrous Roasting, smelting & Dust, smoke, metal
metallurgical refining operation fumes (Cu, Pd, Zn)
SOx
 Ferrous Pallating, coke ovens, Smoke, fumes, CO,
metallurgical blast furnace & steel odours H2S, organic
Roasting & heating furnace vapour & fluorides
 Non metallic Crushed stone, cement, SO2, NOx& dust
minerals glass refractories & fumes
ceramic
 Petroleum Biogas, process heaters, SOx HC’S NOx CO
refining catalysts, regenerators, aldehydes, ammonia,
reactors, storage tank, odour
compressor engines
 Inorganic H2SO4, plants, SO2, HF, H2S, NOx,
chemicals fertilizer- manufacture, NH3, H3PO4 etc
Chemical nitric acid, ammonia,
petroleum phosphoric acid
manufacture
 Organic Plastics, paints & Odour,SO2, CO,
chemicals varnish manufacture, gases & vapour,
rubber, rayon solvent vapour
insecticide, soap &
detergent, methanol &
phenol etc
 Pulp & paper Digestion blow system, Odour, sulphur
pulp washers, receiver compounds dimethyl
Pulp & paper furnace, evaporators, sulphur & SO2
oxidation, towers
 Food Drying, preserving & Vapour, odour &
processing packing dust

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  Crop Rest & weed control Organic phosphates,
Food & agriculture spraying & chlorinated, HC,
dusting arsenic lead
 Field burning Refuse burning Smoke, flyash, soot

Characterization of Air pollutants:

Although large amounts of pollutants are discharged into the atmosphere. The very fact that their
ambient levels have remained very much the same throughout the world suggests that there are
certain pathways of exchange from the atmosphere to the earth, where by the pollutants are
continuously removed. These pathways or the scavenging process, as they are called may be
grouped as follows.

I. For particulars
 Wet removal by precipitation
 Dry removal by sedimentation, impaction & diffusion
II. For gases
 Wet removal by precipitation
 Chemical reaction in the atmosphere
 Absorption or reaction at land & ocean

Wet precipitation: Wet precipitation has two distinct mechanism- rain out & wash out. The first
includes various processes taking place inside clouds where the contaminents serve as
condensation nuclei on which droplets condense. The second mechanism refers to the removal of
pollutants below the cloud level by falling rain. Wet precipitation is one of the most effective
scavenging process for both particulates & gaseous pollutants in a global cause.

Dry Deposition: Particulate matter smaller than 0.14m often coagulates through mutual
collisions & forms larger aggregates which are effectively removed by gravitational settling.
Brownian motion is the major mechanism of coagulation, although atmosphere turbulence also
enhances the diffusive motion of particles. Atmospheric turbulence is particularly effective for
coagulating larger particles whose Brownian motion is less pronounced.

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 The Rate of settling of particles depends on their settling velocities according to the
stokes law.

Vt= g*Dp2*(

Where Vt= terminal settling velocity

Dp= particle dia=cm

= density of particle & air

=viscosity of air

=air pressure, milli bars

=constant=0.0084

From the above equation, it is seen that the rate of sedimentation is strongly influenced by the
particle size. Particle larger than 10µm have high settling rates & hence have short resident time
in the atmosphere.

Sl. NO Pollutants Source Related industries/uses

1 So2 Coal and oil combustion
2 NO2 Vehicular combustion
3 H2S Refinery, Chemical industry
4 CO Burning of coal, gasoline
(Petrol or diesel), Motor
exhaust
5 HCN, NH3 Blast furnace, metal platting ,
welding, explosives, Dye
industry 7
6 Phosgene Chemical and Dye industry
(aldehyde),Carb
Respiratory irritant power plant,
kilns, steel plant…etc
Vehicles, Power Plants(any liquid
fuels)
Chemical preparation,
Inefficient combustion process
Steel industry, chemical and mining
industry
Chemical industry
 onyl chloride
7 Arsines Metal or acid processing Soldering wire
involving arsenic
8 Suspended Solid or liquid particles by Steel mills, power plants, Chemical
Particle(smoke combustion plants
ash, etc)
9 lead Very small particles emitted Smelting of (any ore: Pb-Nickel –Cu
from motor vehicles and complexion)
smelters
10 Ozone Motor Vehicles, Smog(wintery Motor Vehicles
evening) produced due to
Photochemical reaction.

 Rest part follow hand note

Common Air Pollutants

Particulates:

Dust: Particles of size 1-200 micrometer (10-6 µm)

Smoke : Particles of size 0.01 – 1 µm

Fumes : Particles of size 0.1 – 1 µm

Mist : Liquid droplets smaller than < 10 µm

Fog: It is the form of mist which also result same restricting vision.

Aerosols: Air borne suspensions , either liquid or solid particle size smaller than 1 µm

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Dust :

Pm10 (Particulate matter): Particles forming a cloud where at least 50 % of the particles have
aerodynamics efficiency equivalent to the particles having size less than 10 µm or equal to 10
µm

Pm5 : Particles forming a cloud where at least 50 % of the particles have aerodynamics
efficiency equivalent to the particles having size less than 5 µm or equal to 5 µm.

Pm2.5: Particles forming a cloud where at least 50 % of the particles have aerodynamics
efficiency equivalent to the particles having size less than 2.5 µm or equal to 2.5 µm

Pm1.5: Particles forming a cloud where at least 50 % of the particles have aerodynamics
efficiency equivalent to the particles having size less than 1.5 µm or equal to 1.5 µm.

 Particle having Pm10 has tendency to not retain saliva it’s always went to our bronchitis
and stay over there.

Background Emission: Deals with the natural factors that work as agents for generating the air
pollutants. Ex: CO2, SO2, NH3

Health effects of gaseous pollutants:

Air Pollutants and Meteorology:

Meteorology is discussed about :

 Temperature differentials in the atmospheric column

 Pressure difference
 Wind direction and velocity
 Diurnal changes in temperature , moisture, etc

If we will study these things and the related changes it will help us to know:

I. The mechanism by which the pollutants will spread in the atmosphere as well as their
settling characteristics.
II. The atmospheric travel of the pollutants.
III. The character of the immediate atmosphere above the earth.

Adiabatic Lapse Rate:

The adiabatic lapse rate deals with the decrease in temperature with altitude in the atmospheric
column.

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The concept of Air parcel:

It is imaginary entity of air being made up of a member of air molecules (but not air vapour) with
an imaginary boundary around them.

Following ideal gas law and first law of thermodynamics:

dQ= Cp.dT –V.dp-----------1

dQ= heat added to the parcel per unit mass (J/Kg)

Cp = Specific heat at constant pressure i.e the amount of heat required to raise the temp of 1 kg
of air by 1˙ C while holding the pressure Constant (= 1005J/kg˙ C )

dT = incremental temp change (K)

V= Volume per unit mass, dp = incremental pressure change (pa)

If the process is considered to be a case where there is no loss of heat across the boundary of the
parcel i.e as if the parcel is covered with an insulation which does not allow the heat to entering
or exit from the parcel then, dQ = 0

Then equation becomes

dT/dp= V/Cp--------

This whole case is a adiabatic case.

Here A= Area, g= acceleration due to gravity,

So it is a static column (in equilibrium)

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Slice of air with column thickness = dz , density= ρ

Mass = ρ.A. dz

P(z) = P(z+dz) + g ρ A.dz/A-------3

Or, dp= P (z+ dz) – P (z) =P(z+dz)-P(z+dz)-g(ρ A.dz)/A

dp = -g ρ.dz, or,dp/dz = -g ρ------4

As we bring a new term, the rate change of temp(Kelvin or k) with altitude

dT/dz= dT/dP . dP/dz = V/cp. -g. ρ-----5

=-g/cp(as V=1, considering volume per unit mass)

Or, dT/dz = -g/Cp

=- 9.806m/s2/ 1005J/kg˙ C * 1J/kg.m2/s2

=-0.00976˙ C/m

Or, dT/dz = -0.00976˙ C/m = -9.76 ˙ C/km

Or, dT/dz = -9.76˙ C/km ≈ -10 ˙ C/km

Or, dT/dz = -1˙ C/100m

Stable Atmosphere:

If the parcel, at higher elevation, is colder than its surroundings it will want to sink back down
again. So whatever would cause the parcel to move up (ex. Heat contain ,etc) will resisted by the
atmospheric condition to bring it down.

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 The internal parcel temp. becomes first equal to the
external atmosphere and less due to atmospheric
condition. In such cases parcel will begin to come down
(Stable atmosphere)

Parcel Diagram (1st condn)

If due to atmospheric Changes, the internal parcel

temp. is always more than the external
atmospheric temperature . the parcel will continue
moving

Parcel Diagram (2nd condn)

Temperature Inversion

The temperature inversions signify the situations when the atmospheric condition does not
follow adiabatic lapse rate .i.e the temp does not drop with altitude.

Types of temperature inversion:

1. Radiation Inversion : takes place due to the nocturnal/ night time cooling of the earth’s
surface, especially in the clear winter nights.
2. Subsidence Inversion : are the result of the compressive heating of descending air
masses in the high pressure zones.

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Radiation Inversion:

This is a plot in between altitude in y-axis and temperature is in X-axis.

Straight line shows the adiabatic lapse rate, and different inversion shows the different
time interval inversion, These inversion can be clearly shown according to their time
which are 2 am, 9 pm, 6pm and 3 pm. 3pm have almost same inversion as same as
adiabatic lapse rate.

The importance of radiation inversion is to suggest the high incidents the of pollutants
during the wintery evening because of lack of upward movements of the pollutants.

Subsidence Inversion:
It happens in
 Monson Season(India)
 European summer
 Low pressure subsidence
 High pressure subsidence

Mixing Depth:

Neutral (it is a condition of stable and unstable atmosphere)

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Here, in x-axis we have temperature and y-axis we have altitude.

The region between stable and unstable is known as maximum mixing depth (it is the crossing
point ALR and altitude temp profile of the atmosphere.

The product of maximum mixing depth and average wind speed within the mixing depth is
known as atmosphere’s dispersive capability (or also known as ventilation coefficient, m2/s)

Ideally mixing depth signifies the zone under which the parcel and its constituents will
temporarily reside or in the other words the Zone of mixing and residence of the pollutants.

Maximum
mixing Zone

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