Introduction to Air

Pollution
What is Air Pollution?
Air pollution is the introduction of particulates ,biological molecules or other harmful
materials into Earth's atmosphere ,causing diseases, death to humans, damage to other
living organisms such as animals and food crops or the natural or built environment . Air
pollution may come from anthropogenic or natural sources.

Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any

chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of
the atmosphere

Air pollution is the excessive concentration of foreign matter in the air which
adversely affects the well being of individual or causes damage to property.
What is Polluted Air?
Air is said to be polluted when there is a presence of undesirable substances
(contaminants/pollutants) which interfere with human health or welfare, or produce other
harmful environmental effects.
Contamination VS Pollution

Contamination is simply the presence of Pollution is contamination that results in or

a substance where it should not be or at can results in adverse biological effects to
concentration above background. resident communities.

All pollutants are contaminants, but not all contaminants are pollutants.
What is Pollutants?

❑ The substances which alter the composition of

the natural atmosphere

❑ Air pollutants before exposure are subject to a

range of atmospheric processes;
― Atmospheric emissions
― Transport and mixing, and
― Chemical transformation

❑ Sources of an air pollutants can be natural or

anthropogenic
Classification of Air Pollutants
❑ Based on origin
― Primary pollutants: are those emitted directly from the identifiable sources
e.g., Carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ)
― Secondary pollutants: are those which are produced in the air by the
interaction among two or more primary pollutants, or by reaction with
normal atmospheric constituents
e.g., Ozone (O₃), smog, and sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄)

❑ Based on state of matter

― Gaseous air pollutants: Those pollutants are present in the atmosphere in
gaseous form
e.g., Nitrogen Oxides (NOₓ), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂)
― Particulate air pollutants: These are tiny solid or liquid particulates
suspended in the atmosphere
e.g., Dust, aerosols
Sources of Air Pollution

❑ Natural sources:
The pollutants are the result of natural occurrences and processes
― e.g., natural fog, pollen grains, bacteria, and volcanic eruptions

❑ Anthropogenic sources:
These pollutants result from anthropogenic activities.
― e.g., industrial fumes, vehicular emissions
Natural Sources of Air Pollution

Volcanic Eruption

• Emits gases SO2, H2S,HF,CO2,CH4 and

Ash(PM)

• Eruptions may harm the environment at

a considerable distance and time
Natural Sources of Air Pollution

Forest Fire

Uncontrolled forest fire emits CO, CO₂,

hydrocarbons, ash, and oxides of nitrogen
Natural Sources of Air Pollution

Dust Storm

• Entrains large amount of Particulate Matter

in air.

• Visibility reduction during major dust storms

is frequently the cause of severe highway
accidents. It also affects the air travel
Anthropogenic Sources of Air Pollution

Industrial Stack Emissions

• Industrial units are associated with

manufacturing products, which involves
combustion of different kinds of fuel such as
diesel, LPG, kerosene, wood, coal, natural
gas, etc.

• The major air pollutant released from

stacks/chimneys (i.e., point sources) of the
industrial units is particulate matter followed
by gaseous pollutants like SO₂, CO, NOₓ, etc.
Anthropogenic Sources of Air Pollution

Automobiles

• Automotive vehicles emit several pollutants

depending upon the type and quality of the
fuel consumed by them.
• Various pollutants released from vehicular
sources include:
― Exhaust emissions: CO₂, CO, HC, NOₓ, PM.
― Non-exhaust emissions: PM, heavy metals.
― Evaporative emissions: HC, VOCs.
Anthropogenic Sources of Air Pollution

Waste Burning

• Open burning of any type of wastes viz.

Agricultural wastes, Garden wastes,
Municipal Wastes, or Residential wastes
releases harmful pollutants due to
incomplete combustion.

• Pollutants include PM, CO, PAH (Polycyclic

Aromatic Hydrocarbons), SOₓ, NOₓ, VOC.
Evolution of Air Pollution As a Problem

Waste Burning
Air Pollution in Roman Era

Waste Burning
• In Roman era, mining and smelting activities
polluted the atmosphere for nearly 500
years.

• Released large amounts of toxic fumes into

Europe’s air

• Within that period, lead pollution increased

to more than 10 times higher than the
background level
Air Pollution in Pre-industrialization Scenario
Burning of wood was used for Smoke was most likely tolerated
cooking, heating of caves and
Waste Burning indoors because it helped to
smelting furnaces keep away the mosquitoes

The caves was found think black layer because of air

pollution

Scientists found blackening of the lungs in the

samples of mummified lung tissues from Egypt, Peru
and Britain

That revealed long term exposure to the smoke of

domestic fires
Air Pollution in Pre-industrialization Scenario

Complaints
about smoke
Increased coal emissions
consumption increased
Wood price
hiked
Wood became
scare
Wood demand
increased
In the
sixteenth-
century,
population
started to
increase
Air Pollution in Post-industrialization Scenario
Air Pollution in Post-industrialization Scenario

From the end of the eighteenth century, rapid industrial

growth started throughout the world

Consumption of coal increased in Europe, the United

States and other parts of the world

World coal output was around 10

million tons annually in 1800
Air Pollution in Post-industrialization Scenario

By 1900, global coal output had increased by 77%

annually with respect to 1800

Air pollution rose to unprecedented levels as coal

demand increased for industrial and home energy
uses

Increased the negative impacts on

nature and human health
Number and Spatial Distribution of Sources

❑ Single or Point Source: Any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged, such as
a pipe, ditch, ship or factory smokestack.”
❑ Line sources: Considered as mobile sources, are vehicles, engines, and equipment that generate air pollution
and that move or can be moved from place to place
❑ Area-wide or Multiple Sources: These represent collectively, a large number of smaller sources distributed over
a well-defined area
General Adverse Effects of Air Pollution
Loss of Clarity of the Atmosphere
❑ The more particles in the air, more light is absorbed and scattered, resulting in less clarity,
color, and visual range
❑ On clear days in remote areas of the world, visual range can be over 300 km in dry climates
and over 100 km in humid climates
❑ On the haziest days, visual range can be less than a few km in any climate

Personal Discomfort

❑ During periods of moderate to heavy smog, large percentage of the population have been
affected by eye irritation
❑ During periods of heavy pollution feeling of tightening of the chest is experienced by many
persons
General Adverse Effects of Air Pollution
Health Hazard
❑ Short Term Effect: These consist of interference with normal bodily function. Exposure to
carbon monoxide may impair lung ventilation by reducing the oxygen transport capacity of
the blood. The net result may be reduction in visual acuity or an increase in reaction time
❑ Long term or chronic effect: Several chronic respiratory diseases have been thought to be
caused by or aggravated by air pollution. This includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema and
lung cancer
Safety Hazards

❑ Land: Multi-car accidents have occurred on freeways and expressway in big cities as a result of
poor visibility caused by combination of smoke and fog
❑ Air: Airports located in large metropolitan areas are experiencing increasing difficulties with
handling of aircraft traffic during periods of so-called “smoke and haze”
Meteorological Aspects of Air
Pollution
What is Meteorology?

❑ Meteorology is nothing but the climate and weather of a region

❑ Meteorology is the science dealing with the atmosphere and its
phenomena, including both weather and climate.
Air Pollution Meteorology?

Air Pollution meteorology deals with the meteorological processes near to the earth's
surface which consist of the impacts of meteorology on air pollutants and the effects of
pollutants on meteorology

If the air is still and pollutants are unable to disperse, the local concentration of
pollutants will rise. Strong, turbulent winds, on the other hand, remove pollutants
fast, resulting in reduced pollutant concentrations.
Role of Atmosphere in source-sink relationship

Source Role of Atmosphere Sink

DISPERSION
Atmospheric stability
EMISSIONS RECEPTOR RESPONSE
TRANSFORMATION
Rate, type, source Impact on
Chemical reactions
configuration ecosystem
REMOVAL
Settling, adsorption
Source, Sink and Receptor

❑ The place from which pollutants get emitted are called sources
❑ The places to which pollutants get absorbed or converted/transformed in some other
constituents/forms are called sink
❑ A receptor is something which is adversely affected by polluted air

Source Sink Receptor

Processes and Fate of an Air Pollutants

― Diffusion, “How much pollutants reaches a location?”

― Transport, “What is the trajectory of pollutants?”
― Dispersion, “It is the result of both diffusion and transport”
Transport of an Air Pollutants

❑ Transport is the mechanism that moves the pollution from a source to a receptor

❑ The simplest source-receptor combination is that of an isolated point source and

an isolated receptor
Diffusion and Dispersion

Diffusion is combined
process of
― Mixing by turbulence
― Stretch-out of the plume
― Meandering of plume

In Dispersion, the concentration diminishes with distance from the source, known as
concentration gradient
Transport of an Air Pollutants

Movement of air
pollutants

Vertical Horizontal

❑ Vertical transport of air pollutants refers to the upward and downward

movement of pollutants within the atmosphere
❑ Vertical transport plays a key role in the dilution and dispersion of air pollutants

Vertical transport influenced by the adiabatic lapse rate and atmospheric stability

Atmospheric stability?
Atmospheric Stability

❑ Atmospheric stability depends on the variation

of temperature with height/altitude

❑ In general stability refers to the tendency of air

to rise or to resist vertical motion. Thus, it
determines atmospheric status in terms of
whether or not air will rise, sink, or be neutral

❑ As the air parcel rises, it will expand and cool

adiabatically to its dew point at which clouds
are formed
Atmospheric Stability Conditions
Atmospheric Stability Conditions

If an air parcel is warmer than its surrounding environment,

Unstable then it will be less dense than its surroundings and will rise like
a hot air balloon
Atmospheric Stability Conditions

If an air parcel is cooler than its surrounding environment, then

Stable it will be denser than its environment and will sink
Atmospheric Stability Conditions

If an air parcel has the same temperature as its surrounding

Neutral environment, then the parcel will not move and remain in
suspension in the atmosphere
How to Determine Atmospheric Stability?

❑ Stability is dependent upon the Environmental Lapse Rate (ELR), the Dry
Adiabatic Lapse Rates (DALR), and Saturated Adiabatic Lapse Rates (SALR)
❑ The measured ELR can be compared with both the DALR and SALR to
determine the atmospheric stability conditions
How to Determine Atmospheric Stability?

The adiabatic lapse rate is the rate at which the temperature of an air parcel changes in response
to compression or expansion associated with altitude change, assuming no heat exchange occurs
between the given air parcel and its surroundings

The dry adiabatic lapse rate (DALR) refers to the rate at which the temperature of a parcel of dry
air decreases as it rises in the atmosphere. It's about 5.4°F per 1,000 ft (or roughly 9.8°C per 1,000
meters) in altitude, not latitude. So, as the air rises in the atmosphere, it cools at this rate due to
the reduction in air pressure.

Saturated adiabatic lapse rate (SALR) is the adiabatic cooling rate of a rising parcel of air which is
saturated , and in which condensation is taking place as it rises, so that the energy release of the
latent heat of vaporization moderates the adiabatic cooling. (Rate is roughly 6°C per 1,000
meters)

The environmental lapse rate (ELR), is the actual rate of decrease of temperature with altitude in
the atmosphere at a given time and location
How to Determine Atmospheric Stability?

Absolute Stability: DALR > SALR > ELR

❑ In this case, both plots are on the left or "cool" side

of the ELR. That is, both are on the stable side. This
is called absolute stability
❑ Atmospheric stability occurs when the atmosphere
(environmental lapse rate) cools more slowly than a
rising air parcel (dry adiabatic lapse rate) which is
cooling at a faster rate
❑ Air parcel of any relative humidity (RH) will cool
faster than the surrounding environment and will not
rise. Air would tend to sink and create clear skies

For example, assuming that ELR is 7oC whilst the DALR is 10oC would mean that for every 1000 m rise in
height, the air parcel’s temperature is dropping faster and therefore cooler than the atmospheric air
How to Determine Atmospheric Stability?

Absolute Instability: ELR > DALR > SALR

❑ In this instance, both parcel lines are on the right or "warm

side" of the ELR
❑ This occurs when an air parcel (DALR) cools more slowly than
the atmosphere (ELR) which is cooling faster
❑ Air parcels will be buoyant and rise like hot air balloons

For example, assuming ELR is dropping at 12oC /1000m whilst the DALR is dropping at 10oC /1000m, would mean
that the air parcel is warmer (cooling slowly) than the atmosphere
What is Air Pollution?

Extreme Stability (Inversion): ELR is negative

❑ This indicates that the layering of the lower atmosphere is

such that warmer air lies on top of cooler air, called
temperature inversion
❑ Both parcel lines are on the same, "cool" side of the ELR.
This is a special form of Absolute Stability
❑ In this situation, no air parcel may rise. This often has
negative effects upon pollution dispersal
Thank You