Environmental Science and Engineering CH311

Air Pollution
- Monitoring & Control

Dr. J. Mary Gladis Department of Chemistry IIST

Pollutants are continuously removed from the atmosphere - How ?

The scavenging processes are
Particulates

Gases:

Interaction at the earths Surface- ocean, Vegetation, soil

Air Quality Monitoring Station Remote sensing systems

Environmental Sensors

Use of Purified petrol

Lower emissions from existing vehicles through tighter standards and emission testing Engine with better design to minimize the pollutants during combustion (unburnt fuel, carbon, CO, HC tec.,) Reduce number of vechicles on the road Manufacture alternative vechicles which use natural gas propane, electricity, fuel cells and hybrid technology

It will burn gasoline or diesel as well as biodiesel, ethanol or vegetable oil.

Zero Pollution Motors plans to drop the AirPod

And soon (~2011). The compressed-air powered vehicle will cost about $20,000 (!)

Prevent the formation Minimize their emission

Source correction methods

Raw material changes

Operational changes
Modification or replacement of process equipment

More effective operation of existing equipment

Cleaning of gaseous Effluents

Particulate emission Control

Particulate emission Control

Bag filter

1.

Gravitational settling champers

1.

Gravitational settling champers

Clean gas out

Mist eliminator Sprays water

Dirty gas

Slurry

Gaseous emission Control

Selection of scrubbing medium

High gas solubility and high selectivity between solute species

low vapour pressure Non-corrosiveness

easy regeneration and recovery

low costs low viscosity at absorption temperature

Non toxicity
Nonflammability Chemical stability

Spray tower

Clean gas out

Mist eliminator Sprays water

Dirty gas

Slurry

Tray or plate towers

Hot clean gas

Catalyst bed Pollutant gas

blower Preheat burner

Environmental control systems - coal power plant The new plant will employ a number of environmental control technologies, including low NOx burners for the boiler; a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system for additional NOx removal; powder activated carbon injection for mercury removal; a fabric filter baghouse to remove fine particulate; a wet flue gas desulfurization unit (scrubber) for the removal of SO2; and a wet electrostatic precipitator to remove acid mist and ultra-fine particulate from the flue gas. This equipment has the goal of becoming one of the most environmentally friendly primarily coal-fired electric utilities in the nation.

Environmental control systems smoke stack

The brownish-orange structure is the pulse jet fabric filter. Over 6,600 filter bags enclosed inside this structure will remove dust and mercury from the boiler flue gas before the "smoke" is released into the air. Next, the flue gas will pass through the SO2 scrubber/ absorber, the milk canshaped structure pictured to the right of the pulse jet fabric filter. The purpose of the scrubber/absorber is to remove sulfur dioxide from the flue gas.

Environmental control systems

These four tanks will hold various liquids required in the air quality control process. From left to right, the tanks are: (a) limestone slurry storage tank, which is 32 feet in diameter and 34 feet tall and will hold 150,000 gallons; (b) reclaim water tank, which is 33 feet in diameter and 35 feet tall and will hold 171,000 gallons; (c) demineralizer water tank, which is 26 feet in diameter and 32 feet tall and will hold 127,000 gallons; and (d) slurry holding tank, which is 50 feet in diameter and 52 feet tall and will hold 600,000 gallons.

The electrostatic precipitator pictured here is the last environmental device through which flue gas will pass before entering the stack for release into the atmo-sphere. The precipitator will collect acid mist and fine particulate that are not captured by the pulse jet fabric filter or the scrubber.

Use of alternate source of energy such as wind & solar energy Industries to install away from cities Plantation of trees as green belts Ideal traffic planning Removal of undesirable speed breakers & check posts Checking of undesirable burning of vegetation

Reduce CO2 pollution in air Techniques of growing speedy trees can be adopted for growth

Pollutant Ammonia Chlorine Fluoride Hydrogen chloride Hydrogen sulphide Nitrogen oxide Particulate matter

plants Peach Begonia, egg plant, Olive, pepper cherry, pear, Plum, strawberry Pear Apple, Cherry, carnation, peach, strawberry Orange Mango, litchi, banyan and other broad leaved trees

According to a two-year study by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), many indoor plants absorb air pollutants through their leaves and roots and convert them into breathable air. Within 24 hours, some plants can remove up to 87 percent of toxic indoor air.

Ginkgo biloba (maidenhair tree). One of the world's oldest trees, there is fossil evidence that the ginkgo was around at the time of the dinosaurs. It remains a superb specimen, and is an ideal street tree for the city since it is highly disease resistant and tolerant of air pollution

A London plane tree in Greenfield sporting red and green balls. Many of them were planted in Pittsburgh more than 100 years ago because they are very tolerant of air pollution.

Spider plant is very tolerant of neglect, being able to thrive in nearly any type of condition. Spider plants have also been shown to improve the indoor air quality by removing toxins / heavy metals from the air.

The picture above shows the most common type of epiphyte community we found, comprised mainly of the lichens Physcia adscendens and Xanthoria parietina, with a little of the moss Orthotrichum diaphanum. Most Orthotrichum species are epiphytes and Orthotrichum diaphanum is the one that is most tolerant of air pollution

There are many London plane trees in London parks and at first glance these would seem to be unpromising habitat for epiphytic species as the trees shed their outer bark in small patches very regularly. This habit allows the trees to cope with polluted areas better than most other tree species as every time the bark is shed it results in a fresh clean new bark free from grime, helping the tree to breathe easier.

Air quality standards recommended by central pollution control board (CPCB) must be maintained strictly

Every citizen from his childhood should be made ware of the problems of environmental pollution
Love to environment and to his country becomes an integral & in separable part of each ones character

Use of purified petrol, modernization of industries. Use of alternative energy sources are some preventive measures Treatment emissions can be tackled through settling champers, cyclones wet and gas scrubbers, bag filters, electrostatic precipitators, incineration and catalytic combustion Plantation of trees and change in life style also help in minimizing the air pollution Air Pollution (prevention &control act), 1981, constituted by CPCB (Govt. Of India) Environmental education helps in reducing air pollution

Plant a tree and save nation