Air Pollution
Topics:
Incineration
Air Pollution from Vehicles, Engines, and
Equipment
L.A. Smog Case Study
Meuse Valley, Belgium
Presenters:
Linsey Grover
Brian Benner
Kassi Miller
Michelle Cook
The U.S. and its Waste
 Municipal Solid Waste
(MSW) : Commonly
known as trash or
garbage
 2001 229 MILLION
tons of generated
waste
 = 4.62 pounds of
waste a person
generates per day
What Happens to our
Waste?
 There are many ways to rid of wastes
 FOCUS: Incineration
 DEF: A chemical transformation process of
combustion that uses thermal oxidation at
high temperatures ( > 1,400º F ) to convert
waste to a decreased volume, nonhazardous material, or energy.
 TYPE: Mass Burn
Why Chose
Incineration?
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80% to 90% decrease of waste volume
Relatively cheap
Generate energy
Waste seems to “disappear”
Simple alternative to Landfills
– Mass burn incinerators take unprocessed
wastes
Decrease in Waste Volume,
Increase in Pollution
 Problems with Incineration:
– Incinerators cannot destroy 100% of the wastes
– Does not eliminate the need for landfills
– Escaping gases
TOXIC EMISSIONS
 Heavy Metals: Arsenic, Cd, Hg, Cr, Pb
(these cannot be destroyed by incineration)
– Can stick to tiny particles in emission gases
which can escape pollution control equipment
– Research: Through incineration 53% of heavy
metals are released through gases
– Problem: Cause cancer and Respiratory
disease if inhaled, liver disease, and
neurological disorders
PIC’s
Products of Incomplete Combustion
 Not in original waste
 Newly formed during the burning process
 Most harmful PIC: DIOXIN
– Dioxin is formed as a byproduct when burning
organic chemicals and plastics that contain
chlorine
DIOXIN
 Nastiest, most toxic man-made organic chemical
 Fat soluble
 Serious health effects with as little as few parts per
trillion
 Dioxin is a hormone disruptor
 It binds to a cell’s hormone receptor and modifies
the functioning and genetic mechanism of the cell
 Causes a wide range of effects: cancer, birth
defects, skin disorders, liver damage
 It can be carried 100’s of miles on tiny specks of
fly ash
That’s not all…
 Particulates
– Carry heavy metals and PIC’s
 Acid gases: Sulfur Oxides, Nitrous Oxides,
and Hydrogen Chlorides
– Contributes to acid rain
– Contributes to smog formation
 There are pollution control equipment, but
even the best are not 100% effective
 EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation is primarily
responsible for regulating incinerators
 Code of Federal Regulations for Standards
of Performance for New Stationary Sources
(Updated April 29, 2005) gpoaccess.gov
Air Pollution

Air pollution in the United States comes from many
types of engines, industries, and commercial
operations. Pollution sources that move, such as
trucks, snow blowers, bulldozers, and trains, are known
as "mobile sources." Examples of all other non-mobile
sources of air pollution include power plants, factories,
and manufacturing processes.
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Mobile sources pollute the air through combustion and
fuel evaporation. These emissions contribute greatly to
air pollution nationwide and are the primary cause of air
pollution in many urban areas.
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Mobile sources also produce several other important air
pollutants, such as air toxics and greenhouse gases.
Nationwide, mobile sources represent the largest
contributor to air toxics. Air toxics are pollutants known
or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health or
environmental effects. Greenhouse gases, such as
carbon dioxide (CO2), trap heat in the Earth's
atmosphere, contributing to global climate change.
On-road Vehicles
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This category of mobile sources includes light-duty vehicles, light-duty
trucks, heavy-duty vehicles, and motorcycles, used for transportation on
the road. On-road vehicles may be fueled with gasoline, diesel fuel, or
alternative fuels such as alcohol or natural gas.
Light-duty vehicles: Passenger cars
Light-duty trucks: Includes pickup trucks, minivans, passenger vans, and sportutility vehicles. Those up to 6,000 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (which
includes passenger and cargo weight in addition to the weight of the vehicle)
are known as "light light-duty trucks"; those that are 6,001 to 8,500 pounds
Gross Vehicle Weight are known as "heavy light-duty trucks."
Heavy-duty vehicles: Vehicles of 8,501 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight and
higher that are equipped with heavy-duty engines. Examples of heavy-duty
vehicles include large pick-ups, buses, delivery trucks, recreational vehicles
(RVs), and semi trucks.
Medium duty passenger vehicles: Vehicles between 8,500 and 10,000 pounds
Gross Vehicle Weight that are designed primarily to transport people. Mediumduty passenger vehicles are a subset of heavy-duty vehicles, and consist
primarily of large sport-utility vehicles and passenger vans.
Motorcycles: 2 or 3 wheeled vehicles designed for on-road use.
Non-road vehicles, Engines, and
Equipment
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This category of mobile sources includes non-road gasoline equipment and
vehicles, non-road diesel equipment and vehicles, aircraft, marine vessels,
locomotives, and assorted other engines and vehicles. Non-road gasoline, diesel,
and "other" equipment and vehicles: These categories of mobile sources include
equipment and vehicles fueled with diesel fuel, gasoline, propane, or natural gas
in the following sectors: recreational, construction and mining, industrial, lawn
and garden, farm, commercial, logging, airport service, railway maintenance, and
recreational marine vessels.
Recreational engines and vehicles: Includes non-road motorcycles (dirt bikes), all-terrain
vehicles (ATVs), golf carts, snowmobiles, and engines used in specialty vehicles, such as
go-karts.
Construction equipment and vehicles: Includes asphalt and concrete pavers and
paving/surfacing equipment, tampers/rammers, plate compactors, concrete pavers,
rollers, scrapers, paving equipment, surfacing equipment, signal boards, trenchers,
bore/drill rigs, excavators, concrete/industrial saws, cement and mortar mixers, cranes,
graders, non-road trucks, crushing/processing equipment, rough terrain forklifts, rubbertired loaders and dozers, tractors/loaders/backhoes, crawler tractors, skid steer loaders,
non-road tractors, dumpers/tenders, and other construction equipment.
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Lawn and garden equipment: Includes lawnmowers, weed trimmers, brush
cutters, leaf blowers/vacuums, rear-engine riding mowers, front mowers,
chainsaws (under 6 horsepower), tillers (under 6 horsepower), shredders
(under 6 horsepower), lawn and garden tractors, wood splitters, snow blowers,
chippers/stump grinders, and commercial turf equipment.
Farm equipment: Includes two-wheel tractors, agricultural tractors and mowers,
combines, sprayers, balers, tillers (over 6 horsepower), swathers, hydropower
units, and other agricultural equipment.
Commercial equipment: Includes generator sets, pumps, air compressors, gas
compressors, welders, and pressure washers.
Logging equipment: Includes chainsaws and shredders (over 6 horsepower),
skidders, and fellers/bunchers.
Airport service equipment and vehicles: Includes ground support equipment
used in airport operations, such as maintaining and fueling aircraft, transporting
and loading cargo, transporting passengers, handling baggage, servicing
lavatories, and serving food.
Railway maintenance equipment: Includes specialized equipment used for
installing and maintaining railroad track.
 Recreational marine vessels: Includes pleasure boats and larger noncommercial vessels with inboard and outboard engines, stern drive
engines, and sailboat auxiliary inboard and outboard engines.
 Aircraft: All types of aircraft (ground equipment not included).
 Marine vessels: Includes auxiliary and propulsion engines used by all
types of commercial marine vessels, including harbor vessels, tugs,
ocean-going ships, and commercial fishing vessels.
 Locomotives: Includes diesel-powered engines only (coal-and woodfired not included) used in freight and passenger rail, line-haul, local,
and switch yard service.
Major Pollutants from Petrol
and Diesel Engines
Carbon Monoxide
 ~Although you cannot see or smell carbon monoxide, this
poisonous gas is a major air pollutant in many American cities.
Carbon monoxide forms when carbon in fuel doesn't burn
completely (incomplete combustion). The main source of carbon
monoxide in our air is vehicle emissions. As much as 95 percent
of the carbon monoxide in typical U.S. cities comes from mobile
sources, according to EPA studies.
 ~Carbon monoxide is harmful because it reduces oxygen delivery
to the body's organs and tissues. It is most harmful to those who
suffer from heart and respiratory disease. High carbon monoxide
pollution levels also affect healthy people. Symptoms may include
visual impairment, headache, and reduced work capacity. Unlike
many other air pollutants, carbon monoxide levels in the outside
air typically peak during colder months.
Major Pollutants from Petrol
and Diesel Engines
Hydrocarbons
 ~Hydrocarbons are a precursor to ground-level ozone, a serious
air pollutant in cities across the United States. A key component
of smog, ground-level ozone is formed by reactions involving
hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight.
 ~Hydrocarbon emissions result from incomplete fuel combustion
and from fuel evaporation. Today's cars are equipped with
emission controls designed to reduce both exhaust and
evaporative hydrocarbon emissions.
 ~Ground-level ozone causes health problems such as difficulty
breathing, lung damage, and reduced cardiovascular functioning.
A number of hydrocarbons are also considered toxic, meaning
they can cause cancer or other health problems.
Major Pollutants from Petrol
and Diesel Engines
Nitrogen Oxides
 ~Nitrogen oxides form when fuel burns at high temperatures,
such as in motor vehicle engines. Mobile sources are responsible
for more than half of all nitrogen oxide emissions in the United
States. Both on-road and non-road mobile sources are major
nitrogen oxide polluters
 ~Nitrogen oxides can travel long distances, causing a variety of
health and environmental problems in locations far from their
emissions source. These problems include ozone and smog,
which are created in the atmosphere from nitrogen oxides,
hydrocarbons, and sunlight. On smoggy days, you might notice
difficulty breathing or trouble seeing objects in the distance.
Nitrogen oxide emissions also contribute to the formation of
particulate matter through chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
Major Pollutants from Petrol
and Diesel Engines
Particulate Matter
 ~Particulate matter is the term for solid or liquid particles found in
the air. Some particles are large or dark enough to be seen as
soot or smoke, but fine particulate matter is tiny and is generally
not visible to the naked eye. Mobile source particulate emissions
consist mainly of these very tiny particles, also known as PM2.5,
because they are less than 2.5 microns in diameter.
 ~Both on-road and non-road mobile sources emit fine particulate
matter. Diesel-powered vehicles and engines contribute more than
half the mobile source particulate emissions.
 ~Fine particulate matter is a health concern because very fine
particles can reach the deepest regions of the lungs. Health
effects include asthma, difficult or painful breathing, and chronic
bronchitis, especially in children and the elderly. Fine particulate
matter associated with diesel exhaust is also thought to cause
lung cancer and is therefore listed as a mobile source air toxic.
Fine particulate matter can travel long distances on air currents
and is also a major cause of haze, which reduces visibility,
affecting cities and scenic areas throughout the United States.
Annual Emissions from a
Passenger Car and a Light Truck
Passenger Car
Light Truck
Gasoline-Electric Hybrid
Vehicles
 ~Hybrids, which combine a smaller gasoline engine with a batterypowered electric motor, can get double the mileage of
conventional cars. Hybrids burn little fuel when they are slowing
or idling, and some capture and then use later energy created
during braking that would otherwise just produce heat. And
because the gasoline engine is much smaller and operates at a
steadier pace, it produces far less global warming pollution than
conventional combustion engines.
 ~To clear up a common misconception, hybrids don't have to be
plugged in. They use the same gasoline that other cars do -- just
less of it -- and they recharge their batteries while you drive.
– The Toyota Prius has been available in the United States since 2000.
The 2004 model is rated by the EPA at 60 miles per gallon in city
driving, 51 on the highway. (The Prius gets better mileage off the
highway, because in city driving it relies more on the battery.)
– In 2002, Honda introduced a hybrid version of the Civic. The EPA
rates the 2004 manual transmission version at 51 mpg on the highway
and 46 in the city, with the continuously variable transmission model
rated at 48 highway and 47 city.
More on Hybrids…
– Ford became the first U.S. manufacturer to offer a hybrid when
it rolled out the Escape SUV in August 2004. The front-wheel
drive version is rated 36 mpg in the city and 31 on the highway.
– Automakers are planning to introduce additional hybrids in the
U.S. market, with Japanese manufacturers remaining in the
lead. Toyota and Honda plan to release hybrid Lexus and
Highlander SUVs in 2005, and Honda, Nissan and Toyota have
all announced plans to produce hybrid versions of their midsize sedans, the Accord, Altima and Camry.
– Hyundai plans to sell hybrid vehicles to government fleets in
late 2004 and GM has announced plans to produce "mild"
hybrids in 2005 and 2006 and full hybrid SUVs in 2007. ("Mild"
hybrids rely less on their battery packs than full hybrids).
So what's the problem?
 Toyota's and Honda's hybrid sales are
booming, and the Ford Escape has generated
tremendous interest and rave reviews.
Although American automakers are beginning
to respond to increasing consumer interest in
fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles, hybrids still
account for less than 1 percent of the new car
market. American automakers have
to put hybrids into mass production,
too, and we need to spark demand
for them.
All-new Toyota Prius
Ford Escape Hybrid
Ford Fusion
Air Pollution Solutions
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Successful pollution solutions involve a variety of approaches. From
better engine design to better transit options, programs to reduce mobile
source pollution must address not only vehicles, engines, and
equipment, but also the fuels they use and the people who operate them.
The road to clean air also depends on extensive collaboration between
EPA; vehicle, engine, and fuel manufacturers; state and local
governments; transportation planners; and individual citizens.
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This integrated approach to mobile source emission control is
responsible for greatly reducing mobile source air pollution during the
last 30 years. Technological advances in vehicle and engine design,
together with cleaner, higher-quality fuels, have reduced emissions so
much that the EPA expects the progress to continue, even as people
drive more miles and use more power equipment every year.
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Of course growth in use of vehicles, engines, and equipment works
against the improvements gained by making individual vehicles or
engines cleaner. If our reliance on mobile sources keeps growing without
further action, overall mobile source pollution will eventually start to
increase again.
Smog Case Study
The Problem
The city of Los Angeles faces a distinct air pollution
problem, that of Photochemical Smog.
 It is a condition that occurs when sunlight hits
organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, and oxygen
to form chemicals such as ozone and carbon
dioxide.
 This reaction produces the yellowish-brown tinge
that highlights the skies over LA.
 Careless emission of carbon monoxide and nitrous
oxide in to the atmosphere has caused an
increase in pulmonary disease and has had a
detrimental effect on the environment.
The Causes of Smog
 Automobiles are
responsible for emitting the
majority of pollutants into
the atmosphere.
 The Air Quality and
Meteorology Yearly Report
for 1974 mentioned that
gasoline motor vehicles
are responsible for 96.8%
of carbon monoxide
emissions released per
day from major sources.
Causes of Smog
Continued
 As seen on the graph
to the left,
transportation
accounts for 55%
pollution emitted by
major sources. The
reason is because
Angelinos have the
longest driving times in
the country.
Who’s Responsible?
 The citizens of Los Angeles aren't the only ones responsible for the
smog problem. There are geographical factors as well. In fact, smog
has been observed in the present-day Los Angeles area ever since the
days of the first Spanish founders. The majestic mountains that
surround the area create a basin--a physical barrier that restricts the
spreading of pollution over a larger area.
 The Pacific Ocean's presence also presents problems. As a cool body
of water, the Pacific creates an atmospheric inversion when cool air
settles below warm air.
 Emissions from automobiles and factories rise through the cool air, and
reach the warm layer. There the temperature of the pollutants equal
that of the warm air around them, and fail to rise. The pollution then
becomes smog and will stay there for several weeks.
Air Temperature
Inversion Pattern
Environmental Effects
 Smog has proven to be a silent killer.
 The effects on humans can range anywhere from
eye irritations to lung cancer.
 Other effects on humans are irritation of the nose
and throat, increased mucus production and
tendency to cough, headaches, and chest pain
coupled with difficulty breathing without coughing.
 Prolonged exposure to smog can cause
permanent damage in the lungs, ultimately
resulting in lung cancer.
 Smog also has effects on vegetation and the
animals that live in the ecosystem.
Solutions to the Problem
 Since the 1970's the smog problem has been dying down
due to regulation.
 The South Coast Air Quality Management District has
shown that there has been a declining trend in the number
of days that Los Angeles has passed the federal standard.
 Keeping regulations that are in place, and setting even
more stringent ones will prove helpful in solving the smog
problem as it has in the past. Particularly, regulation on the
emission of trucks and trailers will surely benefit the cause.
 Trucks and trailers are singly the "dirtiest" machines out
there. Methanol-powered engines and hybrid engines will
pave the way for the total elimination of fossil fuel engines.
Solution Continued…
 These things might seem too big for anyone to do,
but there are things that an individual can do to
contribute significantly to the cause, such as:
– Avoid unnecessary driving
– Carpool
– Routine car maintenance such as maintaining oil and
gasoline filters and keeping tires properly inflated
– Avoid hard driving
– Consolidating trips
 If the city does not work together as a whole, the
problems that face the citizens of Los Angeles will
only worsen.
Meuse Valley, Belgium
Meuse Valley, Belgium
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December 3, 1930 thru December 5, 1930
Thick mist
Several cases of acute pulmonary attacks
60 deaths
The Causes
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Temperature
Lack of wind
Smoke from factories
Fog
Sulfur Dioxide &
Fluorine
 SO2
 Early known cause of disaster
 Fluorine was the later
known cause of the disaster.
More on Fluorine
 1873 thru 1935 112 cases reported
 Intoxication with:
NaF
Na2SiF6
HF
5 to 15 grams = lethal
dose of NaF
The Results
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Asthma like attacks
Coughing
Tone of voice
Occasional vomiting
Nausea
Air Pollution