Air Quality and
Pollution Control
Dr. Martin T. Auer
MTU Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Composition of Clean, Dry (“Pure”) Air
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Argon
Carbon dioxide
Neon
Helium
Methane
Krypton
Hydrogen
Nitrous oxide
Ozone
78.08 %
20.95
0.93
0.03
18.0 ppm (= 18x10-4 %)
5.2
1.8
1.1
0.5
0.3
0.01
Source: Carnegie Mellon University; Environmental Decision Making, Science & Technology
Figure 11.6: Definition of particulate pollutants by size
Oxides of Sulfur
Source: fossil fuels
COOH
C
CH2
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/ecp/ecp_sites/NPI_web/models_coal.htm
NH3+
cystine
SH
Oxides of Sulfur
Source: roasting mineral ores
International Nickel mines and processes nickel
sulfide ores in Sudbury, Ontatio.
The Inco Superstack, with a height of 380 m
(1,247 ft), is the tallest chimney in the Western
hemisphere and the second tallest freestanding
chimney in the world after the GRES-2 Power
Station in Kazakhstan.
heat
S  O2 

 SO2
sunlight
SO2  O 
SO3
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23510510@N03/2687642620/
Oxides of Nitrogen
Nitrogen dioxide
http://www.uncp.edu/home/m
cclurem/ptable/co.htm
Smog event in Santiago, Chile
CO: Concentration / Exposure
Figure 11.10: Effect of carbon monoxide on health (After W. Agnew. 1968. Proceedings of the Royal Society A307:153.)
Lead
Atmospheric lead compared with the exposure standard in Perth, Australia.
Lead-based paints were phased out in the 1970s and lead was reduced
and then removed from gasoline in the 1980s and 1990s.
http://www.soe.wa.gov.au/report/atmosphere/outgoing-issue-lead.html
Time Course of Ozone Formation
0.6
hydrocarbons,
HC
(traffic)
Concentration (ppm)
0.5
0.4
0.3
ozone, O3
(photochemical
reaction)
nitrogen dioxide, NO2
(reaction)
0.2 nitric oxide, NO
(traffic)
0.1
0.0
4
6
8
10
12
Time of Day
Source: Carnegie Mellon University; Environmental Decision Making, Science & Technology
14
16
18
Lapse Rate, d,
(the rate of change of temperature with altitude)
Elevation (m)
stack
d, standard lapse rate
-9.8 C/km
ambient
a, atmospheric lapse rate
averaging -6.5 C/km
Temperature (°C)
http://techalive.mtu.edu/eetext_wg.html
UNSTABLE Condition
(good mixing)
Elevation (m)
stack
d, standard lapse rate
ambient
a, atmospheric lapse rate
Temperature (°C)
STABLE Condition
(poor mixing)
ambient
Elevation (m)
stack
a, atmospheric
lapse rate
Temperature (°C)
d, standard
lapse rate
INVERSION
(extremely poor mixing)
stack
Elevation (m)
a, atmospheric
lapse rate
d, standard
lapse rate
Temperature (°C)
ambient
Inversion
http://www.stuffintheair.com/weather-inversions.html
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Criteria
Pollutant
Standard
Type
Conc
(µg∙m-3)
Averaging
Period
Allowable
Exceedance
Carbon
monoxide
Primary and
Secondary
10,000
40,000
8 hr
1 hr
1 per year
Lead
Primary and
Secondary
1.5
3 month
average
Nitrogen
Dioxide
Primary and
Secondary
100
annual
mean
Ozone
Primary and
Secondary
210
1 hr
1 per year
PM10
Primary and
Secondary
150
50
24 hour
annual
1 day per year
Sulfur
Dioxide
Primary (Sec)
Primary (Sec)
365 (60)
80 (260)
24 hour
annual
Hydrocarbons
Primary and
Secondary
160
3 hr maximum
National Nonattainment Areas (All Pollutants)
National Nonattainment Areas (Ozone)
National Nonattainment Areas (Sulfur Diozide)
Air Quality Index
http://www.deqmiair.org/index.cfm?page=home&sFlush=no
Figure 11.6: Definition of particulate pollutants by size
Figure 12.2: Cyclone used for dust collection
Figure 12.3: Bag filter used for control of particulate air
pollutants
Figure 12.4:
Scrubber
Figure 12.5: Electrostatic precipitator used for control of
particulate air pollutants
Figure 12.9: The effectiveness of various air pollution
control devices depends on particle size.
Catalytic Converter
Noble metals: resistant to corrosion, e.g. platinum and palladium
Acid Rain
Ozone Hole
Global Warming
Gaia Hypothesis
The Gaia Hypothesis,
formulated by James
Lovelock in the mid-1960s,
proposes that our planet
functions as a single
organism that maintains
conditions necessary for its
survival.