Monitoring air quality

1. Monitoring Air Quality

2. Air Quality
When you breath, 78% is Nitrogen, 21% is Oxygen.
Which air would you rather breath in?
Houston, Texas New York City, New York

3. Air Quality
Many industrialized countries have air quality problems:

4. Air Quality
Many industrialized countries have air quality problems:

5. Air Quality
Air Quality is determined in two ways:
◦ measuring the levels of pollutants in the air (natural and man-
made).
◦ estimating the amount of emissions from pollution sources.

6. Sulfur Dioxide
Sulfur dioxide:
◦ S8(g) + 8O2(g) -> 8SO2(g)
◦ forms smog and acid rain (sulphurous acid).
◦ affects your respiratory system and irritates eyes.
◦ source is the industrial process of oil and gas industries, or
when fuels like coal and oil are burned.
◦ industrial plants use "scrubbers" to reduce emissions of SO2
by 99%.
◦ scrubbers use limestone (calcium carbonate) to convert
sulfur dioxide to useful products like gypsum (calcium sulfate).
◦ 2SO2(g) + 4H2O(l) + 2CaCO3(s) + O2(g) -> 2CaSO4 2H2O(s) +
2CO2(g)

7. Nitrogen Oxides
Nitrogen Oxides:
◦ N2(g) + O2(g) -> NOx(g)
◦ mainly from the combustions in
vehicles, generating plants, and from
industrial processes such as oil
refining.
◦ brownish gas that gives smog its
color.

8. Ground Level Ozone
Ground Level Ozone [O3(g)]:
◦ odourless, colourless gas composed of three oxygen atoms.
◦ formed from reactions between oxygen, nitrogen oxides,
and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s - come from trees,
gasoline, and solvents).
◦ major source is fuel combustion in vehicle engines and
industry.
◦ can cause breathing problems and long term lung damage.
◦ can also cause serious affect with wheat, soybeans, and
onions, and cause plastics to deteriorate rapidly.