Acid rain: Effects on environment and it's solutions

 In the last post, we have seen the causes of acid rain1. Now, we will see how acid rain is harmful to human health and the environment, and we also looking for is prevention and mitigation to reduce its harmful effect.

Components of acid rain:

The major components of acid rain are sulfur dioxide/sulfur trioxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide dissolves in water drops. When these air pollutants are dissolved in water during rain it forms various acids. The chemical reactions of these pollutants are discussed as follows.

• CO2+H2O → H2CO3 (carbonic acid)
• SO2+H2O → H2SO3 (sulfurous acid)
• NO2+H2O → HNO3 (nitric acid)

Effects of acid rain on the environment:

Harmful effects on plants: 

 plants are destructed due to increased acidity in the soil, nutrients from the soil, and slowing plant growth, poisoning plants, creates brown spots in leaves of trees, impeding photosynthesis, allows organisms to infect through broken leaves.

Effects on human health: 

Due to the presence of a high concentration of air pollutants in the atmosphere, its Causes respiratory problems, asthma, dry coughs, headaches, and throat irritations; the Leeching of toxins from the soil by acidic water can be absorbed by plants and animals. When consumed these toxins by humans it affects human life severely, which causes brain damage, kidney problems, and Alzheimer's disease.

Effects on aquatic life: 

 Due to increasing the acidity in water bodies that Stops eggs of aquatic organisms (e.g. fish) to stop hatching, Changes population ratios and affects their ecosystem.

Effect on transport: 

 In present, both railway transportation and airplane transportation have to spend a lot of money to repair the corrosive damage done by acid rain. Bridges have collapsed in the past due to acid rain. Acid rain dissolves the stonework and mortar of buildings.

How can we prevent our environment from acid rain?

There are many ways used to reduce acid deposition and precipitation. Some of them are as follows:

Clean up smokestacks and exhaust pipes: 

 Most of the power plants are working on fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and oil. However, exhaust emission of these fuels is the main cause of acid rain released into the atmosphere. Coal fuel contains a large account of SO2 and NOx emissions. 

There are several options for reducing SO2 emissions, including using coal which containing less sulfur, washing the coal, and using SOx control devices called scrubbers to chemically remove the SO2 from the gases leaving the smokestack and recycling to use as a raw material.

Power plants can also switch fuels; for example, burning natural gas creates much less SO2 than coal. Certain approaches will also have additional benefits of reducing other air pollutants such as carbon dioxide. 

 Understanding these "co-benefits" has become important in seeking effective air pollution reduction strategies.

Use alternative energy sources: 

 There are other sources of electricity such as nuclear power, hydropower, wind energy, geothermal energy, and solar energy.

Of these, nuclear and hydropower are widely used; 

 Due to less power capacity; wind, solar, and geothermal energy have not yet been harnessed on a large scale.

There are also alternative energies available in the market to power automobiles, including CNG gas-powered vehicles, battery-powered cars, fuel cells, biofuels and biodiesel, and combinations of alternative and gasoline-powered vehicles. All those sources of energy have environmental costs as well as benefits. 

What is concept of Cleaner production?

Cleaner production means the continuous implementation of an integrated preventive environmental strategy to the manufacturing process and products to reduce risk to Humans and The environment.

Concept of Cleaner production:

Cleaner production is a preventive process for specific Environmental protection initiatives. 

By analyzing the flow of materials and energy in an industry, one tries to waste minimization and emission.

Introduction of Renewable Resources.

When all world is looking for development and infrastructure, They are directly or indirectly affect the environment. They use more and more natural resources and give back pollution.

 We can reduce the use of that resources by using some other resource that is again useable and don't create pollution, this type of resource is called renewable resources.

Renewable resources are those which can be used again and again.

 For example, Solar energy, wind energy, hydropower plants, etc.

 Some renewable energy sources and their technology is given below:

 Solar Energy: Solar energy is produced from the solar panel which consists of photovoltaic cells to electricity and thermal energy for heating water, and air.

 Hydropower plants: hydropower plants produce electricity from the water wave and turbine system.

 Wind Energy: Wind Energy produce from wind speed and direction and also from the turbine system.

 Biomass: Biomass and biogas are produced from the composition of food waste and wood stone and other biodegradable materials. Biogas is used for heating and electricity production.

Basic terminology used in the Treatment of Wastewater.

water pollution is one of The global Environmental issues. Water pollution is caused by different areas like, Residential areas, Industrial actions, oil leaches, landfill sites, etc.

So This wastewater should be treated before discharge in any slim. There are certain wastewater treatment plants are used to treat different type of wastewater.

Before We start treatment techniques, We need to understand the basic terminology used in the Treatment of Wastewater.

1. Characteristics: General classes of wastewater such as physical, chemical and biological.

2. Composition: The make-up of wastewater, including physical, chemical, and biological ingredients.

3. Disinfection: Reduction of disease-causing and harmful microorganisms by physical and chemical actions.

4.Effluent: wastewater discharge from unit steps.

5.Impurities: Constituents addes to the water through use.

6. Parameter: A measurable factor such as total suspended solid.

7. Pollutants: Constituents added to the water through use.

8. Recycling: The reuse of treated wastewater.

9. Reuse: Benificial use of treated water.

10. Sludge: Solid removed from wastewater treatment plants. Its also called biosolids.

Main Objective of Sewage Treatment Plant

Sewage is generated from the residential area and some kind of industry. Their sewage is contain of high organic meters and some amount of other pollutants. 

As I explain in the past blog1. Wastewater is one of the global environmental issues. It has to be treat before discharge into any water body like a lake, river, and sea.

Main objectives of sewage treatment plants are as follows:

 1) to remove organic meters from the wastewater.

 2) to reduce water parameters.

 3) to neutralize wastewater before discharge.

 4) to kill pathogens.

How Corona virus effects on the Environment?

Where the whole world is suffering from the coronavirus, people are locked in their homes. There is also a good effect of Corona, which we will know in the following article.

WHO was declared pandemic for the Coronavirus. So; around 126 countries started lockdown, people locked in their house, business and industries are closed for the last 3 months.

As a result; water and air pollution are drop-down, and the environment recovers itself.

If we are talking about India Many rivers of India like Ganga, Narmada, Saraswati, etc. Lockdown has started to purify itself.

Gujarat pollution control board (GPCB) says that at some point in the Sabarmati river is now pollution-free and people can directly use water as drinking purposes. From the last 26 year, the Narmada river's pollution level is also dropped.

India's highly polluted cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, etc are also affected by the corona virus. So; its atmosphere and environmental impact id also affected.

Particularly in Delhi, air pollution is drop-down at 79% during the lockdown period.
From 25 March to 15 Jun, Transportation is nearly zero. So; motor vehicle emission is also down.

Concussion: Corona virus is harmful to human health, but it also helps the Environment to recover its self.

Basic introduction about wasterwater

water is a basic need for any living being. for the survival of animals and plants and to complete bio-diversity, water is necessary. 

due to rapid industrialization, groundwater sources like river, pond, leak, etc.. are going to contaminated. As a result, drinkable water sources are very less, and many states are facing a Lack of water.

but for change, new techniques and treatment processes are invented to reduce gound waster pollution. Which gives treated and recycled waster for residential purposes.

In further blogs, I will talk about different effects of wastewater on environments, different pollutants that are present in wastewater, and also explain the treatment process which is used to treat wastewater.