The Production of Acid Rain
Burning coal (or any fossil fuel) releases the energy stored in the coal by oxidation.
Sulfur is oxidized in burning coal, forming sulfur dioxide (SO2).
S(s) + O2(g) → SO2(g)
Aided by dust or ultraviolet light, sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere reacts further with
oxygen to form sulfur trioxide (SO3).
2SO2(g) + O2(g) → 2SO3(g)
In the troposphere, these combustion products cause serious respiratory problems,
like asthma, bronchitis, emphysema – common problems that you usually associate
with cigarette smoking.
Notably, about 4,000 people died in a span of just a few days in London in the Great
Smog of 1952; of cold weather, an anticyclone, and a lack of wind exacerbated the
pollution from the usual of burning low-grade coal to produce heat and electricity.
https://chemicalstatistician.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/sulfur-dioxide-sulfur-trioxide-andacid-rain-pollution-from-burning-coal/
Sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide react with water or water vapor to form sulfurous
acid and sulfuric acid in the form of mist:
SO2(g) + H2O(g) → H2SO3
SO3(g) + H2O(g) → H2SO4
This creates acid rain – a common problem in industrialized areas in the United States,
Canada, Europe, and, increasingly, China. This has many grave consequences:
– Some lakes develop acidification by acid rain ( bad for fish and organisms)
– Soil acidification-Acid rain leaches nutrients from soil,- pH of soil should be
maintained at above 5.5 in the topsoil and 4.8 in the subsurfaceA soil with a pH of 4 has
10 times more acid than a soil with a pH of 5 and 100 times more acid than a soil with a
pH of 6.
– Acid rain corrodes metals, like those on cars
– Acid rain degrades buildings and structures made of limestone and marble.
World Coal Association: http://www.worldcoal.org/coal/what-is-coal/
Ryan, Barry, and Angelo Ledda. “A review of sulphur in coal: with specific reference to the Telkwa deposit,
northwestern British Columbia.” Geological Fieldwork (1997): 1998-1.
Olmsted, John A., and Gregory M. Williams. Chemistry: the molecular science. Jones & Bartlett Pub, 1997