EGEE 102 – Energy Conservation
And Environmental Protection
Acid Rain
What is Acid rain?
http://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/acidrain/index.html#what
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Acidity- pH Scale
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Sources of SO2
Emissions in 1992
Transportation
Industrial Processes
15.2%
Fuel Combustion
4.8%
79.8%
Total emissions - 22.7 Million tons in 1992
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Sources of NOx- 23.2 M
tons in 1992
Off
Road
Vehicles
12%
Industri
al
Sources
5%
Highway
Vehicles
33%
Other
18%
Electric
Utilities
32%
On a global scale, agricultural practices contribute
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approximately 70 percentEGEE
of anthropogenic
nitrous oxide
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Effects of Acid Rain
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Regions Affected
• Several regions in the U.S. were identified as
containing many of the surface waters sensitive
to acidification. They include
• the Adirondacks and Catskill Mountains in New
York state,
• the mid-Appalachian highlands along the east
coast,
• the upper Midwest, and mountainous areas of
the Western United States.
• In areas like the Northeastern United States,
where soil buffering capacity is poor, some lakes
now have a pH value of less than 5. One of the
most acidic lakes reported is Little Echo Pond in
Franklin, New York. Little Echo Pond has a pH of
4.2.
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Effect on Aquatic Life
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Effect on Materials
• Acid rain and the dry deposition of
acidic particles contribute to the
corrosion of metals (such as bronze)
and the deterioration of paint and
stone (such as marble and
limestone). These effects seriously
reduce the value to society of
buildings, bridges, cultural objects
(such as statues, monuments, and
tombstones), and cars
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An example of acid precipitation damage to an outdoor statue. The statue, made of porous sandstone, was created in 1702 as
part of the gable of the entrance of the Castle at Herten, near Reclinhausen, Germany. The left photo, taken in 1908, shows
some stains and the loss of the left hand, but most of the face and right hand were intact after 206 years of exposure. The
right photo, taken in 1969, shows the loss of most of the detail of the statue over 61 years
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Visibility
• Sulfates and nitrates
that form in the
atmosphere from
sulfur dioxide (SO2)
and nitrogen oxides
(NOx) emissions
contribute to visibility
impairment, meaning
we can't see as far or
as clearly through the
air. Sulfate particles
account for 50 to 70
percent of the
visibility reduction 12
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Human Health
• Elevated levels of fine
particles increase
illness and premature
death from heart and
lung disorders, such
as asthma and
bronchitis.
• reducing the nitrogen
oxides available to
react with volatile
organic compounds
and form ozone
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Individual Action
• Turn off lights, computers, and other appliances when
you're not using them
• Use energy efficient appliances: lighting, air conditioners,
heaters, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.
• Only use electric appliances when you need them.
• Keep your thermostat at 68 F in the winter and 72 F in the
summer. You can turn it even lower in the winter and
higher in the summer when you are away from home.
• Insulate your home as best you can.
• Carpool, use public transportation, or better yet, walk or
bicycle whenever possible
• Buy vehicles with low NOx emissions, and maintain all
vehicles well.
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EPA’s Action
• EPA's Acid Rain Program limits, or
"caps," sulfur dioxide (SO2)
emissions from power plants at 8.95
million tons annually, allows those
plants to trade SO2 allowances, and
reduces nitrogen oxide emission
rates.
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Resources
• http://www.epa.gov/air/acidrain/
• http://www.epa.gov/air/visibility/
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