ANURAG ENGINEERING COLLEGE

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

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L0NG ANSWER QUESTIONS
Unit-1
DEFINATION OF AIR POLLUTION
• Air pollution is the contamination of the air, irrespective of indoors or outside.
• A physical, biological or chemical alteration to the air in the atmosphere can be termed as pollution.
• It occurs when any harmful gases, dust, smoke enters into the atmosphere and makes it difficult for plants,
animals and humans to survive as the air becomes dirty.
OR
• Air pollution can further be classified into two sections- Visible air pollution and invisible air pollution.
• Another way of looking at air pollution could be any substance that the potential to hinder the atmosphere or
the wellbeing of the living beings surviving in it.
• The sustainment of all things living is due to a combination of gases that collectively form the atmosphere; the
imbalance caused by the increase or decrease of the percentage of these gases can be harmful for survival.
OR
• The Ozone layer considered critical for the existence of the ecosystems on the planet is depleting due to
increased pollution.
• Global warming, a direct result of the increased imbalance of gases in the atmosphere has come to be known
as the biggest threat and challenge that the contemporary world has to overcome in a bid for survival.

It occurs when any harmful gases, dust, smoke enters into the atmosphere and
makes it difficult for plants, animals and humans to survive as the air becomes dirty

Composition of the dry air in the lower atmosphere

❖ Nitrogen 78.08%
❖ Oxygen 20.95%
❖ Argon 0.93%
❖ Carbon dioxide 0.04%
❖ Trace gases >0.02% (He,CO,NO2, SO2,H2, NH3)
AIR POLUUTION EPISODES

Period of poor air qulaity,upto several days, often extending over large geo grapical area.

Winter: cold, stable weather conditions trap pollutants close to sources and prevent dispersion. Elavated concentrations of range of
pollutants build up over several days

Summer : hot and sunny weather. Pollutants emitted within the U.K. or Europe transported long distances, reacting with each other in
sunlight to produce high levels of ozone, & other photochemical pollutants.

Types of Pollutants

In order to understand the causes of Air pollution, several divisions can be made.

a) Primarily air pollutants: are the ones that are a direct result of the process. A classic example of a primary
pollutant would be the sulfur dioxide emitted from factories.

b) Secondary pollutants are the ones that are caused by the inter mingling and reactions of primary pollutants.
Smog created by the interactions of several primary pollutants is known to be as secondary pollutant

Primary pollutants:

The major primary pollutants include:

• Particulate matter (PM),
• Sulfur dioxide,
• Nitrogen oxides,
• Volatile organic compounds (vocs),
• Carbon monoxide, and
• Lead.
Secondary Pollutants:

a. Some primary air pollutants react with one another or with other chemicals to form secondary pollutants.
b. Atmospheric sulfuric acid is one example of a secondary pollutant.
c. Air pollution in urban and industrial areas is often called smog.
d. Photochemical smog, a noxious mixture of gases and particles, is produced when strong sunlight triggers
photochemical reactions in the atmosphere.

e. The major component of photochemical smog is ozone. • Power

SOURCE AND CLASSIFICATION OF POLLUTANTS
➢ Natural Sources
➢ Man- made or anthropogenic Sources
Natural- pollen grains, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, dust storms, spores, bacteria and other
microorganisms. The problem of pollution due to natural sources in general considered to be minimal.
Man- made- industrial units, thermal power plants, automobile exhausts, fossil fuel burning, mining,
nuclear explosions. The problem of pollution due to man made in general considered to be maximal.
Stationary
It include smoke stacks of power plants, manufacturing facilities (factories) and waste incinerators, as
well as furnaces and other types of fuel-burning heating devices.
Mobile It include motor vehicles, marine ships, Trains, and aircraft.
Classification based on chemical composition
According to chemical composition, air pollutants are categorized as organic and inorganic.
Organic air pollutants: These Pollutants are mainly composed of carbon and hydrogen. In addition,
oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorous may also be present.
Eg. Hydrocarbons, organic sulfur compounds, aldehydes, ketones, Carboxylic acids
Inorganic air Pollutants: These are purely inorganic in nature.
Eg. Carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, oxides of sulfur, oxides of nitrogen.
Classification based on state of matter
According to state in which they exist particulate and gaseous, air pollutants are categorized as
Particulate and Gaseous.
Particulate air pollutants: The solids and liquids dispersed in the atmosphere constitute the particulate
air pollutants.
Solid particulates: Eg. Dust, Fly ash, Smoke, Liquid particulates: Eg. Fog, Spray, Mist 
Gaseous air Pollutants: These are organic and inorganic gases that are present in the air as pollutants.
Organic gases Eg. Methane, butane, aldehydes
InOrganic Eg. SO2, NO2, NH3,H2S
Major pollutants sources and effects
Carbon monoxide (CO):

• Colorless, odorless, tasteless gas.

• No effect at normal conc. (0.1ppm) but higher conc. seriously affect.
• Volcanoes, natural gas emissions, seed germination contribute to CO.
• Transport sector contribute 75% CO.
• Residential wood burning 10%, industrial process 15% CO.

Effects:

• Reduce oxygen carrying capacity of blood.

• Decrease in vision and causes cardio vascular disorders.

Carbon dioxide (C02)-

• Fossil fuel combustion.

• Jet plane use O2 and release CO2.
• Burning
Effects:
• Causes headache and nausea.
• Effect on climate, increase global temp.

Oxides of nitrogen:

• NOx group contains NO, NO2,N2O

• Fuel combustion in automobiles and
industries.
• Lightening.
• Forest fires.
• Natural ionizing radiations.

Effects:
Reduce blood carrying capacity.
Causes lung problems.
Oxides of Sulphur :

• Generally called SOx, include SO2, SO3, 67% SOx

pollution due to volcanic activities and other
natural sources.
• Remaining due to fossil fuel burning,
transportation, industrial activities.

Effects:

• Respiratory problems
• Marbles, clothes, paper,
• Leather also affected.
• Plants also heavily affected.

Hydrocarbons (HC):

• These include Methane, Ethylene, Acetylene, Terpenes etc.

• Sources include coal fields, natural fires.
• Incomplete combustion
• Forest fires
• Agricultural burning

Effects:

• Carcinogenic effect
• Form ozone and PAN which are harmful.
• Damage plants, rubber materials, fabric and paints.
•
Particulate materials:

• Particles of different substances suspended in the air

• In the form of solid particles and liquid droplets
• Particles vary widely in size
• Different particulate materials are aerosols, dust, smoke, fumes, mist, fog, fly ash etc.
• Fine particles come from a variety of sources like diesel trucks and buses construction equipment power
plants woodstoves wildfires. Also, Chemical reactions in the atmosphere can transform gases into fine
particles

Effects:

• Premature death
• Aggravated asthma
• Acute respiratory symptoms
• Chronic bronchitis
• Decreased lung function (shortness of breath)
• People with existing heart and lung
disease, as well as the elderly and
children, are particularly at risk
1. Burning of Fossil Fuels:
• Sulfur dioxide emitted from the combustion of fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and other factory
combustibles is one the major cause of air pollution. Pollution emitting from vehicles including trucks,
jeeps, cars, trains, airplanes cause immense amount of pollution.
• Carbon Monoxide caused by improper or incomplete combustion and generally emitted from vehicles is
another major pollutant.
• Nitrogen Oxides that is produced from both natural and manmade processes.

2. Agricultural activities:

• Ammonia is a very common by product from agriculture related activities and is one of the most dangerous
gases in the atmosphere.
• Use of insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural activities has grown quite a lot. They emit
harmful chemicals into the air and can also cause water pollution.

3. Exhaust from factories and industries:

• Manufacturing industries release large amount of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, organic compounds, and
chemicals into the air thereby depleting the quality of air.
• Manufacturing industries can be found at every corner of the earth and there is no area that has not been
affected by it.
• Petroleum refineries also release hydrocarbons and various other chemicals that pollute the air and also
cause land pollution.
4. Mining operations:

• Mining is a process wherein minerals below the earth are extracted using large equipment’s.
• During the process dust and chemicals are released in the air causing massive air pollution.
• This is one of the reasons which are responsible for the deteriorating health conditions of workers and
nearby residents.
5. Indoor air pollution:

• Household cleaning products, painting supplies emit toxic chemicals in the air and cause air pollution.
• Have you ever noticed that once you paint walls of your house, it creates some sort of smell which makes it
literally impossible for you to breathe?
• Suspended particulate matter popular by its acronym SPM, is another cause of pollution. Referring to the
particles afloat in the air, SPM isusually caused by dust, combustion etc.

6. Power plants:
• Renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines arehelping us generate a bigger
proportion of our power every year, but the overwhelming majority of electricity (around 70 percent in the
United States, for example) is still produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas, and oil, mostly in
conventional power plants.
• Just like car engines, power plants should theoretically produce nothing worse than carbon dioxide and
water; in practice, fuels are dirty and they don't burn cleanly, so power plants produce a range of air
pollutants, notably sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulates.

CONTROL OF AIR POLLUTION

1. Planting more trees
2. Reducing vehicle exhausts
3. Using less polluting fuels
4. Using mass transport
5. Removal of particulate matter using electrostatic precipitator, cyclone filter, etc.
6. Industrial area should be cited far away from residential area.
7. Suitable chemical methods applied to remove hydrocarbons
8. Multi stage combustion process – suggested to remove oxides of nitrogen
9. Activated carbon, charcoal, commercial zeolite and pulverized lime stones can be used to remove polluting
gases by absorption.
10. Use of tall chimneys reduces concentration of air pollution at ground level

Unit-2
Effects of Air pollution
1. Human health:

• The effects of air pollution are alarming.

• They are known to create several respiratory and heart conditions along with Cancer, among other threats
to the body.
• Several millions are known to have died due to direct or indirect effects of Air pollution.
• Children in areas exposed to air pollutants are said to commonly suffer from pneumonia and asthma.

2. Eutrophication:

• Eutrophication is a condition where high amount of nitrogen present in some pollutants gets developed on
sea’s surface and turns itself into algae and adversely affects fish, plants and animal species.
• The green colored algae that is present on lakes and ponds is due to presence of this chemical only.
3. Effect on Wildlife:

• Just like humans, animals also face some devastating affects of air pollution.
• Toxic chemicals present in the air can force wildlife species to move to new place and change their habitat.
• The toxic pollutants deposit over the surface of the water and can also affect sea animals.

4. Depletion of Ozone layer:

Ozone is a gas that is present in the ozone layer in the stratosphere of the Earth. There, it will absorb
almost all ultraviolet light which is harmful to many organisms.

• Ozone exists in earth’s stratosphere and is responsible for protecting humans from harmful ultraviolet (UV)
rays.
• Earth’s ozone layer is depleting due to the presence of chlorofluorocarbons, hydro chlorofluorocarbons in
the atmosphere.
• As ozone layer will go thin, it will emit harmful rays back on earth and can cause skin and eye related
problems.
• UV rays also have the capability to affect crops.

”Ozone hole”

The ”ozone hole” is an extraordinary low ozone concentration caused by the ozone layer depletion at the South
Pole during the arctic winter and spring period. The”ozone hole” on satellite pictures it looks like a big hole.
The ozone layer thickness in the ”ozone hole” region is 100 – 150 DU (the standard ozone layer thickness is
300 DU).
[The Dobson unit (DU) is a unit of measurement of atmospheric ozone columnar density, which is dominated
by ozone in the stratospheric ozone layer.]
Impacts Of Ozone Depletion:

Impact on the Biosphere:

• Microscopic algae called phytoplankton form the foundation of the undersea food chain. Less phytoplankton
means less food for these animals to eat. It is estimated that a 16 % ozone depletion could result in further
losses in Phytoplankton, which would lead to a loss of about 7 million tons of fish per year.
• Damage to Crops

Impact on Humans:
• UV-B damages DNA and Mutation may occur. It causes aging of skin, damage to skin cells and various
types of skin cancers. Cataracts In human eye, cornea absorbs UV-B radiation. "Snow blindness" is the
result of overexposure to UVB and causes the inflammation of cornea. A cataract is a clouding that develops
in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its envelope
Immune System:
• Recent studies show that some viruses can be activated by increased exposure to UV. This affects our
Immune system.
Remedies :
• Montreal Protocol:
• An International treaty that was signed at Montreal (Canada) in 1987 to control the emission of ozone
depleting substances.
• Reduce the emission of CFC’s

5. Global warming:

• Another direct effect is the immediate alterations that the world is witnessing due to Global warming.
• With increased temperatures world wide, increase in sea levels and melting of ice from colder regions and
icebergs, displacement and loss of habitat have already signaled an impending disaster if actions for
preservation and normalization aren’t undertaken soon.
• Global warming is the result of greenhouse gases trapping heat and light from the sun in the earth's
atmosphere, which increases the temperature, heating up the earth.
Causes:

Deforestation:
• Climate change is a severe outcome of excessive cutting down of trees. It results in an increase in the
amount of carbon and other greenhouse gases in the environment.
Green House gases:
• Greenhouse gases are the gases which trap the solar radiations and trigger a rise in Temperature levels on
the planet.

Landfill
• Landfills also produce greenhouse gases, both by methane gas escaping, and by burning the waste to save
space on landfills.
Pollution
• Pollution is a serious threat to the environment and a culprit for global warming. It is one of the causes of
the greenhouse effect, which traps in the suns heat and doesn't let it escape.

Consequences Of Global Warming

• Climate change
• Changes in wildlife adaptations and cycles
• Increase in sea level
• On Health
• Species becoming endangered or extinct
• Heavy draught
• Spread of Disease
• Rise in Tides
• Change in Weather patterns

Remedies For Global Warming

Afforestation:
• Planting more trees and reducing timber cuts worldwide will help restore the imbalance.
Follow the 3 R’s:
• We must follow on environmental policy of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’, i.e. promoting the reuse of anything.
Use of fuel-efficient vehicles:
• Fuel-efficient vehicles should be promoted as these vehicles have lower emissions of harmful gases.
• Eco- friendly technologies
• Public awareness campaign
• Reduce the emission of green house gases

6. Acid Rain:

• Harmful gases like nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are released into the atmosphere during the burning of
fossil fuels.
• When it rains, the water droplets combines with these air pollutants, becomes acidic and then falls on the
ground in the form of acid rain.
• Acid rain can cause great damage to human, animals and crops.
7. Green House Effect:

Green House effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon that is responsible for heating of Earth’s Surface and
atmosphere.
The primary greenhouse gases include Carbon dioxide Methane Nitrogen oxides and Fluorinated gases.
Greenhouse gases reflect radiation from the Earth and stop it from being lost into space. This causes the Earth's
temperature to be higher than its normal temperature.

Causes of Green House Effect:

• Deforestation
• Burning of Fossils
• Electrical Appliances
• Population Growth

Results of Green House Effect:

• Global warming
• Sea level rise
• Economic impact
• Agricultural impact
• Effects on aquatic systems
• Effects on hydrological cycles
• Health
• Direct effects of temperature rise
• Spread of disease
Remedies of Green House Effect:
• Reforestation.
• Personal Actions.
• Climate Policy.

How air pollution works on different scales

• Air pollution can happen on every scale, from the local to the global.
• Sometimes the effects are immediate and happen very near to the thing that caused them; but they can also
happen days, months, or even years later and in other cities, countries, or continents.
 Local air
pollution

Neighborh Regional
-ood air air
pollution pollution

Local air pollution

• Acetone (a solvent in nail varnish remover) is a VOC (volatile organic compound), so it evaporates and
spreads very quickly, rapidly getting up the nose of anyone sitting nearby.
• This is everyday example of how air pollution can work on a very local scale: the causes and the effects are
close together in both space and time. Localized air pollution like this is the easiest kind to tackle.

Neighborhood air pollution:

• How clean your air is depends on where you live: air is generally far cleaner in rural than in urban areas, for
example, where factories, chemical plants, and power plants are more likely to be located and traffic levels
are much higher.
• Exactly how clean your neighborhood is can also depend critically on the weather, especially if you live
somewhere prone to temperature inversions and smog.
• Neighborhood air pollution problems are often best tackled through local community campaigns.

Regional air pollution:

• If the wind generally blows in the same direction, the pollution can be systematically deposited on another
city, region, or country downwind.
• Sometimes air pollution is carried back down to Earth as contaminated rain or snow, which dissolves in
watercourses or oceans causing what's known as atmospheric deposition.
• In other words, the air pollution becomes water pollution.
• According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
• "Atmospheric deposition has been shown to be a significant source of pollutants to the Great Lakes and
other water bodies."
• Acid rain is the best known example of atmospheric deposition
•