... with airborne acids and then falls to the surface of earth. The primary causes of acid rain are acidic oxides , precisely sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrous oxide (NOx- since this can be nitrogen dioxide (NO2) or nitric oxide (NO)) and some carbon dioxide (CO2). Acid rain occurs when these gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form various acidic ... compounds. The result is a mild solution of sulfurous acid, nitric acid, and carbonic acid which then falls onto earth. Sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides and carbon dioxide contents in the atmosphere increases ...

• Word Count: 1710
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... , which dissolve in the rainwater to form various acids. Major contributing gases for acid rain are sulfur dioxide (SO2), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2) and chlorine (CI2). The following reactions show the acid formation due to these gases (Cherrington, Brett; 1996): Sulfur dioxide reacts with water to form sulfuric acid (SO42-). Oxides of nitrogen react with water to form nitric ... to form Hydrochloric acid (CI-). Some other gases that are being released in the air are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxides, chlorofluorocarbons, hazardous air pollutants, lead, nitrogen oxides...

• Word Count: 1786
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... come in two forms, wet and dry. Wet may be in a state of fog, snow, or rain. Dry refers to acidic gases and particles. The EPA has confirmed that sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen are the major causes of these hazardous depositions. All of these chemicals come from factories, cars and electricity. The very root of the process begins at factories that ... rain also depends on the over-usage of everyday human needs such as transportation and electric appliances. When these fuels are released into the air they are transformed into sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. On...

• Word Count: 1418
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... forests in areas with sensitive soils. as may also experience damage from acid fog that often forms at higher elevations. Where do sulphur dioxide emissions come from? Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is generally a byproduct of industrial processes and burning of fossil fuels. Ore smelting, coal-fired power generators, and natural ... acid rain, although there has been much debate over the acceptance of this value. Interestingly enough, a pH of 5.6 is the pH value of carbon dioxide in equilibrium with distilled water. Hence, acid ran is defined as any rainfall that has an acidity level beyond what ...

• Word Count: 1689
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... forests in areas with sensitive soils. as may also experience damage from acid fog that often forms at higher elevations. Where do sulphur dioxide emissions come from? Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is generally a byproduct of industrial processes and burning of fossil fuels. Ore smelting, coal-fired power generators, and natural ... acid rain, although there has been much debate over the acceptance of this value. Interestingly enough, a pH of 5.6 is the pH value of carbon dioxide in equilibrium with distilled water. Hence, acid ran is defined as any rainfall that has an acidity level beyond what ...

• Word Count: 1689
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... taken into consideration. The chemical reaction of changing sulfur and other substances to sulfuric acid results in the formation of other substances like sulfur dioxide. This causes acid rain. Therefore, there is a big problem about sulfuric plants causing damage to our environment, as the plant is ... can either be diluted to lower concentrations or made stronger with sulfur trioxide to yield oleums. For the process, the sources of sulfur dioxide may be produced from pure sulfur, from pyrite, recovered from smelter operations or by oxidation of hydrogen sulfide recovered from the purifi...

• Word Count: 2958
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

... curved tails. Affected fish are also in danger of becoming sterile, which would put the species at risk of becoming extinct. As with sulphur dioxide in rain, mercury is also discharged into the water. There is a direct connection between the mercury rich lakes as there is with those ... to disintegrate. An inordinate amount of sulphur dioxide is let into the air, more than can be neutralized by natural nutrients. The ecosystem is slowly eroding due to the increased amounts of acid in the soil. Acidic soil causes the carbon dioxide respiration process to decelerate. In order for ... pla...

• Word Count: 676
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... for earth preservation is the concept of global warming. Despite mounting evidence that supports the increase in global temperature, there are also equal amounts of evidence that suggests the opposite. Carbon dioxide, which is emitted largely by combustion of fossil fuels, is the most influential human-made greenhouse gas. As the atmosphere becomes richer in these gases, it becomes a better insulator, retaining ... more of the heat provided to the planet by the Sun. If emissions of carbon dioxide were halted today, it would take more than a century for the atmospheric level of carbon di...

• Word Count: 575
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... This term refers to acidic components in rain, snow, fog, dew, or dry particles. Distilled water has a neutral pH of seven and contains no carbon dioxide. Liquids with a pH under seven are acidic while liquids with a pH above seven are alkaline. Typically, unpolluted rain is slightly acidic with a pH ... of around five point six. This is because of carbon dioxide and water in the air which react to form a weak acid called carbonic acid. There are several pollutants which add the extra acidity in the ... oxides generated by vehicles and industrial and power-generating plants. (John Wats...

• Word Count: 1182
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... adds the new acids to the acid rain, making a more acidic combination than the falling rain by itself. One of the main causes of acid rain is the sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide is one of the main ingredients which make up the deadly combination that forms acid rain. Some of the natural sources that emit this gas are rotting vegetation, volcanoes, plankton ... that float in the air. Even clean, unpolluted air has some particles such as dust or pollen. Clean air also contains naturally occurring gases such as carbon dioxide. The interaction between the water droplets and the carbon dioxid...

• Word Count: 1344
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... . The layers gradually, with time, turned into a black coloured rock-like substance we now know as coal or a thick fluid called oil or natural gas. Fossil fuels are organic carbon compounds that are natural sources of energy. They are found in large amounts several kilometers under the Earth's surface or the ocean floor in most locations around the world. Ever ... with the exploration and utilization of these fuels. The exploration leads to disastrous effects such as pollution and environmental problems. Burning coal for instance releases harmful pollutants such as carbon dioxide and sul...

• Word Count: 1059
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... and lake herring. Affected fish are also in danger of becoming sterile, which would put the species at risk of becoming extinct. As with sulphur dioxide in rain, mercury is also discharged into the water. There is a direct connection between the mercury rich lakes as there is with those with high ... and rivers. Acid rain causes air quality to deteriorate. As in water, acid rain causes the pH levels in the air to decrease. The sulphur dioxide, which diffuses into the air, mixes with moisture causing the pH levels to drop from the normal level. Again, the normal level is somewhere around ...

• Word Count: 930
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... , New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New Jersey combined. With population growth, another thing grows and that's pollution. The more people there are then the more use of cars and the more carbon dioxide there is being exhaled into the air and the more factories there are being built to give all these people jobs and well, you get the point. Our little planet ... America, cars release most of the gasses that are responsible for trapping heat in our atmosphere and creating the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect occurs when certain air pollutants (like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, me...

• Word Count: 1556
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... . These impacts include global warming, air quality deterioration, oil spills, and acid rain. Among the gases emitted when fossil fuels are burned, one of the most significant is carbon dioxide. This gas helps trap heat in the earth's atmosphere. During the last 150 years, burning fossil fuels has resulted in more than a 25 percent increase in the amount of ... carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. (1992 Energy Technology Status Report, n. pag.) Clean air is essential to life and good health. Several important pollutants are produced by fossil fuel combustion: carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide...

• Word Count: 1458
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the environment, it might soon pose a serious threat to humanity. Most coal-fired power stations use desulphurisation apparatus that removes sulphur off the plant. The most common way sulphur dioxide is eliminated is through 'wet scrubbing'. Wet scrubbing is performed by various apparatus know as 'wet scrubbers'. These objects remove pollutants from gas streams. Wet scrubbing is ... in the Ganges in India, a power station used to dump its untreated chemical waste in the river. This waste is toxic and non-biodegradable. Also, when sulphur dioxide reacts with alkali, sometimes ...

• Word Count: 1066
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... percent of BOD5 and 40 to 60 percent of suspended solids Digester: This is a complicated step. The object of it is to make the chemically complex organic sludge to methane, carbon dioxide, and an inoffensive humus type material. First the matter is made soluble by enzymes, then the substance is fermented by a group of acid-producing bacteria, reducing it to simple organic ... acids such as acetic acid. The organic acids are than converted to methane and carbon dioxide by bacteria. Thickened sludge is heated and added as continuously as possible to the digester, where it remains for 10 t...

• Word Count: 2505
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

... and much more. Acid rain is a widespread term used to describe all forms of acid precipitation rain, snow, hail, fog, etc. Precipitation is naturally acidic because of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Acid rain begins with the production of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas, oil, and from certain kinds of manufacturing. Sulfur ... dioxide and nitrogen oxides react with water and other chemicals in the air to from sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and other pollutants . What was once a local problem for towns and cities ... ...

• Word Count: 506
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... products they are often emitted into the atmosphere with little or no treatment. What can we do to find a less expensive solution? Each year 20 billion tons of carbon dioxide, 130 million tons of sulfur dioxide, 97 million tons of hydrocarbons, 53 million tons of nitrogen oxides, more than 3 million tons of arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, nickel, zinc and other toxic metals are ... first steps is to understand the problem and its solutions. The pollutants attack humans indirectly through the foods that we consume. Governments have passed laws to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide and n...

• Word Count: 1529
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... vehicle are shown in the table below. Element Outline Nitrogen Gas (N2) Air that passes through engine consists of 78 % N2. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Created by a bond between Carbon and Oxygen during combustion. Water vapor (H2O) Hydrogen and Oxygen bond during combustion. Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisonous and colourless gas. Hydrocarbons (VOCs) Fuel that is not fully combusted is evaporated, creating VOCs. Nitrogen oxides (NO ... ...

• Word Count: 495
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... and lead piping, damages such man-made things as automobiles, reduces soil fertility and can cause toxic metals to leach into underground drinking water sources. Rain is naturally acidic because carbon dioxide, found normally in the earth's atmosphere, reacts with water to form carbonic acid. While "pure" rain's acidity is pH 5.6-5.7, actual pH readings vary from place to place depending upon the ... pH 6. Similarly, pH 9 is 1O times more basic than pH 8 and 100 times more basic than pH 7. The acid in acid rain comes from two kinds of air pollutants-- sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen ...

• Word Count: 902
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... example of this particulate matter . The particles are very small pieces of matter measuring about 2.5 microns or about .0001 inches. This type of pollution is sometimes referred to as "black carbon" pollution. The exhaust from burning fuels in automobiles, homes, and industries is a major source of pollution in the air. Some authorities believe that even the burning of wood and charcoal ... in fireplaces and barbeques can release significant quantities of soot into the air. [Walsall.gov] Another type of pollution is the release of noxious gases, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide,...

• Word Count: 1384
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... gas mitigation. One way that is receiving the most attention, however, is Cap and Trade. The "Cap" sets a limit on emissions. The "Trade" creates a market for carbon allowance. The term Cap and Trade as a whole describes a policy identifying greenhouse gas emitting entities that are covered by the system. It also sets caps on emissions, and allows trading ... the history of the Green Movement. The reason why Cap and Trade came to be, was due to the problems in 1980, when plants were sending up clouds of sulfur dioxide, and was coming back to Earth in the form of acid rain. This was caus...

• Word Count: 1060
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... called limestone which is primarily calcium carbonate. The acid interacted with the CaCO3 which resulted in the break up of bonds. The result was Ca dissolved in the solution and carbon dioxide. Acid rain is much weaker than vinegar or lemon juice. That explains why everything in nature made of organic material is not decomposed by now. I have also invented a physical object ... ...

• Word Count: 497
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... planet. Air pollution is another major problem associated with fossil fuels. When gasoline is burned, the fuel ash are produced, and released into the air, this produces high levels of carbon dioxide. Not only does the use and combustion of fossil fuels create numerous problems, but transportation of fossils (accidental spills) also are problems, and can severely damage the environment. Replacing fossil ... ...

• Word Count: 595
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... . Acid rain affects almost everything. Acid rain is formed by burning fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil. While in the process of burning oxygen combines with nitrogen, carbon and sulfur to form hazardous oxides omitted into the air (Blair 150). These oxides travel through the air and mix with other chemicals, and water vapor. As the oxides mix ... air until clouds or fog is produced. When snow or rain comes the acid comes with it. In the United States power plants are responsible for 70% of the sulfur dioxide pollution (Encarta). Acid rain falls over anything exposed to the...

• Word Count: 1114
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School