Environmental

Pollution Control
Subtitle
 Introduction
Pollution is defined as ‘an undesirable change in physical, chemical and
biological characteristics of air, water and land that may be harmful to living
organisms.
The Pollution Control Board, defined pollution as unfavorable alteration of our
surrounding, largely as a by-product of human activities.

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 Pollutant
• Pollutant is a substance which causes pollution.
• Unlimited exploitation of nature has disturbed the ecological balance between
living and non living components in the biosphere.
• The major environment pollutants are deposited matter, gases, metals,
fluorides, acid droplets, agro chemicals, photo chemical accidents, radioactive
waste and solid waste.

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 Classification of pollutants
• Environment pollution is of many types like air pollution, water pollution,
noise pollution, soil pollution, marine pollution, etc.
• In developing countries major source of environment pollutions are air
pollution, water pollution and soil pollution.

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 On the Basis of Nature
• Depending upon the nature of the pollutants and their interaction with
environment process, the pollution caused by different agents can be
classified into the following categories:
• Solid pollutants.
• Liquid pollutants
• Gaseous pollutants

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 On the Basis of Decomposition
• Non-Degradable Pollutants: These are not broken down by the natural
processes like action of microbes.
• Degradable Pollutants or Bio-degradable Pollutants: These are natural organic
substances which can be decomposed, removed or consumed and thus,
reduced to acceptable levels either by natural processes like biological or
microbial action or by some engineered systems, like sewage treatment
plants.

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AIR POLLUTION
Subtitle
 Air Pollution
• Air pollution is the resultant of direct or indirect change in physical, chemical
and biological characteristics of atmosphere, which mainly results from gases
emission from industry, thermal power station, auto mobile and domestic
combustions, etc.

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 Air pollutants
• “Air Pollutant” can be defined as any solid, liquid or gaseous substance
present in the atmosphere in high concentration more than prescribed limits
that may be harmful to the living creatures.
• Pollutants can be classified as primary and secondary pollutants.
• Primary pollutants are carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide,
carbon monoxide and CFC.
• Secondary pollutants are acid rain and ozone.

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 Air pollutants
• Major pollutants responsible for air pollution are:
• Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5)
• Ozone (O3)
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Sulphur dioxide (SO2)

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 Air pollutants (Ozone, photochemical smog
hydrocarbon and fluorocarbons)
• Ozone (O3) is outcome of chemical reaction between nitrogen dioxide and
volatile organic components. Ozone layer in stratosphere protects from harmful
UV rays via absorbs ultra violet radiation. Ozone is the key component of
photochemical smog.
• Nitric oxide in the atmosphere with ozone causes elimination of ozone layer.
Thinning or hole of ozone layer can cause skin cancer .It is estimated that 1%
reduction in ozone increases UV radiation by 2%.
• The main hydrocarbon are benzene and methane and it emerges from motor
vehicles. Hydrocarbons combine with nitrites under UV radiation and form other
pollutants known as photochemical products such as Aldehydes, Ozone Pans,
Olefins, etc.
• On the other hand fluorocarbons at higher level are toxic and creates problem of
fluorosis, the source of fluoride in the environment are industrial process of
phosphate fertilizers, aluminum, fluorinated plastics, uranium and other metals.

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 Sources of air pollution
Natural sources
• The natural sources of air pollution are volcanic eruptions, forest fires, thunder
storms, cyclones, typhoons, fog, biological decay, photochemical oxidation,
deposition of dead matters, vegetation and animals etc. Radioactive minerals
present in the earth crust are the sources of radioactivity in the atmosphere.

Man-made sources
• Man made sources include industry, thermal power stations, industrial units,
vehicular emissions, automobiles, farming practices, domestic equipments,
nuclear weapons and test, etc.

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 Effects of air pollution
• Nitrogen dioxide has more harmful effect as compare to nitric oxide. Exposure
to NO2 causes resistance in air movement in lungs.
• Nitric oxide and carbon monoxide can combine haemoglobin to reduce
oxygen caring capacity of blood.
• These pollutants affect plants by entering through stomata. Particulate
pollutants affect the photo synthetic activity which may damage the plants
and can affect productivity.
• Air pollutants can enhance the acidity of water resources therefore can
adversely affect aquatic life. Material can be damaged due to effect of
pollutants when exposed to the environment

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 Prevention and control of air pollution
• Engineers should consider the possibility by changing the manufacturing
process.
• For example to minimize the high level of lead in air simple solution is to
eliminate lead in gasoline (supply of unleaded petrol)
• Use CNG (compressed natural gas) as an alternative fuel .
• Use gas additives to improve combustions.

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 Prevention and control of air pollution
Control devices
The following items are commonly used as pollution control devices by industry or
transportation devices. They can either destroy contaminants or remove them
from an exhaust stream before they are emitted into the atmosphere.
• Mechanical collectors (dust cyclones, multicyclones)
• Electrostatic precipitators An electrostatic precipitator (ESP), or electrostatic air
cleaner is a particulate collection device that removes particles from a flowing gas
(such as air) using the force of an induced electrostatic charge.
• Baghouses Designed to handle heavy dust loads, a dust collector consists of a
blower, dust filter, a filter-cleaning system, and a dust receptacle or dust removal
system.
• Wet scrubber is a form of pollution control technology. The term describes a
variety of devices that use pollutants from a furnace flue gas or from other gas
streams
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WATER
POLLUTION
Subtitle
 WATER POLLUTION
Water pollution is referred as a presence of foreign substances or impurities
which can contribute to health hazards by lowering water qualities and making
it unfit for use.

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 Sources of water pollution
• Pollution due to decaying of plants ,animals and organic matter in water bodies
• Addition of soil-silt washings, insecticides, herbicide and fungicides are agricultural
sources can be water pollution.
• Ore washing, inert suspended solid and soluble toxic materials.
• Sewage obtained from domestic promises, institutions and industrial buildings are
main sources of pollution of water in cities.
• Industrial Effluents are one of the important agents of water pollution.
• Accidental spillage of chemical or petroleum products also contributes towards
water pollution.
• Ground water pollution with arsenic, fluorides and nitrites which are poisonous in
nature are posing serious health problems.
• Major point sources of water pollution are industries, power plants, underground
coalmines, offshore oil wells etc.

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 Water pollutants
• Organic pollutants: Water carrying organic pollutants have decreased level of
oxygen and such organic pollutants promote disease causing agent.
• Inorganic pollutants: Inorganic pollutants include inorganic salts, metallic
compounds, trace elements and organ metallic compounds.
• Thermal pollutants: Main source of thermal pollutants are coal water plants,
nuclear water plants and other industrial process.
• Sediments
• Radioactive materials

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 Effects of water pollution
• Sewage is an excellent medium for growth of pathogens which are responsible for
spread of many diseases.
• Water pollution makes the drinking water unfit for domestic use. Industrial effluents
have harmful effect on living organism and can lead to death.
• Radioactive substances present in the water may cause cancer, eye, cataract and
DNA breakage; it may also destroy biological immune system.
• Residual toxic compounds of pesticides may cause many health problems.
• Sediments reduce the light penetration in water which lowers the photosynthetic
activity of aquatic plants.
• Toxic substances observed into tissues from polluted water can cause injuries leading
death of the plant.
• Eutrophication: It is the ecosystem response to the addition of artificial or natural
substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an
aquatic system.

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 Prevention and control of water pollution
• Prevent generation of pollutants at first place. Control the pollutants to minimize
its effects on water pollution.
• Domestic and industrial waste water should be disposed off only after treatment.
• Enforce pollution control laws strictly.
• Use treatment plants to clean discharged industrial waste water and utilise it for
irrigation purpose.
• Discourage excess use of pesticide and insecticide.
• Water bodies should be regularly cleaned of aquatic weed and wild plants
• Create public awareness regarding water pollution
• Afforestation will help to reduce the pollution and water erosion
• Use methods of biological nitrogen fixation to improve soil health and adopt
integrated pest management to minimize chemical contamination in water.

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NOISE
POLLUTION
Subtitle
 INTRODUCTION
• Noise can be defined as wrong sound in wrong place at wrong time.
• Sound at undesirable level creates pollution because it cause discomfort to
the people.
• There are two basic properties of sound i.e. loudness and frequency. Loudness
is strength of sensation of sound perceived by individual and is measured in
terms of decibel, where as frequency of sound defined as number of vibrations
per second and measured as hertz (Hz).
• Human ear is sensitive to frequency between 20-20000 Hz. whereas best
range of hearing is 2000-10000 Hz

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 Sources of noise pollution
• Major sources of noise pollution are
• industries
• transportation, and community
• cultural activities
• Loudspeaker and amplifiers used in different occasions is another source of
noise pollution

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 Effects of noise pollution
• Noise pollution is harmful to body and mind.
• It causes irritation and headache.
• It may cause number of physiological disorder like neurosis anxiety, insomnia,
hipper tension, behaviour and emotional stress.

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 Control of noise pollution
• Eliminate the noise at source by use of silencing devices.
• Control the noise transmission level using sound absorbers and acoustic tiles.
• Using self precaution measures such as ear plugs and earmuffs.
• Creating buffer zone between high noise level zone and residential areas by
afforestation.
• Taking strict statuary measure to govern the noise level in sensitive areas like
schools, hospitals, etc

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THERMAL
POLLUTION
Subtitle
 INTRODUCTION
• Thermal pollution, also known as heat pollution, is releasing of heat in air or
water causing undesired changes to environment .
• It can be both natural as in case of forest fires and heat emanating from
volcanoes, or it can be from manmade sources.

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 Sources of thermal pollution
There are several discrete sources of Thermal Pollution
• Thermal Power Plants
• Industries
• Release of domestic sewerage
• Nuclear Sources

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 Effects of thermal pollution
• Solubility of oxygen has inverse proportionality relationship with
temperature. That is, with increase in temperature of water bodies, oxygen
content of water decreases. Dissolved oxygen is essential component for
survival for aquatic life.
• High surface water temperature also has detrimental effect on penetration of
oxygen in deep cold water. Thus, it also affects on deep sea species.
• Increase in water temperature has harmful effect on population of aquatic
species who are sensitive to temperature changes .On the other hand it
propagates temperature change tolerant species. Thus, adversely affecting
balance of the aquatic ecosystem

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 Control of thermal pollution
Cooling towers
• Water from water body affected is directed pumped towards the cooling
tower having condensers, usually with temperature control. After bringing
water temperature to desire level, it is returned to the source. Use of
condenser makes this method expensive.
Cooling ponds
• These are the most cost effective way to tackle thermal pollution. In this
method, heat of heating effluents on surface of the water is dissipated in
atmosphere.
Artificial lake
• These are the man made bodies of water .Effluents are discharged into the
lake and heat is gradually lost to the atmosphere through evaporation.

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MARINE
POLLUTION
Subtitle
 INTRODUCTION
• Marine Pollution refers to degradation of marine ecosystem by discharge of
pollutants in large water bodies, in particular the sea and the oceans.

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 Sources of marine pollution
• Major concern for Marine ecosystem is Oil Spills. Origin of oil spills can be
attributed to natural phenomenon and also due to human activities. Natural
sources are oil seeps at geographical fault lines in the ocean floors .Human
activities leading to oil spills include leaking of oil tankers, well blowouts,
drilling oil rigs, etc.
• Addition of pollutants to sea by rivers flowing into seas.
• Addition of pollutants due to human activities such as industrial activities,
agriculture practices and tourism along coastline.
• Over exploitation of aquatic resources such as excessive fishing in particular
region can adversely affect marine ecology.
• Mining of minerals at coast and sea-bed near coast results in defiling the
marine ecological system.

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 Control of marine pollution
• Reducing the cases of oil spills due to leaking of tankers and well blowouts.
• Use of effective measures to control oil spills such as use of sinking material
such as chalk and dispersants.
• Developing no fishing zones in areas where aquatic life has been adversely
affected due to excessive fishing.
• Checking addition of toxic waste to rivers flowing into seas.
• Banning mining activities in and around coastal regions and on sea bed.
• Minimizing human activities in coastal regions adjoining areas sensitive
marine ecosystem such as coral reefs.

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SOIL POLLUTION
Subtitle
 INTRODUCTION
• Soil pollution is contamination of upper layer of earth’s crust by chemicals or
other toxic substances that lead to either reduction in fertility of soil in terms
of crop production or whose addition results in detrimental effects to soil
microorganism, insects, plant life and organism who consume those plants.

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 Sources of soil pollution
• Industrial Wastes.
• Improper Use of fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, etc.
• Urban waste consisting of solid waste and sludge also contribute heavily
towards soil pollution.
• Radioactive Pollutants

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 Effects of soil pollution
• Industrial effluents containing toxic chemicals dumped on land cause soil pollution and
enter in food chain, which has adverse effect on human health .
• Solid waste dumped on land cause disruption in everyday life and destroys natural beauty
of the landscape.
• Dumped waste and organic waste give rise to foul odour.
• Pathogenic bacteria cause diseases like cholera.
• Biomagnification: Biological magnification also known as bioamplification, is the increase
in concentration of a substance that occurs in a food chain. Biological magnification refers
to the process whereby certain substances such as pesticides or heavy metals move up the
food chain, work their way into rivers or lakes, and are eaten by aquatic organisms such as
fish, which in turn are eaten by large birds, animals or humans. Bioaccumulants are
substances that increase in concentration in living organisms as they take in contaminated
air, water, or food because the substances are very slowly metabolized or excreted. There
is good evidence that DDT, DDE, PCBs, toxaphene, and the organic forms of mercury and
arsenic do biomagnify in nature. e.g endosulphon banned in some states due to overuse
on cashewnut plantations.

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 Control measures of soil pollution
• Industries should be banned from dumping toxic chemicals on agricultural
land and proper disposal methods should be used.
• Government should provide subsidies, concessions and tax exemption to
companies that use recycled raw materials.
• Application of organic manures and pesticides should be encouraged in
agriculture.
• Plastic carry bags should be replaced by jute bags.
• Public awareness campaigns should be organized.
• Solid waste from urban and industrial areas should be disposed of using
proper techniques.
• Trees and grass should be grown to check soil erosion.

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SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT
Subtitle
 INTRODUCTION
• Solid waste includes all discarded solid and semi-solid materials arising from
various human activities. Municipal solid waste (MSW), consist mainly of
refuse and trash. It predominantly includes food wastes, yard wastes,
containers and product packaging, other miscellaneous inorganic wastes from
residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial sources.
• Trash refers to the bulky waste such as TV, refrigeration goods, broken
furniture, etc.
• Refuse comprises of two components mainly garbage and rubbish. Garbage
includes putrescible waste such as vegetables, meats, food wastes and other
readily degradable organic wastes.
• Rubbish consists of the non-degradable material such as glass, rubber, metals,
plastics, etc and slowly degradable material such as paper products, textiles
etc.

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 Sources of Solid Waste
• Residential sources: Waste arising from day to day household activities is a important
constituent to the solid waste. Proportion from this source is increasing day by day with
rapid increase in population. Household waste includes variety of things such as food
wastes, paper, cardboard, plastics, textiles, leather, etc
• Industrial Waste: Solid waste resulting from industries typically includes construction and
demolition waste, rubbish, ashes and special waste.
• Community Services: community services such as street cleaning, landscaping, recreational
activities, water and waste water treatment plants give rise to solid waste such as wood,
dirt, plastic and other general wastes.
• Agricultural activities: Agricultural activities generate spoiled food wastes, agricultural
wastes such as straw and sugarcane trash, hazardous wastes such as pesticides and
insecticides.
• Construction and demolition activities such as construction sites, road repair, renovation
sites, and demolition of buildings generate solid waste like wood, steel, concrete, dirt, etc.
• Institutions such as schools, hospitals, prisons, government centers generate solid waste like
paper, cardboard, plastics, wood, food wastes, glass, metals, etc.

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 Effects of Solid Waste Pollution
• Diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery are spread by carriers especially fly which
breed on garbage.
• Rubbish and trash can block the drains thus making breeding grounds for
mosquitoes, that spread diseases like malaria and dengue.
• Rotting garbage gives out foul smell that can render a locality inhospitable.
• Dumping places are usually also home to stray animals such as abandoned cows
that frequently block traffic on roads and occasionally lead to road accidents.
• Seeping of toxic chemicals from factories and garbage waste underground, can
render underground water unfit for human consumption.
• Accumulation of construction and demolition waste at places lessens the aesthetic
beauty of surroundings.
• Intake of solid non-biodegradable waste such as plastic by scavengers and stray
animals like pigs and abandoned cows can choke their windpipes and lead to death.

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 Methods of Solid Waste Disposal
• Land Filling: This is simple and economical method that requires no skilled labour. Method involves dumping the
solid waste collected into a low lying area usually at the outskirts of the settlement in layers. The layers are usually
1.5 to 2 meters thick are covered with a thin layer of good earth, before filling another layer of solid waste over it.
The layer of solid waste is thus sandwiched between thin layers of good earth. Over time, solid waste breaks and is
stabilized. After the site reaches certain height, it can be developed as parks by landscaping and planting trees.
• Incineration: In this method, solid waste is burned in specially designed furnaces. Combustible waste is separated
from non-combustible and fed into the furnace. Temperature conditions in furnace are carefully adjusted to burn
all organic matter and oxidize all foul smell. If moisture content of solid content is high, some auxiliary fuel such as
coal or wood can be added to support burning. Since, this method involves high temperature; all pathogens and
pest are destroyed, though, smoke coming from furnace causes air pollution.
• Pulverization: In this method, collected solid waste is powdered by grinding machines, thereby changing its
volume and physical characteristics. This pulverized solid waste is further disposed-off by land filling. This is costly
technique.
• Composting: This method involves digesting organic matter by anaerobic process, converting it into organic
manure and other stable compounds. It solves twin purpose of solid waste disposal and providing manure for
farms .Composting by trenching, open window composting and mechanical composting are three widely used
composting techniques.
• Disposal into the sea: This method involves dumping the solid waste at sea floor. It can only be applied in coastal
areas with strong currents .It is cheap method but tides can bring back some portion of solid waste dumped back
to beaches.

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