Assignment CMT 666

7/23/2019 Assignment CMT 666

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1.0. INTRODUCTION:

The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air, which we call the atmosphere. The

atmosphere consists of four layers called the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and

thermosphere. The atmosphere consists of gases mix with liquid and solid particles. The air in

our atmosphere consists mainly of nitrogen (78!, oxygen ("#!, and other gas (#!. $ut

when the atmosphere unable to free itself from the substances that are added into it, the

atmosphere will then build up gases and aerosols causes it to become polluted. %enerally, any

substance that has been introduced into the atmosphere that has damaging effects on li&ing

things and the en&ironment is considered air pollution. 'ir pollution is any addition to air that

threatens the health, sur&i&al or acti&ities of humans or other li&ing organisms. 'ir pollution

is the modification of the natural characteristics of the atmosphere by a chemical, particulate

matter, or biological agent. 'ir pollution can harm human health, the en&ironment, and cause

property damage. ollutants are chemicals found at high energy le&els in the en&ironment to

cause harm to people or other organisms. )t is also substances that are not naturally found in

the air or at greater concentrations or in different locations from usual. The air pollution is

categori*ed to three following types which are the +atural pollutants, rimary pollutants and

econdary pollutants. +atural pollutants are the natural phenomena of pollutants that affect

naturally on the atmosphere. Examples of natural pollutants are such as dust from natural

sources, usually large areas of land with little or no &egetation. rimary pollutants are

substances that are directly emitted from a process, such as ash from a &olcanic eruption or

the carbon monoxide gas from a motor &ehicle exhaust. -i&e maor types of pollutants that

released directly to the atmosphere are particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ulphur dioxide,

nitrogen compounds and hydrocarbons. These maor pollutants in the presence of energy

sources can react with one another to form secondary pollutants such as o*one.

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2.0. LITERATURE REVIEW

Energy and climate are highly associated with the built en&ironment. $uilt en&ironment is

not only comprised of building collections, but also the physical results of &arious

economic, social and en&ironmental processes (antamouris / 'simakopoulos, "00#!.

1rban micro2climate change effects can be seen when maor cities experience the

formation of urban heat islands, due to urban expansion, pollution growth, and the

de&elopment of maor industrial acti&ities in metropolitan areas (%ha*anfari, +aseri,

-aridani, 'boutorabi, / -arid, "003!. 1rbani*ation promotes the changes of land use and

land co&er. 1rban scale in&estigation of climate modification requires one to look into

human acti&ities. 4uman acti&ities are a maor influence of urban climate because the

concentration effects of them

acti&ities may differ considerably from surrounding rural regions. 5hanges of land co&er

will relati&ely change surface properties, like heat capacity, heat conducti&ity, albedo,

roughness length, maximum e&aporati&e conducti&ity, heterogeneity, 6eaf 'rea )ndex

(6')!, and water features (lders, "0##!.

' widespread series of biomass burning from the forest fires particularly in umatra and

9alimantan, )ndonesia caused a thick, smoky ha*e o&er a large portion of outheast 'sia,

especially )ndonesia, alaysia, ingapore, $runei and outhern Thailand (ahmud,

"008: entamwa and ;anh, "008: ermadi and 9im ;anh, "0#<: astry, "00"!. '

significant amount of particulate matter (=ei et al., #333! from this biomass burning was

transported by south2westerly winds (between >une and eptember! to alaysia. 4ea&y

loads of &ehicular emissions and biomass burning acti&ities, both at a local or trans2

boundary le&el ha&e in turn led to serious prolonged ha*e e&ents being recorded on the

alaysian eninsula and at abah and arawak ('bas et al., "00?b: 'fro* et al., "00<!.

@uring ha*e days in outheast 'sia, the concentration of particulate matter pollutants

smaller than #0 microns (#0!, carbon monoxide (5;!, sulphur dioxide (; "!, nitrogen

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dioxide (+;"! and o*one (;<! was found to be significantly higher when compared to

non2ha*e day concentrations ('fro* et al., "00<: ahmud, "008!. The amount of

particulate matter during ha*e episode was dominated by organic carbon, +;<2, and ;?

"2. easonal and weather conditions also played an important role in exacerbating the

distribution of air pollutants during ha*y condition (@ominick et al., "0#": +orela et al.,

"007: amoli et al.,

"008!. ource apportionment by chemical mass balance receptor modelling indicates that

air pollutants can tra&el long distances and significantly affect the air of the downwind

area (ee et al., "007!.

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3.0. CONTENT

<.#. Types of processes that affect air pollution

any forms of atmospheric pollution affect human health and the en&ironment at

le&els from local to global. These contaminants are emitted from di&erse sources,

and some of them react together to form new compounds in the air. )ndustriali*ed

nations ha&e made important progress toward controlling some pollutants in

recent decades, but air quality is much worse in many de&eloping countries, and

global circulation patterns can transport some types of pollution rapidly around

the world.

There are four types of processes affect air pollution le&els which are emissions,

chemistry, transport and deposition process. )n emissions process, 5hemicals are

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emitted to the atmosphere by a range of sources. 'nthropogenic emissions come

from human acti&ities, such as burning fossil fuel. $iogenic emissions are

produced by natural functions of biological organisms, such as microbial

breakdown of organic materials. Emissions can also come from non2li&ing natural

sources, most notably &olcanic eruptions and desert dust. -or chemistry process,

chemical reactions that occur in the atmosphere create, modify, and destroy

chemical pollutants. =hile, in transport process, winds can carry pollutants far

from their sources, so that emissions in one region cause en&ironmental impacts

far away. 6ong2range transport complicates efforts to control air pollution because

it can be hard to distinguish effects caused by local &ersus distant sources and to

determine who should bear the costs of reducing emissions. -or deposition

process, aterials in the atmosphere return to Earth, either because they are

directly absorbed or taken up in a chemical reaction (such as photosynthesis! or

because they are sca&enged from the atmosphere and carried to Earth by rain,

snow, or fog. 'ir pollution trends are strongly affected by atmospheric conditions

such as temperature, pressure, and humidity, and by global circulation patterns.

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<.". aor types of pollutants

<.".#. ulphur dioxide (;"!

ulphur dioxide is a gas formed when sulphur is exposed to oxygen at

high temperatures during fossil fuel combustion, oil refining, or metal

smelting. ;" is toxic at high concentrations, but its principal air

pollution effects are associated with the formation of acid rain and

aerosols. ;" dissol&es in cloud droplets and oxidi*es to form

sulphuric acid (4";?!, which can fall to Earth as acid rain or snow or

form sulphate aerosol particles in the atmosphere. ulfur dioxide

mostly comes from the burning of coal or oil in power plants. )t also

comes from factories that make chemicals, paper or fuel. ulphur

dioxide is a colorless, pungent, irritating and water2soluble reacti&e

gas.

<.".". 5arbon monoxide (5;!

5arbon monoxide (5;! is an odorless, colorless gas and at high

concentration, a poisonous gas formed by incomplete combustion of

carbon in fuel. The main source is motor &ehicle exhaust, along with

industrial processes and biomass burning. 5arbon monoxide is released

when engines burn fossil fuels. Emissions are higher when engines are

not tuned properly, and when fuel is not completely burned. 5ars emit

a lot of the carbon monoxide found outdoors. -urnaces and heaters in

the home can emit high concentrations of carbon monoxide too, if they

are not properly maintained.

<.".<. +itrogen dioxide (+;"!

+itrogen dioxide (+;"! is a reddish brown, highly reacti&e gas that is

formed in the ambient air through the oxidation of nitrogen monoxide.

+itrogen oxides (+;A! is the term used to describe the sum of +;,

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+;" and other oxides of nitrogen. +itrogen oxides (+; and +;",

referred together as +;x! are highly reacti&e gases formed when

oxygen and nitrogen react at high temperatures during combustion or

lightning strikes. +itrogen present in fuel can also be emitted as +;x

during combustion. )n the atmosphere +;x reacts with &olatile organic

compounds (B;5s! and carbon monoxide to produce ground2le&el

o*one through a complicated chain reaction mechanism. )t is

e&entually

oxidi*ed to nitric acid (4+;<!. 6ike sulphuric acid, nitric acid

contributes to acid deposition and to aerosol formation.

<.".?. articulate matter (#0!

articulate matter is the general term used to describe respirable

particles of less than #0 microns in si*e. articulate matter is a solid or

liquid matter that is suspended in the air. To remain in the air, particles

usually must be less than 0.# mm wide and can be as small as 0.0000C

mm. articulate matter can be di&ided into two types which are coarse

particles and fine particles. 5oarse particles are formed from sources

like road dust, sea spray and construction. -ine particles are formed

when fuel is burned in automobiles and power plants. articulate

matter will ha&e formed in the atmosphere by the transformation of

precursor emissions such as ;" and +;A to form ulphur and

nitrates. )n addition, significant amount of fine particulates can also

arise from uncontrolled biomass burning acti&ities either within or

from outside the country.

<.".C. ;*one

;*one is a gas that can be found in two places. +ear the ground which

is the troposphere, that is the maor part of smog. The harmful o*one in

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the lower atmosphere should not be confused with the protecti&e layer

of o*one in the upper atmosphere that is stratosphere, which screens

out harmful ultra&iolet rays. ;*one is not created directly, but is

formed when nitrogen oxides and &olatile organic compounds react in

the presence of heat and sunlight. B;5s are emitted from &arious

sources, including motor &ehicles, chemical plants, refineries,

factories, consumer and commercial products, and other industrial

sources. +itrogen oxides are emitted from motor &ehicles, power

plants, and sources of combustion. ;*one and the precursor pollutants

that form o*one can also be transported hundreds of kilometers away

depending on wind directions.

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<.<. Effect of air pollution to the human health and en&ironment.

<.<.#. Effect of ulphur dioxide (;"!

ulphur dioxide exposure can affect people who ha&e asthma or

emphysema by making it more difficult for them to breathe. )t can also

irritate peopleDs eyes, noses and throats. ;ther effects associated with

long2term exposure to high concentrations of ;" coupled with high

le&els of particulate matter include respiratory illnesses, alterations in

lung function and aggra&ation of existing cardio&ascular diseases.

There are also effect of ulphur dioxide on en&ironment. ulphur

dioxide along with +;A is a maor precursor to acidic deposition,

which contributes to the acidification of soils, lakes and streams and

can cause ad&erse impact on the ecosystem. ulphur dioxide can also

be harmful to plant life and accelerates the corrosion of buildings and

monuments.

<.<.". Effect of carbon monoxide (5;!

5arbon monoxide enters the bloodstream through the lungs and

reduces oxygen deli&ery to organs and tissues. )t will then make people

feel di**y and tired and gi&es them headaches. )n high concentrations it

is fatal. Elderly people with heart disease are hospitali*ed more often

when they are exposed to higher amounts of carbon monoxide.

<.<.<. Effect of nitrogen dioxide (+;"!

4igh le&els of nitrogen dioxide exposure can gi&e people coughs and

can make them feel short of breath. eople who are exposed to

nitrogen dioxide for a long time ha&e a higher chance of getting

respiratory infections and cause alteration in lung function. +itrogen

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oxides contribute to a wide range of en&ironmental effects, including

the formation of acid rain and potential changes in the composition and

competition of some species of &egetation in wetland and terrestrial

systems, &isibility impairment, acidification of freshwater bodies,

eutrophication of estuarine and coastal waters and increase in le&els of

toxins harmful to aquatic life.

<.<.?. Effect of particulate matter (#0!

articulate matter that is small enough can enter the lungs and cause

health problems. ome of these problems include more frequent

asthma attacks, respiratory problems and premature death. articulate

matter also causes undesirable impact on the en&ironment. The

presence of high le&els of #0 in the atmosphere is a maor cause of

reduced &isibility, resulting in ha*y conditions especially during the

dry season. ;ther en&ironmental impacts can occur when particulate

matter is deposited onto soil, plants, water or other materials.

@epending on the chemical composition of these substances, when

particulate matter is deposited in sufficient quantities, it may change

the nutrient balance and acidity in soil, interfere with plant metabolism

and change the composition of the materials.

<.<.C. Effect of o*one (;<!

;*one near the ground can cause a number of health problems. ;*one

can lead to more frequent asthma attacks in people who ha&e asthma

and can cause sore throats, coughs, and breathing difficulty. )t may

e&en lead to premature death. ;*one can also affect &egetation and

ecosystems, leading to reduction in agricultural and commercial forest

yields, reduced growth and sur&i&ability of tree seedlings, and

increased plant susceptibility to diseases, pests, and other

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en&ironmental stresses. )n long li&ed species, these effects may become

e&ident only after se&eral years or e&en decades. Thus o*one has the

potential for long2term effect on forest ecosystems.

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4.0. DISCUSSION

'ir pollution occur because of some sources from the &arious locations, acti&ities or

factors which are responsible for the releasing of pollutants in the atmosphere. These

sources can be classified into two maor acti&ities which are natural sources and

anthropogenic sources (human acti&ity!. +atural sources include atmospheric reactions,

dust and aerosol, microorganisms, pollen and radioacti&e substance. 'nthropogenic

sources are such as industrial and de&elopment acti&ities, motor &ehicles, power

generation, e&eryday routine and open burning.

?.#. +atural sources?.#.#. 'tmospheric reactions

'tmospheric reactions will cause it to breaks the complex molecules of

organic matters. The products of atmospheric reactions will then come

down to the earth by rain, snowfall etc.

?.#.". @ust and aerosol

The dust and aerosol which are present in atmosphere comes from

natural sources, usually large areas of land with little or no &egetation,

from seawater, airborne particles, bacteria etc. and remain suspension

in air.

?.#.<. icroorganisms

These microorganisms are in the form of yeast, algae, fungi, bacteria

etc. These organisms can be transported by wind to far distances and

can affect plants, animals, and human beings.

?.#.?. ollen

These pollen may enter from the flower of plants including the trees,

grasses and weeds and may be transported from place to place by

wind.

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?.#.C. adioacti&e substances

The radioacti&ity of the atmosphere is caused by the radioacti&e

materials present at the crust of the earth and the action of cosmic rays.

The radioacti&e substances such as radium, uranium and thorium are

responsible for the imparting the radioacti&ity of air.

?.". 'nthropogenic sources (human acti&ity!

?.".#. )ndustrial and de&elopment acti&ities

@ifferent industries emit different pollutants. The metal working

industry is partially responsible for the emissions of ulphur dioxide

and large amounts of toxic dust. 4uman acti&ities ha&e resulted in

harmful substances and polluting emissions of ulphur dioxide and

large amounts of toxic dust. They endanger our health and our natural

ecosystem, and lead to an additional greenhouse effect.

?.".". otor &ehicles

o&ement of people and goods requires energy which relies mostly on

the burning of fossil fuels, thus causing emissions and noise with

ad&erse local effects. The air quality of the different transport modes

depends on the kind of energy, engine technology and the amount of

energy consumed.

?.".<. ower generation

ost of the energy is produced in con&entional power plants burning

fossil fuels like natural gas, oil or coal.

?.".?. E&eryday routines

4ousehold contribute to air pollution mainly through the use of energy

that is required to run machines and electrical appliances such as

refrigerators. efrigerators and air conditioners not only consume

energy but they pollute the en&ironment when their coolant fluids

release chlorofluorocarbon (5-5! into the atmosphere.

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?.".C. ;pen burning

$urning of older existing plantations for replanting creates large

amounts of soot particles. These soot particles can be blown o&er long

distances and are mainly responsible for the ha*e that often co&ers the

sky. These fires not only pollute the air but also destroy the rich habitat

of the flora and fauna.

5.0. CONCLUSION

Today the world has become highly industriali*ed and moderni*ed, which makes

human life much easier and more comfortable. )n spite of the ad&antages, the

de&elopment of industry does ha&e a lot of disad&antages, especially air pollution. 'll

o&er the world, air pollution is increasing at an alarming pace and at the same time, it has

a serious effect on the earth and human health, so more and more people are concerned

about it. 's a result, measures are being taken to reduce this kind of pollution. The first

contribution to the atmospheric pollution is natural disaster, causing great damage to

human life, including as &olcanic eruption and forest fire. )n the second place, another

reason that effect the air is combustion engine exhaust. )n fact, many means of

transportation such as cars, motorbikes are partly responsible for air pollution by emitting

great amount of fumes and gas. The more &ehicles are in use, the more contaminated

the air becomes. +eedless to say, air pollution takes many different forms and arises from

a &ariety of sources. 's its damage to human is growing, e&eryone now need to make an

effort to reduce the pollution before it is too late.

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6.0. RECOMMENDATION

e&eral ways can be recommended to reduce air pollution. There are few ideas that

you can take to help clean our air. -irstly, at home we can conser&e energy by turn off

appliances and lights when you lea&e the room. Fou also can conser&e energy and reduces

production emissions by recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard and aluminum

cans. =e can also use low2B;5 or water based paints, stains, finishes and paint strippers.

Test your home for radon, a dangerous radioacti&e gas that is odorless and tasteless. )f the

test shows ele&ated le&els of radon, the problem can be fixed cost effecti&ely. $uy

E+E%F T' products, including energy efficient lighting and appliances. They are

en&ironmentally friendly products. oreo&er, choose efficient, low2polluting models of

&ehicles. lan your trips to sa&e gasoline and reduce air pollution. )n the summertime, fill

gas tank during cooler e&ening hours to cut down on e&aporation. '&oid spilling gas and

donDt Gtop2offH the tank. eplace gas tank cap tightly. =hen possible, use public

transportation, walk or ride a bike. 6astly, oin a carpool to get to work.

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Assignment CMT 666

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