◦ AIR POLLUTION

It is an atmospheric condition in which certain substances (including the normal

constituents in excess) are present in concentrations which can cause undesirable
effects on man and his environment. These sub- stances include gases, particulate
matter, radioactive substances etc.
Gaseous pollutants include oxides of sulphur (mostly SO2, SO3) oxides of nitrogen
(mostly NO and NO2 or NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds
(mostly hydrocarbons) etc.
Particulate pollutants include smoke, dust, soot, fumes, aerosols, liquid droplets,
pollen grains etc.
Radioactive pollutants include radon-222, iodine-131, strontium- 90, plutonium-239
etc.
Sources of Air Pollution
The sources of air pollution are natural and man-made (anthropogenic). NatnraL
Sonrces: The natural sources of air pollution are volcanic eruptions, forest fires,
sea salt sprays, biological decay, photochemical
oxidation of terpenes, marshes, extra terrestrial bodies, pollen grains
of flowers, spores etc. Radioactive minerals present in the earth crust are the
sources of radioactivity in the atmosphere.
◦
Man-made: Man made sources include thermal power plants, industrial units,
vehicular emissions, fossil fuel burning, agricultural activities etc. Thermal
power plants have become the major sources for generating electricity in India as
the nuclear power plants couldn³t be installed as planned. The main pollutants
emitted are fly ash and SO 2. Metallurgical plants also consume coal and produce
similar pollutants. Fertilizer plants, smelters, textile mills, tanneries,
refineries, chemical industries, paper and pulp mills are other sources of air
pollution.
Automobile exhaust is another major source of air pollution. Automobiles release
gases such as carbon monoxide (about 77%), oxides of nitrogen (about 8%) and
hydrocarbons (about 14%). Heavy duty diesel vehicles spew more NOx and suspended
particulate matter (SPM) than petrol vehicles which produce more carbon monoxide
and hydrocarbons.
◦ Types of air pollutants: Primary air pollutants and secondary air
pollutants.
◦
◦ Effects on Human HeaLth: Human respiratory system has a number of
mechanisms for protection from air pollution. Bigger particles (> 10 µm) can be
trapped by the hairs and sticky mucus in the lining of the nose. Smaller particles
can reach tracheobronchial system and there get trapped in mucus. They are sent
back to throat by beating of hair like cilia from where they can be removed by
spitting or swallowing. Years of exposure to air pollutants (including cigarette
smoke) adversely affect these natural defenses and can result in lung cancer,
asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema (damage to air sacs leading to loss of
lung elasticity and acute shortness of breath). Suspended particulates can cause
damage to lung tissues and diseases like asthma, bronchitis and cancer especially
when they bring with them cancer causing or toxic pollutants attached on their
surface. Sulphur dioxide (SO2) causes constriction of respiratory passage and can
cause bronchitis like conditions. En the presence of suspended particulates, SO2
can form acid sulphate particles, which can go deep into the lungs and affect them
severely.
◦ Oxides of nitrogen especially NO2 can irritate the lungs and cause
conditions like chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Carbon monoxide (CO) reaches
lungs and combines with haemoglobin of blood to form carboxyhaemoglobin. CO has
affinity for haemoglobin 210 times more than oxygen. Haemoglobin is, therefore,
unable to transport oxygen to various parts of the body. This causes suffocation.
Long exposure to CO may cause dizziness, unconsciousness and even death.
◦ Cyclone separators is one of many air pollution control devices known
as precleaners since they generally remove larger pieces of particulate matter.
This prevents finer filtration methods from having to deal with large, more
abrasive particles later on
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◦ A baghouse, also known as a baghouse filter, bag filter, or fabric
filter is an air pollution control device and dust collector that
removes particulates or gas released from commercial processes out of the air
◦ Baghouses consist of filter media (bags) suspended inside a housing or
casing. Fans on the outside of the housing blow the dirty or polluted air through
the filters, capturing the suspended particulate matter and solids on the bags and
pushing clean air through the outlet. While filtering, a baghouse bag allows the
formation of a layer of particulate matter on its surface, called a dust cake. This
dust cake continues to build until the thickness reaches a level where flow is
sufficiently restricted; at this point, the bags are cleaned. Cleaning can be done
during operation or offline depending on the type of baghouse.
◦ wet scrubber: Devices called wet scrubbers trap suspended particles by
direct contact with a spray of water or other liquid. In effect, a scrubber washes
the particulates out of the dirty airstream as they collide with and are entrained
by the countless tiny droplets in the spray.