Sulfur dioxide atmospheric pollution

Acid rain. Natural (unpolluted) precipitation is naturally acidic with a pH often in the range of 5 to 6 caused by carbonic acid from dissolved carbon dioxide and sulfurous and sulfuric acids from natural emissions of SO and H2S. Human activity can reduce the pH very significantly down to the range 2 to 4 in extreme cases, mainly caused by emissions of oxides of sulfur. Because atmospheric pollution and clouds travel over long distances, acid rain is not a local problem. The problem may manifest itself a long way from the source. Problems associated with acid rain include ... 

Bufalini, M. Oxidation of sulfur dioxide in polluted atmospheres—A review. Environ. Sci. Technol. 5 685-700, 1971. 

Primary pollutants are emitted directly from the sources and remain unchanged once they enter the environment. Examples include particulate matter and inorganic gases, such as sulfur dioxide. Secondary pollutants, for example sulfurous acid, are formed in the atmosphere by chemical reactions involving primary pollutants and gases normally present in the air. 

It quickly deadens the sense of smell. Sulfur dioxide is a dangerous component in atmospheric air pollution. 

Sulfur Dioxide Emissions and Control. A substantial part of the sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere is the result of burning sulfur-containing fuel, notably coal, and smelting sulfide ores. Methods for controlling sulfur dioxide emissions have been reviewed (312—314) (see also Air POLLUTION CONTROL PffiTHODS COAL CONVERSION PROCESSES, CLEANING AND DESULFURIZATION EXHAUST CONTROL, INDUSTRIAL SULFURREMOVAL AND RECOVERY). 

Sufficient evidence is available to indicate that atmospheric pollution in vaiying degrees does affect health adversely. [Amdur, Melvin, and Drinker, Effec t of Inhalation of Sulfur Dioxide by Man, Lancet, 2, 758 (1953) Barton, Corn, Gee, VassaUo, and Thomas, Response of Healthy Men to Inhaled Low Concentrations of Gas-Aerosol Mixtures, Arch. Lnviron. Health, 18, 681 (1969) Bates, Bell, Burnham, Hazucha, and Mantha, Problems in Studies of Human Exposure to Air Pollutants, Can. Med. A.s.soc. J., 103, 833 (1970) Ciocco and... 

For any pollutant, air quality criteria may refer to different types of effects. For example. Tables 22-1 through 22-6 list effects on humans, animals, vegetation, materials, and the atmosphere caused by various exposures to sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and lead. These data are from fhe Air Quality Criteria for these pollutants published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

Emissions to the atmosphere from ammonia plants include sulfur dioxide (SOj), nitrogen oxides (NOJ, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (COj), hydrogen sulfide (HjS), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter, methane, hydrogen cyanide, and ammonia. The two primary sources of pollutants, with typical reported values, in kilograms per ton (kg/t) for the important pollutants, are as follows ... 

Preferably, the HjS flare system should consist of a segregated header and separate line routed up the side of a conventional elevated flare stack, sharing the same structure, pilots and igniters. However, the HjS header may be tied into the regular flare seal drum if there are special mechanical design problems associated with the separate stack e.g., in the case of a flare which is to be dismantled for overhaul. Flare elevation must be sufficient to meet atmospheric pollution and ground level concentration requirements for the sulfur dioxide produced. 

Pollutants have various atmospheric residence times, with reactive gases and large aerosols being rapidly removed from air. In the London air pollution episode of December 1952, the residence time for sulfur dioxide was estimated to be five hours daily emissions of an estimated 2,000 tons of sulfur dioxide were balanced by scavenging by fog droplets, which were rapidly deposited. Most relatively inert gases remain in the atmosphere for extended periods. Sulfur hexafluoride, used extensively in the electric power industiy as an insulator in power breakers because of its inertness, has an estimated atmospheric lifetime of 3,200 years. 

C04-0143. Sulfur dioxide is an atmospheric pollutant that is converted to sulfuric acid by O2 and water vapor. 

Another key feature of sulfur chemistry is the Lewis acidity of sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide is a common atmospheric pollutant that results from burning coal to produce electricity. Most coal reserves in North America include significant amounts of sulfur-containing impurities. When coal is burned, sulfur combines with O2 to form SO2, a hard Lewis acid. 

The purify of the water changes constantly during the water cycle. As rain falls through the air, for example, the water dissolves some atmospheric gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and in industrial regions also such air pollutants as sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen. Still more carbon dioxide... 

The atmosphere is a reservoir of aggressive air pollutants that may cause serious deterioration to archaeological objects some of the most active pollutants are sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and ozone. 

Hydrogen peroxide plays an important role in many processes in the atmosphere and in natural aqueous systems. It affects numerous redox reactions, which in turn influence the stability and transport of other chemical substances, e.g., pollutants. In the atmosphere, hydrogen peroxide is believed to be involved in several important oxidation reactions, e.g., conversion of sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid... 

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