Air Pollution and Control Quiz

Lightning

Pollutants formed in the atmosphere through chemical reactions

Particles less than 2.5 μ in diameter; come from combustion of fossil fuels

Burning coal, high-sulfur oil, and diesel fuel

Approximately 40%

Volcanoes

The four main classifications are: ambient air pollution, indoor air pollution, occupational air pollution, and personal exposure.

For a situation to be considered air pollution, substances must be present in the atmosphere at concentrations high enough to produce a measurable effect on human health and welfare, living organisms, materials, or the ecosystem.

Cigarette/cigar smoking and sniffing of glue are given as examples of personal exposure to air pollution.

Flue gas desulfurization was installed to reduce the excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide emissions from the power plant.

Ambient air pollution refers to outdoor air pollution, while indoor air pollution refers to air pollution inside buildings where people live and sleep.

Occupational air pollution involves exposure to a large range of pollutants such as particles, mists, acid vapors, and organic and inorganic gases in the workplace.

The inversion extends to a higher and higher elevation, reaching a few hundred meters before morning.

The temperature of the air just above the ground becomes colder than the air above it.

They often begin at about the time traffic builds up in the early evening, which traps auto exhaust at ground level and causes elevated concentrations of pollution for commuters.

Subsidence inversions may last for months on end, and are more common in summer than winter.

As the air in the center falls, it experiences greater pressure and is compressed and heated.

Air near the ground moves outward from the center, while air aloft moves toward the center from the edges, creating the massive vertical circulation system.

Ozone can irritate the respiratory tract, impair lung function, cause coughing, shortness of breath, and chest pain. Exercise increases these effects.

As ozone levels rise, hospital admissions and emergency room visits for respiratory illnesses such as asthma also increase. Hospital admissions rise roughly 7 to 10 percent for a 0.05 ppm increase in ozone levels.

N2 + O2 -----> 2NO (Nitrogen Oxide) 2NO + O2 ----> 2NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide)

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are a critical component in smog forming reactions.

Carbon monoxide (CO) attaches to hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin (COHb), which reduces hemoglobin's affinity for oxygen and disrupts the release of oxygen.

20% of global carbon monoxide (CO) emissions come from mobile sources.

A wet scrubber can trap fine particulate matter and gaseous pollutants, while electrostatic precipitators are primarily effective at removing particulate matter.

An electrostatic precipitator applies a high direct current potential between plates and wires, ionizing particles in the gas stream. The ionized particles are then attracted to the oppositely charged plates where they accumulate.

Wet scrubbers require a large amount of water to operate.

Electrostatic precipitators are commonly used where large volumes of gas need treatment, and where wet scrubbers are not appropriate, such as incinerators and coal-fired power plants.

Activated carbon is the most common adsorbent used in adsorptive air pollution control systems.

An adsorptive system consists of a bed of adsorbing material like activated carbon contained in a pressure vessel. As contaminated air passes through, pollutants transfer from the air stream to the adsorbent material.