Environmental Sustainability

CO3

Environmental pollution

Pollution sources, effects and mitigation, conservation. Water

footprint and virtual water. Sustainable solutions. Environmental
Protection Act – Air, water, forest and wild life. International
protocols and agreements. Resource recycling and sustainability.
 Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of any substance (Solid, Liquid or Gas) or
any form of energy (Heat, Noise or radioactivity) to the natural
environment at faster rate than it can disperse, dilute, decomposed,
recycled or stored in some harmless form.
Pollutant is a substance or energy introduced into the environment
that has undesired effects or adversely affect the usefulness of a
resource.
Pollution is classified as
1) Point Source 2) Non-point source
Types of pollution:
1) Air pollution 2) Water pollution 3) Soil pollution
4) Noise pollution 5) Light pollution 6) Thermal pollution
7) Radioactive pollution
 Air Pollution
Air is present in the Earth’s atmosphere. It is a clear gas in which
living things live and breath. It has indefinite shape and volume
occurs, no colour and smell. It is a matter as it has mass and weight.
Air creates atmospheric pressure.

Air pollution occurs when harmful substance including particulates

and biological molecules are introduced into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Air pollutant is a substance in the air that can

have adverse effects on humans and the
ecosystem. The substance can be solid, liquid
or gas.

Air pollutant can be natural or man made. It

can be classified as primary or secondary
pollutant. New Delhi 2019
 Air Pollution
Chemicals added to the atmosphere by natural events or human
activities in high enough concentrations to be harmful

– Primary Air Pollutant

• Harmful substance that is emitted directly into the atmosphere
COX, NOx, SOx, HC

– Secondary Air Pollutant

• Harmful substance formed in the atmosphere when a primary air
pollutant reacts with substances normally found in the atmosphere or
with other air pollutants
O3, H2SO4
Sources
 Sources
Natural sources : Man Made :
Volcanic eruption, Vehicular emission,
Forest Fire, thermal power plant – fly
ash and SO2
Sea Salt sprays
Fossil fuel burning,
Biological decay
refineries,
Photochemical oxidation
chemical industries etc
pollen grains of flowers,
spores
Radioactive minerals in the Note: automobiles releases ~77% CO,
~8%NOx, ~14%HC
earth crust
Major Air Pollutants
 Particulate
Matter
• Aerosol : General term for particles suspended in air
• Mist: Aerosol containing liquid droplets e.g., H2SO4 mist
• Dust: Aerasol containing solid particles
• Smoke: Aerosol containing mixture of solid and liquid
particles produced by chemical reaction such as fire
• Fume: Same as smoke by produced by condensation of hot vapors of
metals e.g. Zinc and Lead fumes
• Plume: Smoke coming out of chimney
• Fly ash: Finely divided non-combustible particles present in the gases
arising from fuel combustion. It contains inorganic metallic or mineral
substances released when the organic part of the coal is burnt.
• Natural particulates: Natural particulates are pollen grains
spores
bacterial, viruses, protozoal, fungal spores and volcanic dusts.
 Nitrogen and Sulfur
Oxides
• Nitrogen Oxides
– Gases produced by the chemical interactions between atmospheric
nitrogen and oxygen at high temperature
– NO2 reacts with water vapor in the air to form nitric acid (HNO 3) and
nitrate salts (NO3−)
– Both NO and NO2 play a role in the formation of photochemical smog
– Problems
• Greenhouse gases
• Cause difficulty breathing

• Sulfur Oxides
• SO2 in the atmosphere comes from natural sources such as volcanoes
• Causes acid precipitation
• In the atmosphere, SO2 can be converted to , which consist of
microscopic suspended droplets of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and
suspended particles of sulfate (SO42−) salts that return to the earth
as a component of acid deposition.
 Carbon Oxides and
Hydrocarbons
• Carbon Oxides
• Gases carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO 2)

• Greenhouse gases

• CO can combine with hemoglobin in red blood cells, which reduces the ability of
blood to transport oxygen to body cells and tissues

• At high levels, CO can cause headache, nausea, drowsiness, confusion, collapse,

coma, and death

• increase in CO2 levels is a major cause of atmospheric warming,

• Hydrocarbons
• Diverse group of organic compounds that contain only hydrogen and carbon (ex:
CH4- methane)

• Some are related to photochemical smog and greenhouse gases

 Photochemical Smog
• Brownish-orange haze formed by
chemical reactions involving
sunlight, nitrogen oxide, and
hydrocarbons
• Sunlight Plus Cars Equals
Photochemical Smog
• A photochemical reaction is any
chemical reaction activated by
light.
• Photochemical smog is a mixture
of primary and secondary
pollutants formed under the
influence of UV radiation from the
sun.
Acid deposition
 Effects of Air Pollution
• Low level exposure
• Irritates eyes
• Causes inflammation of respiratory tract
• Can develop into chronic respiratory diseases
Human Health Effects
• Exposure to air pollution is associated with
numerous effects on human health, including
pulmonary, cardiac, vascular, and neurological
impairments.

• The health effects vary greatly from person to

person. High-risk groups such as the elderly,
infants, pregnant women, and sufferers from
chronic heart and lung diseases are more
susceptible to air pollution.

• Children are at greater risk because they are

generally more active outdoors and their lungs
are still developing.
 Effects on Human respiratory system

• Both gaseous and particulate air

pollutants can have negative effects on
the lungs.

• Solid particles can settle on the walls of

the trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles.

• Continuous breathing of polluted air can

slow the normal cleansing action of the
lungs and result in more particles reaching
the lower portions of the lung.

• Damage to the lungs from air pollution can

inhibit this process and contribute to the
occurrence of respiratory diseases such as
bronchitis, emphysema, and cancer.
E.g.- Car Exhaust, Smoke stake- CO, SO2, NO.
Particulate matter- Soot, Ash
Toxic Metal- Pb, Hg
Volatile Organic Compound- CH4, C3H8, CFCs
 WATER POLLUTION
Water Born Diseases
S.No. Pathogen Diseases
1 Salmonellatyphosa Typhoid Fever
2 S. Typhimurium Enteric Fever
3 S. Schottumueri Gastroentesistis
4 Lice Typhus
5 Hook-worm Skin Disease
6 Mosquitoes Malaria, Yellow Fever
7 Vibrio cholerae Cholera
8 Shigella dysenteriae Bacterial Dysentry

Physiological Pollution
Caused by several climatic agents Chlorine, SO2, Phenol, Hydroxy
Benzene etc.
Chlorinated water converts phenol to ortho or parachloro phenol
which has offensive odour.
Types of Water Pollutant & Adverse Effect
Water pollutants may be of 05 types
 Organic Pollutants
 Inorganic Pollutants
 Suspended Solid & Sediments
 Radioactive pollutants
 Thermal Pollutants
Organic Pollutant
Food stuff (Fats, proteins, and carbohydrates), cotton, petroleum,
rubber, antibiotic, dead plants and animals etc. are organic
compounds.
Enter into water system through domestic sewage, industrial waste
from paper mills, waste from slaughter house, food processing
plants, run-off from crop lands, Oil, Vegetables and Dead animals.
 Vegetables impart acidity, colour and taste to water.
 Dead animals & insects are responsible for growth of bacteria.
 Sewage causes depletion of dissolved oxygen
 Accumulation of waste in water bodies retards the self regulatory
capabilities of aquatic organisms.
 Sewage makes water bodies rich in nutrients like phosphates and
nitrates.
 Industrial effluent poison the biological purification mechanism of
sewage treatment and pose many pollution problems
 Pathogens are dangerous for human health

Inorganic Pollutant

Inorganic water pollution consist of inorganic salts, metal

compounds, mineral acids, metallic complexes, finely divided metals,
organometallic compounds and poly phosphatic detergents.
Inorganic pollutant can be categorised as

 Acid and alkalies- HCl, HNO3, H2SO4, H3PO4, Cl2, NH3, SO2, oxides of
nitrogen
 Toxic Inorganic compounds- Free Chlorine, NH3, Anion of
carbonate, nitrate, nitrite, fluoride, chloride, sulphate, phosphate,
and CuS.
 Toxic metals- Pb, Cd, Ar, Co, Mn, Cr and Hg

Acid and alkalies destroy the bacteria and other micro-organism in

water and affects self purification capability.
Toxic metals are carcinogenic and have adverse affect on aquatic
ecosystem and human health
 Suspended solid and Sediments
Soil erosion by natural anthropogenic process (Mining, Construction
and agriculture) increases sediments in water.
Industrial effluent contains Inorganic, organic particles or liquids
which remain suspended in water and affects its turbidity.

Suspended solids and sediments reduce direct penetration of

Sunlight.
Reduces photosynthetic activity in aquatic plants and reduces D.O.

Radioactive pollutant
Radioactive pollutants enter into the water from nuclear power
plants, nuclear reactors, fission and fusion by-product.

Radioactive pollutants are carcinogenic and stops enzyme inhibition

and cell division.
Water Pollution
 Water Pollution

Water pollution is any change in water quality that can harm living organisms or make
the water unfit for human uses such as drinking, irrigation, and recreation.
• It can come from single (point) sources or from larger and dispersed (nonpoint)
sources.
 Water Pollution
Point sources discharge pollutants into bodies of surface water at specific locations through drain pipes,
ditches, or sewer lines.
factories, underground mines, oil wells, and oil tankers.

Nonpoint sources are broad and diffuse areas where rainfall or snowmelt washes pollutants off the land into
bodies of surface water.
runoff of eroded soil and chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides from cropland, feedlots, logged
forests, urban streets, parking lots, lawns, and golf courses.
Major Water Pollutants and Their
Sources
 Pollution in Streams
Point source

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 Pollution in Lakes
• Dilution less effective than with streams
• Relatively little flow hinder rapid dilution of pollutants
• Lakes more vulnerable to pollutants than streams

• Eutrophication is the name given to the

natural nutrient enrichment of a shallow
lake, a coastal area at the mouth of a river,
or a slow-moving stream.
• It is caused mostly by runoff of plant
nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates
from land bordering such bodies of water.
• Over time, some lakes become more
eutrophic as nutrients are added from natural
and human sources in the surrounding
watersheds.
 Groundwater Pollution

• Slower chemical reactions in groundwater due to

• Slow flow: contaminants not diluted
• Less dissolved oxygen
• Fewer decomposing bacteria
• Cooler temperatures: slow down chemical reactions
• “Degradable” and nondegradable wastes in groundwater
• Common pollutants
• Fertilizers and pesticides
• Gasoline
• Organic solvents
 Polluted air

Hazardous waste
Pesticides injection well
and fertilizers
Deicing
Coal strip Buried gasoline
road salt
mine runoff and solvent tanks
Gasoline Cesspool,
Pumping station septic tank
well Water
Waste lagoon pumping well
Sewer
Landfill

Accidental Leakage
spills from faulty
casing
ui fe r Discharge
q
ra
w ate
h Confined aquifer
d
es
fr ui fe r
e a q
n fi n ater Groundwater flow
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Un r e shw
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i n ed
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Leaking
tank

Aqui
fer
Bed
rock
Water
table
Groundwater
flow
Gasoline Free gasoline
leakage plume dissolves in Migrating
(liquid phase) groundwater vapor phase
(dissolved phase)
Water well
Contaminant plume moves
with the groundwater
 SOLUTIONS
Groundwater Pollution
Prevention Cleanup
Find substitutes for toxic Pump to surface, clean,
chemicals and return to aquifer
(very expensive)
Keep toxic chemicals out of
the environment

Install monitoring wells near

landfills and underground
tanks Inject microorganisms
to clean up
Require leak detectors on contamination (less
underground tanks expensive but still
costly)
Ban hazardous waste disposal
in landfills and injection wells

Pump nanoparticles of
Store harmful liquids in
aboveground tanks with leak
inorganic compounds
detection and collection to remove pollutants
systems (still being developed)
 Water Footprint
The water footprint of an individual, community or business is
defined as the total volume of freshwater used to produce the goods
and services consumed by the individual or community or produced
by the business.
Water use is measured in water volume consumed (evaporated)
and/or polluted per unit of time.

A water footprint can be calculated for any well-defined group of

consumers (e.g., an individual, family, village, city, province, state or
nation) or producers (e.g., a public organization, private enterprise or
economic sector).
Water footprint can be of three types:
Green Water Footprint
Blue Water Footprint
Grey Water Footprint

Green water footprint is water from precipitation that is stored in

the root zone of the soil and evaporated, transpired or incorporated
by plants. It is particularly relevant for agricultural, horticultural and
forestry products.
Blue water footprint is water that has been sourced from surface or
groundwater resources and is either evaporated, incorporated into a
product or taken from one body of water and returned to another, or
returned at a different time. Irrigated agriculture, industry and
domestic water use can each have a blue water footprint.
Grey water footprint is the amount of fresh water required to
assimilate pollutants to meet specific water quality standards. The
grey water footprint considers point-source pollution discharged to a
freshwater resource directly through a pipe or indirectly through
runoff or leaching from the soil, impervious surfaces, or other diffuse
sources.
Green water footprint : Volume of rainwater evaporated.
Blue water footprint : Volume of surface or groundwater evaporated.
Grey water footprint : Volume of polluted water.
Water footprint of an animal : Sum of water for feed, drinking and servicing
Water footprint of a crop or livestock product : Distribute the water footprint
of the root product over its derived products
Global average water footprint

1259 litre per pizza

76% green, 14% blue, 10% grey

 The virtual water
The virtual water chain is the chain of production and consumption of water-
intensive goods. A typical virtual water chain consists of a farmer at the
primary production end, a consumer at the consumption end and depending
on the commodity at stake, some intermediaries such as a food processor
and a retailer. Each stage depends on some real water input and a virtual
water inflow.
Recycling
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new
materials and objects. It is an alternative to "conventional" waste
disposal that can save material and help lower greenhouse gas
emission. Recycling can prevent the waste of potentially useful
materials and reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, thereby
reducing: energy usage, air pollution (from incineration), and water
pollution (from landfilling).
 Soil
Soil pollution refers Pollution
to the contamination of soil with anomalous
concentrations of toxic substances. It is a serious environmental concern since
it harbours many health hazards. For example, exposure to soil containing
high concentrations of benzene increases the risk of contracting leukaemia.
 Soil
Pollution
 Sound
Pollution
Sound Pollution side effects
 Light
Pollution
 Thermal
Pollution
Thermal pollution is any deviation from the natural temperature in a habitat
and can range from elevated temperatures associated with industrial cooling
activities to discharges of cold water into streams below large impoundments.
Nuclear hazards
 Radioactive Health Hazards

• Radioactive rays are highly energetic and can deposit large amount of energy in
human tissues
• The biological effects of nuclear radiation can be divided into:
• Short term recoverable effects
• Long term irrecoverable effects
• Genetic effect

• Cancer is considered to be the most primary health effect from radiation exposure

• Radiation can cause changes in DNA, which is known as mutation.

• Acute exposure appears quickly as burns and radiation sickness. Symptoms of

radiation sickness includes- nausea, hair loss, eye cataract , weakness etc.

• Through food chain also, radioactivity effects are experienced by humans.