Académique Documents
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Dr. V.Nagarajan
THERMAL POLLUTION
Thermal pollution can be defined as presence of waste heat in the water
which can cause undesirable changes in the natural environment.
Causes of thermal pollution:
Heat producing industries i.e.,thermal power plants, nuclear power
plants, refineries, steel mills etc. are the major sources of thermal
pollution.
Power plants utilize only 1/3 of the energy provided by fossil fuels
for their operations.Remaining 2/3 is generally lost in the form of
heat to the water used for cooling.
Cold water, generally, is drawn from some nearby water-body,
passed through the plant and returned to the same water body, with
temperature 10-16C higher than the initial temperature.
Excess of heat reaching such water bodies causes thermal
pollution of water.
Effects of Thermal Pollution
1. The dissolved oxygen content of water is decreased as the
solubility of oxygen in water is decreased at high temperature.
2. High temperature becomes a barrier for oxygen penetration into
deep cold waters.
THERMAL POLLUTION
Effects of Thermal Pollution
Toxicity of pesticides, detergents and chemicals in the
effluents increases with increase in temperature.
1. The composition of flora and fauna changes
because the species sensitive to increased
temperature due to thermal shock will be replaced
by temperature tolerant species.
2. Metabolic activities of aquatic organisms increase at
high temperature and require more oxygen, whereas
oxygen level falls under thermal pollution.
3. Discharge of heated water near the shores can
disturb spawning and can even kill young fishes.
4. Fish migration is affected due to formation of various
thermal zones.
3.
THERMAL POLLUTION
Control of Thermal Pollution
The following methods can be employed for control of thermal
pollution:
(i)Cooling ponds,
(ii) Spray Ponds,
(iii) Cooling towers
(i)Cooling Ponds:
Water from condensers is stored in ponds where natural
evaporation cools the water which can then be recirculated or
discharged in nearby water body.
Soil Pollution
Soil is the upper layer of earths crust which is formed by
weathering of rocks.
Organic matter in the soil makes it suitable for living
organisms.
Soil pollution is defined as the build-up in soils of persistent
toxic compounds, chemicals, salts, radioactive materials, or
disease causing agents, which have adverse effects on
plant growth and animal health.
Dumping of domestic and industrial wastes causes soil
pollution.
There are many different ways that soil can become
polluted, such as:
Seepage from a landfill
Discharge of industrial waste into the soil
Percolation of contaminated water into the soil
Rupture of underground storage tanks
Soil Pollution
Oil and petroleum leaks from vehicles washed off the road by the
rain into the surrounding habitat
Lagoon seepage
Cemeteries
Urban
Clogging of drains
Inundation of areas
Public health problems
Pollution of drinking water sources
Foul smell and release of gases
Waste management problems
Effects of soil pollution in general:
pollution runs off into rivers and kills the fish, plants and other
aquatic life
crops and fodder grown on polluted soil may pass the pollutants on
to the consumers
polluted soil may no longer grow crops and fodder
Soil structure is damaged (clay ionic structure impaired)
corrosion of foundations and pipelines
impairs soil stability
may release vapours and hydrocarbon into buildings and cellars
may create toxic dusts
Reforesting
o Control of land loss and soil erosion can be attempted
through restoring forest and grass cover to check
wastelands, soil erosion and floods.
o Crop rotation or mixed cropping can improve the fertility
of the land.
Solid waste treatment
o Proper methods should be adopted for management of
solid waste disposal.
o Industrial wastes can be treated physically, chemically and
biologically until they are less hazardous.
o Acidic and alkaline wastes should be first neutralized; the
insoluble material if biodegradable should be allowed to
degrade under controlled conditions before being
disposed.
o As a last resort, new areas for storage of hazardous waste
should be investigated such as deep well injection and
more secure landfills.
o Burying the waste in locations situated away from
Marine Pollution
Marine Pollution is defined as the direct or indirect introduction by
humans of substances or energy into the environment (including
estuaries), resulting in harm to living resources, hazards to human
health, hindrances to marine activities including fishing, impairment of
the quality of sea water and reduction of amenities.
Causes / Sources of Marine Pollution:
The main sources of marine pollution are:
(i)rivers, which bring pollutants from their drainage basins,
(ii)Catchment area i.e. coastline where human settlements in the form of
hotels, industry, agricultural practices have been established, and
(iii)oil drilling and shipment .
Marine Pollution
Percentage
Land
45
Air
33
Transportation
12
Dumping
Offshore
Marine Pollution
Dredging
Among all land based activities that cause marine
pollution,
dredging of ports and harbours is probably the most
significant in terms of propagation of pollutants.
The process of dredging causes the disruption of bottom
sediments.
estuarine
create
Marine Pollution
Dredging
If suspended sediments are sufficiently concentrated,
penetration of light in the water column is significantly
reduced, thereby causing damage to light depending
photosynthetic algae, corals and other aquatic organisms.
Explosives used to break rock formations destroy bottom
habitats.
Pressure radiation due to blasting, often injure or
disable marine life at considerable distances.
grained
are
Marine Pollution
Dredging
Mitigation measures:
sources
can
dredging
seasons.
Marine Pollution
Dredging
In areas where, chemical contaminants of the bottom
sediments exceed threshold values, selection of
appropriate
dredging equipment is to be considered.
These include:
*
Oozer pump suction dredger to avoid the release of
material
at the point of excavation
*
Closed clamshell bucket dredger or trailing cutter suction
dredger with no overflow
*
Proper offloading equipment on a disposal barge to pump
to
disposal sites without leakage
Marine Pollution
Ship discharges include :*
Sanitary wastes.
Garbage
Although many large ships have sewage treatment, and oil/water
separation facilities, smaller ships and other port crafts lack these
facilities.
To mitigate this problem all ports must have connections from ship to
shore-based facilities to receive and treat sanitary wastes, oily
waste & garbage.
For vessels anchored outside port, a floating reception facility such
as towed or self propelled barge may be considered.
Marine Pollution
Ballast Water Discharges:
Discharge of ballast water in ports may result in coliform &
pathogens from the port of origin to propagate to the port of
destination.
Increases in ship speeds, especially those of container vessels,
have resulted in increase of survival rates of these pathogens.
It is mandatory for ships to exchange their ballast water several
times in course of their voyage.
Oil Spills - Detection and Cleanup:
Although major oil spills constitute an estimated two-percent of
the total marine pollution, they cause in addition to
environmental damage, a serious aesthetic degradation of the
shoreline.
The major causes of the spill are :
Marine Pollution
Spills - Detection and Cleanup:
*
Marine causalities such as collisions, grounding, fires, etc.
*
Hull failure
*
Failure of equipment such as pipelines, flanges, hoses, etc.
*
Incorrect operating procedures
The avoidance of spill is a key requirement.
All ports must have an emergency contingency plan clearly
outlining authority and responsibility for dealing with such
situations.
A mechanism for alerting and reporting must be established.
Oil spill clean up equipment must be available with all ports to
deal with minor to medium spills.
Marine Pollution
Spills - Detection and Cleanup:
These equipments must include containment booms, recovery
equipment and suitable dispersants.
All operators should be trained to handle the equipment.
These equipments should be routinely checked and regular
exercises must take place to test the efficiency reporting, alerting
and operating mechanisms.
Marine Pollution
Containment and skimming -to clean up the slick.
Sorbents -- large sponges that absorb the oil from the water.
In situ burning.
Dispersants- chemicals which break down oil much more
quickly than the elements can alone.
Effects of Oil on Marine ecosystems mainly depend on the following factors:
Type of Oil (crude or refined)
Amount released
Distance of release from shore
Time of year
Weather conditions
Average water temperature
Ocean currents
Marine Pollution
Anti-Fouling Paints:
By their very nature anti-fouling paints inhibit the growth and/or
destroy a wide variety of marine organisms.
Severe damage to the aquatic life is caused by the application
of paints containing tri-butyl-tin.
Careless application of this paint causes more damage than
necessary.
Removal of old paint from vessels and floating craft in the
waterfront also causes similar damage.
New ship building/repair facilities should be located where
marine life is minimal.
Marine Pollution
Run-Off from raw material storage:
Raw materials such as coal, mineral ores, sulphur, salt, etc, are
usually stored in the open in port areas prior to loading or after
unloading from ships.
Marine Pollution
Water front discharge:
Most port jetties are designed so that they have slight slope
towards the harbour waters, to avoid flooding and/or water
stagnation due to heavy rainfall.
Inadvertently, this type of jetty design allows unimpeded flow of
contaminants into harbour waters.
The principal constituents of these contaminants are oils, diesel,
hydraulic oils, and spillages of
cargo on the wharf.
As far as possible, direct drainage from the wharves and piers
must be avoided.
These areas are to be paved and sloped so that they direct
flows to catch basins, where the water collected
is treated
before disposal.
Effects from industrial discharges are generally limited to the area next to the
discharge (the `mixing zone'). Water quality guidelines specify maximum levels
of pollutants allowed in the receiving water.
2)
Oil spills smother plants and animals, preventing respiration. In seabirds and
mammals it can cause a breakdown in their thermal insulation. Chemical
toxicity can cause behavioral changes, physiological damage, or impair
reproduction. Oil pollution is an eyesore, and cleanup and subsequent
disposal of oily wastes is difficult.
3)
4)
Ships often paint their hulls with anti-fouling substances, e.g. tributyl-tin or
TBT, to prevent growth of marine organisms. These substances leach into
water and, in high traffic areas such as harbours and marinas, can affect
animal life. There is a world wide trend towards limiting the use of TBT
containing paints.
5)
Plastics kill many marine animals. Turtles, for example, often swallow floating
plastic bags, mistaking them for jelly- fish. Animals are often strangled when
they become entangled with plastic debris.