Pollution, environmental acid rain

There has been considerable effort to solve and diminish ecological and environmental problems such as air pollution, acid rain, soil pollution, and etc [1]. It has been well known that the acidic gases, such as, SO2 and NO, are major components of air pollution. Carbons have been used as not only a reducing agent itself but also catalyst support for the purpose of removing pollution sources such as NO, SO, and etc [2-4]. 

The additional burden of human air pollution, however, has made acid rain an important environmental concern. Acid rain may acidify lakes and streams, making the water unsuitable for some fish and other wildlife. Eur-ther damage has been reported in soil and tree vegetation, which are sensitive to the acid level of rainwater. 

Energy and environment are inextricably intertwined issues. Eneigy production is one of the chief causes of air pollution, and conversely, eneigy production can be a major solution to environmental problems. Acid rain caused by burning fossil fuels and dischaiging pollutants such as nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide results in harm to aquatic hfe, animals, vegetation, and humans. 

Hydrocarbons are the primary molecules that our society uses for fuel. Natural gas, gasoline, and oil are all mixtures of hydrocarbons with progressively longer carbon chains in going from gas to oil. All of these fuels, called fossil fuels, are of limited supply and will eventually need to be replaced by other energy sources. Their use also causes environmental problems such as air pollution, acid rain, and global warming (6.3). 

In addition to their limited supply, the products of the combustion of fossil fuels—directly or indirectly formed—contribute to environmental problems including air pollution, acid rain, and global climate change, which involves an increase in Earth s average temperature caused by CO2 emission. 

Acid rain is the popular term for a very complex environmental problem. Over the past 25 years, evidence has accumulated on changes in aquatic life and soil pH in Scandinavia, Canada, and the northeastern United States. Many believe that these changes are caused by acidic deposition traceable to pollutant acid precursors that result from the burning of fossil fuels. Acid rain is only one component of acidic deposition, a more appropriate description of this phenomenon. Acidic deposition is the combined total of wet and dry deposition, with wet acidic deposition being commonly referred to as acid rain. 

See also Acid Rain Agriculture Air Pollution Atmosphere Biological Energy Use, Cellular Processes of Climatic Effects Environmental Problems and Energy Use Green Energy Tlierniodynaniics. 

See also Acid Rain Air Pollution Atmosphere Environmental Problems and Energy Use Ocean Energy Systems Pollution and Energy Efficiency. 

The demand for environment-friendly fuels requires the removal of organosulfur compounds present in crade-oil fractions. SO2 or SO3 contribute to the formation of acid rain and have an effect on pollution control devices [9]. Very stringent environmental regulations will limit the sulfur levels in diesel fuels in EU to less than 10 ppm by the end of 2010 [10]. The conventional sulfur-compound... 

In the 20 years since the Brunddand report, great developments have taken place in industries toward sustainable practices. As a case in point, the problem of acid rain, an issue of concern in 1987, has improved to a large extent, thanks to catalytic pollution abatement both in stationary and automotive emissions. Catalysis for Green Chemistry and Engineering will continue to have a cracial role in improving the environmental performance of industry [25-27]. Nowadays, catalytic procedures are often implemented according to the green chemistry... 

The clouds around Venus contain relatively large droplets of sulfuric acid, which occasionally rain down on the surface of the planet, or at least they try to, because the temperature is so high that the droplets evaporate before they actually reach the surface. (This almost rain is called virga, the term for any kind of precipitation that evaporates before it reaches the ground.) On Earth, however, the sulfuric acid does not evaporate but falls to the ground as acid rain, an environmental pollutant that can destroy buildings and harm plants and animals. 

Smith, W. (1999). Acid Rain. In R. A. Meyers (Ed.). Encyclopedia of Environmental Pollution and Cleanup, Wiley, New York, pp. 9-15. 

For these pollutants, the atmosphere has the ability to cleanse itself within hours especially when the effects of the pollutant are minimized by the natural constituents of the atmosphere. For example, the atmosphere might be considered to be cleaning as a result of rain. However, removal of some pollutants from the atmosphere (e.g., sulfates and nitrates) by rainfall results in acid rain that can cause serious environmental damage to ecosystems within the water and land systems. 

In recent years, much political and environmental attention has been paid to the idea of clean coal technology. Coal is a cheap and relatively available source of energy, but the smoke from its burning creates enormous amounts of air pollution, as well as acid rain. 

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