Air Pollution (Environmental Engineering Reviewer)

1. Industrial smog is also called as Sulfurous Smog.

2. Sulfurous smog : is caused almost entirely by combustion of fossil fuels especially coal.
3. Two sources of gas and particulate matter that pollute the atmosphere : (Primary pollutants : substances that are emitted directly into the
atmosphere, Secondary Pollutants : created by various physical processes and chemical reactions that take place in the atmosphere.)
4. 3 processes in primary pollutants : (Combustion, evaporation, grinding and abrasion).
5. Volatile substances such as gasoline, pains and cleaning fluids enter the atmosphere by evaporation.
6. Automobile exhaust emissions and powerplant stack gases are created during combustion.
7. Asbestos fibers that flake off pipe insulations are examples of grinding and abrasions.
8. Combustion accounts for the greatest majority of emissions.

9. Complete combustion produces simple carbon dioxide and water.

10. CO2 or carbon dioxide slowly enhances earth’s natural greenhouse gases.
11. If temperature of combustion is not high enough instead of producing carbon dioxide in the process of combustion it produces carbon
monoxide which is a pollutant.
12. Most of the combustion process occurs in air which is 78% nitrogen. Some of these nitrogen reacts with the combustion process and with
oxygen and produce nitrogen oxides. This kind of NOx is called thermal Nitrogen oxide.
13. Fuel like gasoline with incomplete combustion can also be a source of nitrogen oxides due to some unburnable materials called ash. These
kind of nitrogen oxides produced from the incomplete combustion of fuel is called as Fuel Nitrogen oxides.
14. Photochemical smog is created when VOC’s react with Nitrogen Oxides and also reacts with sunlight.
15. Two types of ozone : (Ground level Ozone : dangerous and harmful type of ozone, Stratosospheric ozone : type of ozone that protects all
living things from harmful UV rays.
16. Air pollutants may be categorized as mobile sources and stationary sources.
17. Mobile sources invlude automobiles and trucks.
18. Stationary sources include power plants and industrial energy systems.
19. Clean air act started in the year 1955 previously named as Air Pollution Control Act of 1955.
20. Clean air act is amended six times : years 1963, 1966, 1970, 1977 and 1998.
21. Clean Air act of 1970 was the most important amended.
22. NAAQ : National Ambient Air Quality Standards
23. SIP : State Implementation Plans.
24. CAA : Clean Air Act
25. 6 principal players in urban air pollution : (Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxide, Sulfur Oxide, Lead, Ozone, and Particulate matter).
26. 6 criteria pollutants : (Ozone, Carbon Monoxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Small particles PM10, nitrogen dioxide, and lead.)
27. Criteria pollutants originated from Air Quality Criteria Documents.
28. Carbon Monoxide : colorless, odorless, tasteless, poisonous gas.
29. Carbon monoxide is produced when these 4 variables are not kept high (1. Oxygen supply 2. Combustion temperature 3. Gas residence time
at high temperature, 4. Combustion chamber turbulence.)
30. 7 Oxides of Nitrogen : (NO, NO2, NO3, N2O, N2O3, N2O4 and N2O5)
31. From the 7 oxides of nitrogen only NO and NO2 are important air pollutants.
32. Thermal NOx : created when nitrogen and oxygen in combustion air are heater to a high enoughtemperature.
33. Fuel Nox : results from the oxidation of nitrogen compounds that are chemically bound in the fuel molecule themselves.
34. Volatile Organic Comounds or VOC’s : includes unburnt hydrocarbons that are emitted from tailpipes and smoke stacks when fossile fuels
are not completelty combusted.
35. Ozone is the most abundant of the photochemical oxidants
36. Photolysis : process of decomposing nitrogen dioxide with a photon with the right amount of energy.
37. Particulate matter : consists of any dispersed matter , solid or liquid in which the individual aggregates range from molecular clusters of 0.00
micrometers diameter to 100 micrometers.
38. Aerosol : any tiny particles, liquid or solid dispersed in the atmosphere.
39. Dust : solid particles caused by grinding or crushing operations.
40 : Mist : liquid particles.
41. Smoke and soot : described by particles composed primarily of carbon that results from incomplete combustion.
42. Smog a term derived from smoke and fog, referring to particulate matter.
43. Aerodynamic diameter : measuring descriptions that identifies particulate matters.
44. 0.1 to 10 micrometers : particulate matter at the size of bacteria.
45. The upper respiratory system consists of the nasal cavity and the trachea.
46. The lower respiratory system consists of the bronchial tubes and the lungs.
47. Alveoli : tiny air sacs.
48 : Cilia : tiny hairlike structure that helps in capturing small particles
49. Particles larger than 10 micrometers are successfully removed by the upper respiratory system.
50. Sedimentation in the lungs is most effective for particles between 2 micrometers and 4 micro meters.
51. Burnt fuel produce Sulfur dioxide and some sulfur trioxide, these sulfur trioxide becomes OH.
52. Alternative fuels : methanol, ethanol, compressed natural gas, propane and hydrogen.
53. Methanol : also known as wood alcohol.
54. Ethanol : also known as grain alcohol produced by fermentation of all sorts of plant crops.
55. ETS : Environmental Tobacco Smoke
56. Sick-building syndrome : bewildering array of symptoms characterized by differing designs and maintenance of air filtration and ventilation.
57. 3 indoor air pollutants : ETS, Asbestos, and Radon
58. Infiltration : used to describe tha natural exchange that occurs between a building and its environment when doors and windows are closed.
59. Natural Ventilation : air exchange that occurs when windows or doors are purposely opened to increase air circulation.
60. Force Ventilation : occurs when mechanical air handling systems induce air exchange using fans or blowers.