Environmental pollution:

Sources, causes, effect and

control
 Pollution

Pollution may be defined as ‘an undesirable change in the physical,

chemical or biological characteristics of our air, water and land that
may or will harmfully, affect human life, the lives of the desirable
species, our industrial processes, living conditions and cultural
assets, or that may or will waste or deteriorate our raw materials.

Pollution is mostly man made, but it can also be natural. Natural

pollution is caused by volcanic eruptions, emission of natural gases,
soil erosion, ultraviolet rays, cosmic rays etc.
 Types of Pollution
• Atmospheric (air)
pollution
• Water pollution
• Soil/land pollution
• Radioactive pollution
• Noise pollution
Air
Pollution
 Definitio
n
Presence of foreign material in
the air which are harmful to man
and environment.
 Sources of Air Pollution
A. Natural
B. Anthropogen
ic Domestic

Commercial
Agricultural
Industrial
Transportatio
n related
 Natural sources
Natural pollutant emissions vary from
one location to another, with
seasonal, geological and
meteorological conditions and with
the type of vegetation
eg. Volcanic eruptions, forest fires,
dust storms etc.
 Domestic Sources
In residential areas, domestic activities
are the major causes of pollutant
emissions.
Activity Pollutants released
Space heating CO, CO2, NOx, Sox, soot, smoke (if fossil fuels are burned
at the residence)
Cooking Fats ( as solids, liquids, and vapors), particles, odors
Cleaning Solvent vapors, dust, lint, spray can propellants
Gardening Pesticides, fertilizers (some of which may be highly toxic)
Painting Principally solvent vapors
Washing Detergent particles, soap particles, lint
 Commercial Sources
• commercial sources of air pollution
include the public services industries
eg.,dry cleaning of clothes.
• Other include restaurants, hotels,
schools, printing and painting.
 Agricultural Sources
• animal feed operations
• Cotton particles during
harvesting and processing in
sufficient quantities
• Pesticides and insecticides
 Industrial sources
A few of the polluting industries are
• Fertilizer and explosive
manufactures (produces NOx)
• Paper plants, natural gas cleaning
and processing plants, oil refineries,
synthetic fibers plant ( Hydrogen
sulfide)
• Cast iron and other
metallurgical processes
( CO)
• Industries related to petroleum and
 Transportation related
sources
• Except agriculture the
transportation sector releases one
third of the total emissions of VOCs,
nitrogen oxides, and lead and more
two thirds of the carbon monoxide.
Sources of air pollution
 Important Air Pollution Sources and
emisions
Category Examples Important Pollutants

Chemical plant Petroleum refineries, fertilizers, Hydrogen sulphide, sulphur

cement, paper mill, ceramic, clay oxides, flourides, organic
products and glass manufacture vapors and dusts.
Crop spraying Pest and weed control Organophosphates,
chlorinated hydrocarbons,
lead, arsenic.
Fuel burning Domestic burning, thermal power Suphur and nitrogen oxides.
plants

Metallurgical plants Aluminium refineries, steel plants Metal fumes ( Lead and Zinc)
flourides and particulates.

Nuclear device testing Bomb explosions Radioactive fallouts, Sr-90, Ca-

137, C- 14, etc.

Ore preparation Crushing, grinding screening Uranium and Beryllium dust,

other particulates, argon-41,
Iodine-131
Spray painting, solvent Furniture and appliances dyeing, Hydrocarbons and other organic
extractions, inks, solvent printings and chemical vapors
cleaning separations, dry cleaning
Transportation Cars, trucks, aeroplanes and Carbon monoxide, nitrogen
railways oxides, lead, smoke, organic
vapors etc.
Waste recovery Scrap metal yards, rendering plants Smoke, soot. Odors. Organic
vapors metal fumes.
 Pollutant
Classification
s
Primary pollutant Secondary pollutant

Gaseous ---oxides of Photochemical smog, acid

carbon, oxides of rain
sulphur, oxides of
nitrogen, hydrocarbons

Particulate---lead, SPM,
RSPM, Pollen, dust, fly ash
etc.
 Photochemical smog

The product of photochemical reactions are formaldehyde,

peroxybenzoyl Nitrate (PBzN), peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), and
acrolein.

Hydrocarbons + NOx + Sunlight Photochemical smog

The NO-NO2-O3 photochemical reaction

sequence N2+O2 2NO
2NO+O2 2NO2
In presence of sunlight
NO2 + hv NO +O
O +O2 +M O3 +M
Where hv means photon
(λ<0.38µm) Ozone then convert
NO back to NO2
 Oxyge
SU n (O2)
N

Nitroge
Nitri Atomi Ozon
Emissio dioxid
n
c c e
ns e
oxid oxyge (O3)
(NO2)
e n (O)
(NO)

Fig. 3: Atmospheric nitrogen photolytic

cycle
 Reaction of hydrocarbons with
NOx HC can cause NO to
convert to NO2 Reducing NO
removes O3 slowly
Increase in NO2 gives rise to
increase in ozone production
as shown below

OH- O2 N O2 NO
O

RH RO2-
emission R-
RO- HO2-
s

H2 O NO2 R’CH NO2

O
 Effect
Pollutants s Effects on Man, Vegetation and other materials

Carcinogenic hydrocarbon On man --- Cancer

Carbon monoxide On man – Poisoning, increased accident liability

Dust On man--- Repiratory diseases, fiseases like silicosis

(cough, cold, sneezing, allergic deseases, etc),
asbestosis, byssinosis, poisoning from metallic dust
Hydrogen sulphide On man– irritation of respiratory passages,
danger of respiratory paralysis and
asphyxiation
On materials– Darkening of painted surfaces,
corrosion
Hydrogen flouride On man – irritation, diseases of bone (flourosis),
mottling of teeth, respiratory diseases
On vegetation – destruction of crops
Heavy metals On man – specific poisoning, retardation of activities
of brain, interference in enzyme activities in liver and
kidney
Nitrogen dioxide On man –irritation , brochitis, oedema of lungs

Photochemical smog (oxidants) On man – lung irritation, asthma,

bronchitis,etc On vegetation –destruction
of vegetation
On materials– deterioration of rubber products such
as tyres and insulating wires
Sulphur dioxide On man– suffocation, irritation of throat and eyes,
respiratory diseases.
On vegetation– destruction of sensitive crops and
reduced yield On materials – corrosion.
Acid Rain and dry acid deposition
 Control of Air pollution
I.Control of particulate
matter
• Arresters
• Scrubbers
II. Control of gaseous
pollutants
III. Control of automobile
exhaust
Some air pollution control devices
 Air pollution Meteorology
• The rate of decrease of temperature with increase in height
is called the temperature lapse rate. If the rate of decrease
refers to the air environment, it is called the environmental
lapse rate.

Stratosphere
10-
Heigh 20km
t
Tropospher
e

Temperature

Fig.1: Temperature change with height illustrating positive lapse in the

troposphere.
 Unstabl Neutr Stable Stable
e al I II

E
I
G

H Superadiabatic Adiabatic Subadiabatic Negative

(inversion)

TEMPERATUR
E
Environmental Lapse Rate

Process Lapse Rate

(Adiabatic)
Fig 2: Stability of an air parcel determined by environmental
lapse rate.
H
Top
E Inversion
I Bas
layer
G e

T
Top

Inversio
n layer
Base

TEMPERATURE

Fig.3: Surface inversion and inversion

aloft.
 Assesment
The pollution can be assesed by the
use of
a. High volume sampler
b. Gas bubbler
c. Respirable dust monitoring
equipments
d. Stack monitoring
 Water pollution
It is defined as the addition of some
substance (organic, inorganic,
biological or radiological) or factor
(heat), which degrade the quality of
water so that it either becomes
health hazards or unfit for use.
 Sources of water
pollution
Point source
1.Municipal waste
Non-point
sources

water Agricultura
Most important l sources
characteristics BOD,
COD,DO, metals
Fertilizers, pesticides,
2.Industrial waste water
Inorganic Organic fungicides
Different Carbohyd Substances like DDT gives
metals, rate, rise to biomagnification
Flourides, proteins,
sulphates, oils, fats,
Cyanide, oxides of phenols,
iron, mercury,acid, organic
alkali etc acids etc.
A few industrial sources of water
pollution
 Effect on the aquatic
•
system
The oxygen demand in waste consumes Do from water and
it may bring it down to a value less than 4ppm which is
threshold value for the survival of fish and other aquatic
life. Reduced DO also eliminate the sensitive species like
plankton, molusc and fish while annelid worm and some
insect larvae are tolerant to low DO content.
• The DO of the water depends upon the temperature of
water
• Heavy metals and high temperature also affects the
organisms
• Eutrophication algal bloom
 Effects on human
•
health
The waste water or sewage contains pathogens
which when consumed causes jaundice, cholera,
typhoid, amoebiosis etc.
• Heavy metals can cause serious health problems. Murcuric
compounds are converted by bacterial actions into methyl
mercury which causes numbness of limbs, lips and tongue,
blurring of vision and metal derangement
• Minimata desease was caused in 1952 in Japan due to
consumption of mercury
• Cadmium can cause itai itai disease which is a painful
disease of bones and joints, cancer of lungs and liver.
• lead causes anaemia, headache, loss of muscle power
and bluish line around gums
Excess nitrate (ground water) may be fatal for infants.
It causes Methaemoglobinemia or blue baby disease
Haemoglobin + methaemoglobin
nitrate Flouride Causes teeth deformaty hardening of
bones and Skeletal florosis
 Contr
oltreated before discharging into
1.Sewage should be suitably
the water body
Conventional waste treatment
Primar Secondary Tertiary
y Biological Polishing
treatment ponds
Screen
ASP Nutrient
Grit
Trickling filter removal
Chamber
Oxydation Disinfection
Settling
pond
Oxydation
ditch Aerated
Lagoon UASB
and
Sludge
Thickening and
treatment
 Soil /land Pollution
• The top soil gets polluted by the addition of the substances to the soil
which adversely affect physical, chemical and biological properties of
soil and reduces its productivity
• The process of soil production is very slow and hence the soil can be
considered as non-renewable resource.
• Soil pollution may occur by dumping and disposing the waste
directly on land, application of agrochemicals or indirectly through
air pollution.
• Main soil pollutants are
• Industrial waste
• Pesticides
• Fertilizers and manures
• Discarded waste
• Solid and semi solid
• Radioactive sources
• And other polluting materials entering indirectly
 Effect
• Salination of the soil
• The soil may become infertile
• The pollutants may leach down with the rain water
polluting the ground water
 Control
• Manage the solid waste properly
• pipes should be laid for
collecting and disposing
waste
• Industrial waste should be
dumped in special pits
• Chemical fertilizers and pesticides
used may be reduced---
biofertilizer, biopesticides