Environmental Pollution and

Waste: Air, Water, and Land Media

Group F
CE 341A

What is Pollution?

Pollutionis the introduction of

contaminants into the natural
environment that cause adverse
change.Pollutioncan take the form
of chemical substances or energy,
such as noise, heat or light.

Air pollutant impacts

Greenhouse effect
Ozone depletion
acidification
smog formation
eutrophication
human health
ecosystem health

Criteria air pollutants

Nitrogen Dioxide: NO2
brownish gas irritates the respiratory system
originates from combustion (N2 in air is oxidized);
NOx sum of NO, NO2, other oxides of N

Ozone: ground level O3

primary constituent of urban smog
reaction of VOC + NOx in presence of heat +sun
light

Carbon monoxide: CO
reduces bloods ability to carry O2
product of incomplete combustion

Lead: Pb
-causes learning disabilities in children , toxic to
liver, kidney, blood forming organs
-tetraethyl lead anti knock agent in gasoline
-leaded gasoline has been phased out
Particulate Matter: PM10 (PM 2.5)
-respiratory disorders
Sulfur Dioxide: SO2
-formed when fuel (coal, oil) containing S is burned
and metal smelting
-precursor to acid rain along with NOx

Water Pollution
The largest source ofwater pollution in
Indiais untreatedsewage. Other sources
of pollution includeagricultural runoffand
unregulated small scale industry. Most
rivers, lakes and surface water in India are
polluted.

The problem is not only that India

lacks sufficient treatment capacity
but also that the sewage treatment
plants that exist do not operate and
are not maintained

Water Pollution Effects

seepage into ground water from nonpoint
sources
the loss of habitats such as wetlands.
we cannot always eat what we catch because
fish flesh is contaminated by the remaining
discharges and sources of toxic substances.
Microbial contamination of drinking water still
presents problems in many communities.
Pollution degrades water quality. Water pollution
severely limits the amount of water available to
Indian consumer, its industry and its agriculture.

Pollution Sources
A Point sources is any single
identifiable source of pollution from
which pollutants are discharged.
Apoint sourcehas negligible extent
Examples include discharges from
sewage treatment plants, injection
wells, and some industrial sources.

Pollution Sources
Non-point sources are diffused across a
broad area and their contamination
cannot be traced to a single discharge
point.
Examples include runoff of excess fertilizers,
herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural
lands and residential areas; oil, grease, and
toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy
production; and sediment from improperly
managed construction sites, crop and forest
lands, and eroding stream banks.

Water Treatment
Water treatmentis, collectively, the industrialscale processes that makeswatermore
acceptable for an end-use.
The processes involved in treating water for
drinking purposes may be solids separation
using physical processes such
assettlingandfiltration, andchemical
processessuch asdisinfectionandcoagulation.
Water purification is the removal of
contaminants from untreated water to
producedrinking water

Industrial Waste
Industrial waste is process waste associated
with manufacturing.
This waste usually is not classified as either
municipal waste or hazardous waste by federal
or state laws.
Regulatory programs for managing industrial
waste vary widely among state, tribal, and some
local governments.

Each year, industrial facilities generate and

manage 7.6 billion tons of nonhazardous
industrial waste in land application units.

Municipal Solid Waste

includes wastes such as durable goods,
nondurable goods, containers and
packaging, food scraps, yard trimmings,
and miscellaneous inorganic wastes
from residential, commercial,
institutional, and industrial sources.
Examples of waste from these categories
include appliances, automobile tires,
newspapers, clothing, boxes, disposable
tableware, office and classroom paper, wood
pallets, and cafeteria wastes.