The document is a report on environmental chemistry and different types of pollution. It discusses water pollution, air pollution, and soil pollution. It describes the causes of each type of pollution and provides examples. For air pollution specifically, it details the primary and secondary pollutants, major pollutant sources like combustion of fossil fuels and their effects like respiratory problems. It concludes with solutions to air pollution like using public transport, conserving energy, and emphasizing clean energy resources.
1. Acknowledgement
I owe a great many thanks to many people who
helped & supported me during the preparation of
my project.
I would like to thank my chemistry teacher, whose
valuable guidance has been the once that helped
me patch this project and make it full proof
success his suggestions and his instructions has
served as the major contributor towards the
completion of the project.
Then I would like to thank my parents and friends
who have helped me their valuable suggestions
and guidance has been helpful in various phrases
of the completion of the project.
I thank everyone once again & especially God,
who made all things possible.
2. INTRODUCTION
Environmental chemistry is the scientific study of the chemical and biochemical
phenomena that occur in natural places. Itcan be defined as the study of the
sources, reactions, transport, effects, and fates of chemical species in the air,
soil, and water environments; and the effect of human activity and biological
activity on these. Environmentalchemistry is an interdisciplinary science that
includes atmospheric, aquatic and soil chemistry, as well as heavily relying on
analytical chemistry and being related to environmental and other areas of
science.
Environmental chemistry is the study of chemical processes occurring in the
environmentwhich are impacted by humankind's activities. These impacts may
be felt on a local scale, through the presenceof urban air pollutants or toxic
substances arising froma chemical wastesite, or on a global scale, through
depletion of stratospheric ozoneor global warming.
Environmental chemistry involves firstunderstanding how the uncontaminated
environmentworks, which chemicals in what concentrations are present
naturally, and with whateffects. Without this it would be impossible to
accurately study the effects humans haveon the environmentthrough the
release of chemicals.
3. Different Types of Pollution and Its Causes
The main types of pollution are: -
Water Pollution - As the name suggests, “Water Pollution” is the type of
pollution that involves the contamination of various water bodies. Various
aquatic creatures depend on these water bodies and its natural nutritious
features to supportits life.
Causes of Water Pollution:
o Industrialwastegets dumped into these water bodies. This causes a
chemical imbalance in the water leading to death of the aquatic
beings.
o Insecticides, pesticides and ripening chemicals that are used on
plants run into the ground water system or nearby streams.
o Certain natural disasters like flash floods and hurricanes causethe
intermixing of water with harmfulsubstances on the land.
People can take certain preventable measures to stop water pollution like
being more cautious of dumping contaminants onto the water. For the repair
of the damage that has already been done, water treatment plants are being
constructed with innovativetechniques to clean the polluted water. But as
always, a certain partof the damage can be resolved therefore, it is better to
prevent water pollution as water is basic need for the survivalof man.
Air Pollution - The contamination of the air present in the atmosphereis
known as “Air pollution”. Respiration is an important life process of all living
things. We breathe in the air present in the atmosphere. Therefore, if the air
around us is contaminated with poisonous gases, it would have a fatal effect
on us. The air naturally comprises of 78% of nitrogen, 21% of oxygen, 0.9% of
4. oxide gases and 0.1% of inert gases. When this balance is disturbed, it causes
disruptions of severeproportions.
Causes of Air Pollution:
o Partially combusted exhaust gases released from internal combustion
engines add poisonous gases into the atmosphere.
o Certain industries release some gases like Sulphur dioxide and carbon
monoxide which mix with the air and clouds and cause acid rains.
o Burning of discarded plastic, wood and rubber also release carcinogenic
gases into the atmosphere.
Air pollution is very much fatal to living things as almost all living beings respire
directly fromthe atmospherewithout undergoing any treatment like water.
Hence use of catalytic converters in vehicles, preventing the burning of used
products, leaving vehicles running for lengthy periods of time during halts and
such environment friendly actions.
Soil Pollution - Stripping soil of its natural fertility by using artificial chemicals
like pesticides, insecticides, ripening agents etc. is known as “Soil Pollution”.
Plants depend on the nitrogenous compounds presentin the soil for their
nutrition. Use of insecticides, pesticides and other artificial chemicals absorbs
the nitrogen from the soil making it unfit for the growth for plants. Plants are
responsiblefor holding the soiltogether firmly so, when the plants can’t grow
the soil splits, leading to soil erosion.
Conclusion – Pollution in all its various forms causes immensedamage
covering all possibleaspects that can be damaged. Therefore, it is important to
prevent all these forms to look forward to a greener cleaner and much more
pleasant living experience.
5. Atmospheric Pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of particulates, biological molecules, or other
harmfulmaterials into Earth's atmosphere, causing disease, death to humans,
damage to other living organisms such as food crops, or the naturalor built
environment. Air pollution may come from anthropogenic or natural sources.
The atmosphere is a complex natural gaseous system that is essential to
supportlife on planet Earth. Stratospheric ozonedepletion due to air pollution
has been recognized as a threat to human health as well as to the Earth's
ecosystems. Indoor air pollution and urban air quality are listed as two of the
world’s worsttoxic pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith InstituteWorld's
WorstPolluted Places report. According to the 2014 WHO report, air pollution
in 2012 caused the deaths of around 7 million people worldwide.
Pollutants - An air pollutant is a substancein the air that can have adverse
effects on humans and the ecosystem. The substancecan be solid particles,
liquid droplets, or gases. A pollutant can be of natural origin or man-made.
Types of Pollutants:
In order to understand the causes of Air pollution, severaldivisions can be
made. Primarily air pollutants can be caused by primary sources or secondary
sources. Thepollutants that are a direct result of the process can be called
primary pollutants. A classic example of a primary pollutant would be the
sulfur-dioxideemitted fromfactories
Secondary pollutants arethe 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.
Some common air pollutants and their major sources:
Pollutant Major pollutant source
CO Transportation, auto exhaust, petroleum, paper industries.
SO2 Metallurgical operations, combustion of coal and oil.
NO, NO2 Fertilizer industries, explosive industries.
Cl2 Industrial process such as paper, plastic, dyes, etc.
Hydrocarbons Petroleum refineries, chemical processes, solid waste
disposal, rubber manufacture.
6. Particulates Volcanic eruptions, metallurgical operations.
Major Primary Pollutants:
Sulfur oxides (SOx) - particularly sulfur dioxide, a chemical compound
with the formula SO2. SO2 is produced by volcanoes and in various
industrial processes. Coaland petroleum often contain sulfur
compounds, and their combustion generates sulfur dioxide. Further
oxidation of SO2, usually in the presence of a catalystsuch as NO2,
forms H2SO4, and thus acid rain. This is one of the causes for concern
over the environmental impact of the use of these fuels as power
sources.
Nitrogenoxides (NOx) - Nitrogen oxides, particularly nitrogen dioxide,
are expelled from high temperature combustion, and are also produced
during thunderstorms by electric discharge. They can be seen as a brown
haze dome above or a plume downwind of cities. Nitrogen dioxide is a
chemical compound with the formula NO2. Itis one of severalnitrogen
oxides. Oneof the mostprominent air pollutants, this reddish-brown
toxic gas has a characteristic sharp, biting odor.
Secondary Pollutants:
Particulates created from gaseous primary pollutants and compounds in
photochemical smog. Smog is a kind of air pollution. Classic smog results
fromlarge amounts of coal burning in an area caused by a mixture of
smokeand sulfur dioxide. Modern smog does not usually come from
coal but from vehicular and industrialemissions that are acted on in the
atmosphereby ultraviolet light from the sun to form secondary
pollutants that also combine with the primary emissions to form
photochemical smog.
Ground level ozone(O3) formed from NOx and VOCs. Ozone(O3) is a
key constituent of the troposphere. Itis also an important constituent of
certain regions of the stratospherecommonly known as the Ozonelayer.
Photochemical and chemical reactions involving it drivemany of the
chemical processes thatoccur in the atmosphereby day and by night. At
abnormally high concentrations broughtabout by human activities
(largely the combustion of fossilfuel), it is a pollutant, and a constituent
of smog.
7. Causes of Air pollution: -
1. Burning of Fossil Fuels: Sulfur dioxideemitted from the combustion of
fossilfuels like coal, petroleum and other factory combustibles is one
the major causeof air pollution. Pollution emitting from vehicles
including trucks, jeeps, cars, trains, airplanes causeimmense amount of
pollution. We rely on them to fulfill our daily basic needs of
transportation. But their overuseis killing our environmentas
dangerous gases arepolluting the environment. Carbon Monoxide
caused by improper or incomplete combustion and generally emitted
fromvehicles is another major pollutant along with Nitrogen Oxides
that is produced from both natural and man-made processes.
2. Agricultural activities: Ammonia is a very common by productfrom
agriculture related activities and is one of the mosthazardous gases in
the atmosphere. Useof insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers in
agricultural activities has grown quite a lot. They emit harmfulchemicals
into the air and can also cause water pollution.
3. Exhaust from factories andindustries: 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 massiveair pollution. This
is one of the reasons which is responsiblefor 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. Haveyou ever
noticed that once you paint walls of your house, it creates some sortof
smell which makes it literally impossible for you to breathe?
Suspended particulate matter popular by its acronym SPM, is another causeof
pollution. Referring to the particles afloat in the air, SPM is usually caused by
dust, combustion etc.
8. Effects of Air pollution:-
1) Respiratory andheart problems -Theeffects of Air pollution are
alarming. They are known to create severalrespiratory 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 aresaid to
commonly suffer frompneumonia and asthma.
2) Global warming - Another direct effect is the immediate alterations that
the world is witnessing due to Global warming. With increased
temperatures worldwide, increasein 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.
3) AcidRain - Harmfulgases like nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are
released into the atmosphereduring the burning of fossilfuels. When it
rains, the water droplets combine with these air pollutants, becomes
acidic and then falls on the ground in the form of acid rain. Acid rain can
causegreat damage to human, animals and crops.
4) Eutrophication - Eutrophication is a condition wherehigh amount of
nitrogen presentin somepollutants gets developed on sea’s surfaceand
turns itself into algae and adversely affect fish, plants and animal
species. The green colored algae that is presenton lakes and ponds is
due to presence of this chemical only.
5) Effect on Wildlife - Justlike humans, animals also face somedevastating
effects of air pollution. Toxic chemicals presentin the air can force
wildlife species to move to new place and change their habitat. The
toxic pollutants deposit over the surfaceof the water and can also affect
sea animals.
6) Depletionof Ozone layer - Ozoneexists in earth’s stratosphereand is
responsiblefor protecting humans from harmfulultraviolet (UV) rays.
Earth’s ozonelayer is depleting due to the presenceof
chlorofluorocarbons, hydro chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere. As
ozonelayer will go thin, it will emit harmfulrays back on earth and can
causeskin and eye related problems. UV rays also have the capability to
affect crops.
9. When you try to study the sources of Air pollution, you enlist a series of
activities and interactions that create these pollutants. There are two
types of sources that we will take a look at: Natural sources and Man-
made sources.
Natural sources of pollution include dustcarried by the wind from
locations with very little or no green cover, gases released from the
body processes of living beings (Carbon dioxide from humans during
respiration, Methane from cattle during digestion, Oxygen from plants
during Photosynthesis). Smokefrom thecombustion of various
inflammable objects, volcanic eruptions etc. along with the emission of
polluted gases also make it to the list of Natural sources of Pollution.
While looking at the man-made contributions towards air pollution, smoke
again features as a prominent component. The smokeemitted from various
forms of combustion like in bio mass, factories, vehicles, furnaces etc. Waste
used to create landfills generate methane that is harmful in severalways. The
reactions of certain gases and chemicals also form harmfulfumes that can be
dangerous to the well-being of living creatures.
Solutions for Air Pollution:-
1. Use public mode of transportation: Encouragepeopleto use more and
more public modes of transportation to reduce pollution. Also, try to
make useof carpooling. If you and your colleagues come from the same
locality and have same timings you can explore this option to save
energy and money.
2. Conserve energy: Switch off fans and lights when you are going out.
Large amountof fossilfuels is burntto produce electricity. You can save
the environmentfromdegradation by reducing the amount of fossil
fuels to be burned.
3. Understandthe concept of Reduce, Reuse andRecycle: Do notthrow
away items that are of no use to you. In-factreusethem for someother
purpose. For e.g. you can use old jars to storecereals or pulses.
4. Emphasis on cleanenergy resources: Clean energy technologies like
solar, wind and geothermal are on high these days. Governments of
various countries havebeen providing grants to consumers who are
10. interested in installing solar panels for their home. This will go a long
way to curb air pollution.
5. Use energy efficient devices: CFL lights consume less electricity as
against their counterparts. They live longer, consumeless electricity,
lower electricity bills and also help you to reduce pollution by
consuming less energy.
Several attempts are being made worldwideon a personal, industrialand
governmentallevels to curb the intensity at which Air Pollution is rising and
regain a balance as far as the proportions of the foundation gases are
concerned. This is a direct attempt at slacking Global warming. Weare seeing a
series of innovations and experiments aimed at alternate and unconventional
options to reduce pollutants. Air Pollution is one of the larger mirrors of man’s
follies, and a challenge we need to overcometo see a tomorrow.
11. INDEX
1) Acknowledgement
2) Introduction:
Environmental Chemistry
Different types of pollution and its causes – Water Pollution
Air Pollution
Soil Pollution
3) Air pollution:
i. Types of pollutants
ii. Causes of air pollution
iii. Effect of air pollution
iv. Solutions of air pollution
4) Bibliography
