1) The document is a student's report on acid rain, its causes, effects, and preventative measures. It provides definitions of acid rain, discusses how it is formed from emissions interacting with water and air, and its impacts such as damage to aquatic environments, forests, soils, and public health. 2) Recommendations to reduce acid rain include using energy efficient appliances, alternative fuels for transportation, and developing cleaner energy sources. 3) The conclusion states that acid rain seriously damages the environment and living things through soil degradation and plant/wildlife death, and that reducing emissions from fossil fuels and developing renewable energy can help address this issue.

1. NAME: Maryam Arif
COURSE: BS.ED(Hons) 5th semester
STUDENT ID: 2018-2326(morning)
ADVANCE CHEMISTRY-1(environmental
chemistry)
Presented to : Dr Tayyabah M. Akram
IER,PUNJAB UNIVERSITY LAHORE.

2. TOPIC:
ACID RAIN AND ITS IMPACT ON
ENVIRONMENT

3. INTRODUCTION:
 The term acid rain was coined in 1852 by Scottish chemist Robert Angus
Smith, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry, which calls him the
"father of acid rain.“
 Smith decided on the term while examining rainwater chemistry near
industrial cities in England and Scotland. He wrote about his findings in
1872 in the book "Air and Rain: The Beginnings of a Chemical
Climatology."
 In the 1950s, scientists in the United States started studying the
phenomenon, and in the 1960s and early 1970s, acid rain became
recognized as a regional environmental issue that affected Western Europe
and eastern North America.

4. DEFINITION:
 Rain or precipitation that contains elevated levels of hydrogen ions.
Elevated hydrogen levels decrease pH levels.
 Decreased pH level creates an acidic atmosphere. Acid rain results from
the combination of fossil fuel emissions and water in the atmosphere.
 Acid rain, or acid deposition, is a broad term that includes any form of
precipitation with acidic components, such as sulphuric or nitric acid that
fall to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms. This can
include rain, snow, fog, hail or even dust that is acidic.

6. CAUSES OF ACID RAIN:
 Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, natural fires, lightning and some
microbial processes release sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the
atmosphere.
 However, it is human action that causes most sulphur dioxide
emissions due to the burning of fuels in industry and power stations, as
well as half of nitrogen oxide emissions due to gases produced by motor
vehicles.
 Likewise, although to a lesser extent, intensive livestock farming
produces ammonia from the decomposition of organic matter.

7.  These three pollutants, which can be transported over long distances from
where they originate, oxidise in contact with the atmosphere and result
in the formation of sulphuric acid and nitric acid. These acids dissolve
water droplets in the clouds and fall on the earth's surface as acid
rain, which can also occur in the form of snow or fog.
 he regular clean rain we experience, even though it is not clean i.e. water
and carbon dioxide react together to form weak carbonic acid which
essentially by itself is not extremely harmful. The reaction occurring is :
 H2O (l) + CO2 (g) ⇌ H2CO3 (aq)

8.  The pH value of regular rainwater is around 5.7, giving it an acidic
nature. The oxides of nitrogen and sulphur are blown away by the wind
along with the dust particles.
 They settle on the earth’s surface after coming down in the form of
precipitation. Acid rain is essentially a by product of human activities
emit oxides of nitrogen and sulphur in the atmosphere. Example – the
burning of fossil fuels, unethical waste emission disposal techniques.

9.  Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide undergo oxidation, and then they
react with water resulting in the formation of sulphuric acid and nitric acid
respectively. The following reaction will clarify the acid formation reaction:
 2SO2 (g) + O2 (g) + 2H2O (l) → 2H2SO4 (aq)
4NO2 (g) + O2 (g) + 2H2O (l) → 4HNO3 (aq)

11. FORMATION OF ACID RAIN:
 Acid rain is one of the consequences of air pollution. It occurs when
emissions from factories, cars or heating boilers contact with the water in
the atmosphere.
 These emissions contain nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and sulphur
trioxide, which when mixed with water become sulphurous acid, nitric
acid and sulphuric acid. This process also occurs naturally through
volcanic eruptions.

13. AFFECTED AREAS:
 Some acid rain occurs naturally, but sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide
emissions from smokestacks combine with rain to make sulphuric and
nitric acid in amounts that harm the environment.
 The region of the United States most harmed by acid rain is the East
Coast, including the Appalachian Mountains and the Northeast.

14.  People living in Punjab, and Lahore, the ‘heart of Pakistan’ in particular,
have been breathing acid rain for years. It becomes more visible, dense
and hurting when the temperature begins going down around November-
December.
 it is man-made pollution — the result of bad policy choices for
industrialisation, transport, urbanisation and power generation. Second,
smog has been a persistent issue for the past couple of decades; so it is
not something new that the Punjab or the federal government are
witnessing.
 Third, there can, and there are scientific and policy interventions that we
need to address the problem. Finally, it is not just humans that are
suffering from acid rain, it is the plants, animals and micro-biological life
that are equally affected.

16. EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN:
Acid rain has significant effects on the world environment and public health.
 1. Effect on Aquatic Environment:
Acid rain either falls directly on aquatic bodies or gets run off the forests,
roads and fields to flow into streams, rivers and lakes. Over a period of time,
acids get accumulated in the water and lower the overall pH of the water
body.
The aquatic plants and animals need a particular pH level of about 4.8 to
survive. If the pH level falls below that the conditions become hostile for the
survival of aquatic life.

17.  Acid rain tendency of altering pH and aluminium concentrations greatly
affects pH concentration levels in surface water, thereby affecting fish as
well as other aquatic life-forms. At pH levels below 5, most fish eggs
cannot hatch. Lower pHs can also kill adult fish.
 Acid rain runoff from catchment areas into rivers and lakes has also
reduced biodiversity as rivers and lakes become more acidic. Species
including fish, plant and insect types in some lakes, rivers and brooks have
been reduced and some even completely eliminated owing to excess acid
rain flowing into the waters.

19. 2. Effect on Forests:
 It makes trees vulnerable to disease, extreme weather, and insects by
destroying their leaves, damaging the bark and arresting their
growth. Forest damage due to acid rain is most evident in Eastern Europe
– especially Germany, Poland and Switzerland.

20. 3.EFFECT ON SOILS:
 Acid rain highly impacts on soil chemistry and biology. It means soil
microbes and biological activity as well as soil chemical compositions
such as soil pH are damaged or reversed due to the effects of acid rain.
 The soil needs to maintain an optimum pH level for the continuity of
biological activity. When acid rains seep into the soil, it means higher soil
pH, which damages or reverses soil biological and chemical activities.
Hence, sensitive soil microorganisms that cannot adapt to changes in pH
are killed.
 High soil acidity also denatures enzymes for the soil microbes. On the
same breadth, hydrogen ions of acid rain leach away vital minerals and
nutrients such as calcium and magnesium.

22. 4. Vegetation Cover and Plantations:
 The damaging effects of acid rain on soil and high levels of dry
depositions have endlessly damaged high altitude forests and vegetation
cover since they are mostly encircled by acidic fogs and clouds.
 Besides, the widespread effects of acid rain on ecological harmony have
lead to stunted growth and even death of some forests and vegetation
cover.

23. 5. Effect on Architecture and Buildings
 Real-Life Examples:
 Taj Mahal, one of the 7 wonders of the world, is largely affected by acid
rain. The city of Agra has many industries which emit the oxides of
sulphur and nitrogen in the atmosphere. People continue to use low-
quality coal and firewood as a domestic fuel, adding to this problem. Acid
rain has the following reaction with the marble (calcium carbonate):
 CaCO3 + H2SO4 → CaSO4 + H2O + CO2

25.  Statue of Liberty which is made of copper has also been damaged by the
cumulative action of acid rain & oxidation for over 30 years and is,
therefore, becoming green.

26. 6. Effect on Public Health:
 When in the atmosphere, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide gases and
their particulate matter derivatives like sulphates and nitrates, degrades
visibility and can cause accidents, leading to injuries and deaths.
 Human health is not directly affected by acid rain because acid rainwater
is too dilute to cause serious health problems.
 However, the dry depositions also known as gaseous particulates in the air
which in this case are nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide can cause
serious health problems when inhaled. Intensified levels of acid
depositions in dry form in the air can cause lung and heart problems such
as bronchitis and asthma.

28. PREVENTIVE MEASURES:
 Since we are its main cause, the solution to the problem of the
acidification of the environment is in the hands of humans: to mitigate
acid rain, it is essential to reduce pollutant emissions. For this, there needs
to be a commitment at government and corporate level to drive a series
of measures:

Filter and detoxify the water used by the factories before returning it to
the rivers.
 Reduce the emission of pollutant gases by industry.
 Encourage the production and use of renewable energy instead of fossil
fuels.
 Reduce the energy consumption of factories and companies.

29.  Promote innovation and new technologies aimed at optimising energy
consumption and developing renewable energy.
 Plant trees to absorb polluted air.
 Make the population aware of the importance of reducing household
energy consumption.
 Encourage the use of the electric vehicles and other non-polluting
such as bicycles.
 Iberdrola group is fully aligned with this commitment to reduce the
emission of polluting gases into the atmosphere. In this regard, it has
proposed to have zero emissions in Europe by 2030 and to be carbon
neutral globally by 2050.

30. RECOMMENDATIONS:
 The following are some suggestions to reduce acid rain:
1. Run the dishwasher with fully load
2. Run the washing machine with full load.
3. Buy energy-efficient appliances.
4. Avoid the use of air conditioners altogether.
5. Turn out the lights in empty room and when away from home.
6. Consider installing compact fluorescent bulbs instead of high-wattage
inflorescent bulbs.
7. Turn out the hot water tank when going away for extended period of
time.
8. Install additional insulation on hot water tank and pipes.

31. Transportation:
1. Have your vehicle engine turned at least once every six months
2. Use alternative fuels such as propane or natural gas.
3. Avoid unnecessary idling.
4. Drive at moderate speed.
5. Go to CFC-free
6. Take the train or bus on long trip.

32. CONCLUSION:
 Acid Rain is a very serious, and dangerous issue that plagues our world
as we know it today.
 The sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide are both released in large
amounts through the burning of different fuels such as coal and fossil
fuels.
 Acid Rain hurts the environment by damaging the soil, killing plant life,
damaging wildlife, and even servery hurting us humans. The damage it
causes leads to very serious issues, and it even can effect the lives of
those around you. One way you can stop it, you can start searching for
cleaner forms of energy, such as solar power and electric cars. It may not
seem as though Acid Rain is much of an issue, but it can cause more that
you can even imagine.

33. REFERENCES:
 https://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects-acid-
rain#:~:text=The%20ecological%20effects%20of%20acid,flow%20into%2
0streams%20and%20lakes.
 https://kclarkchemhonors.weebly.com/conclusion.html
 https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-and-effects-of-acid-
rain.php
 https://www.iberdrola.com/environment/acid-rain
 https://byjus.com/chemistry/acid-rain/
 https://www.slideshare.net/bamal69/acid-rain-10903343
 https://www.google.com/search?q=acid+rain+prevention+methods&oq=
&aqs=chrome.3.69i59i450l8.1085202311j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-
8
 https://www3.epa.gov/acidrain/education/site_students/whatcauses.html
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