The word acid rain covers a mixture with water and oxygen forming acid deposition and contains pollutants that originate in the atmosphere and that contain more than the normal quantities of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
The release of chemicals from people, generally power plants, is the principal cause of acid rain which does not only destroy plants, soils or trees, but also creations of people as constructions and even statues. Natural cataclysms, such as volcanoes and decomposing plants and animals, can also result in acid rain.
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Forms of Acid Rain
Acid deposition occurs in two kinds – wet and dry. The following are two of the following:
- Wet Deposition
In the locations where weather is rainy, acids fall into the ground in the form of rain, sleet, fog, snow, or mist when the wind pushes the acidic compounds in the air. It eliminates acid and places it on the surface of the ground.
This acid impacts many plants, animals and aquatic lives when it pours across the soil. The drainage water runs into rivers and canals that are combined with seawater and impact coastal habitats.
- Dry Deposition
When acidic pollutants in the air are carried by the wind to locations where the weather is dry, they dissolve into dust or smoke and fall to the ground as dry particles.
These stick to the ground as well as other surfaces including automobiles, houses, trees, and structures. Almost half of the acidic pollutants in the atmosphere get returned to the ground via dry deposition. Rainstorms can wash these acidic contaminants away from the earth’s surface.
It was found during the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s. Robert Angus Smith, a Scottish chemist, was the first to uncover this occurrence in Manchester, England, in 1852 as a link between acid rain and pollution.
However, it was until in the 1960s that it became widely known. The name was coined in 1972 when the New York Times published news about the climate change consequences that began to emerge in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire as a result of the occurrence of acid rain.
Causes of Acid Rain
Acid rain is known to be caused by both natural and man-made sources. However, it is mostly caused by the combustion of fossil fuels, which releases sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere (NOx).
- Natural Sources
Volcanic emissions are the primary natural cause of acid rain. Volcanoes release acid-producing gases, which cause higher-than-normal volumes of acid rain or other forms of precipitation, such as fog and snow, to the point where vegetation cover and residents’ health are affected.
Acid rain is produced by decomposing plants, wildfires, and biological activities in the environment. Dimethyl sulphide is one of the most common biological sources of sulfur-containing compounds in the environment. Natural nitric oxides are produced by lightning strikes, which combine with water molecules to make nitric acid, resulting in acid rain.
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- Man-made Sources
Acid rain is mostly caused by human activities that result in chemical gas emissions such as sulphur and nitrogen. Air pollution sources that release sulphur and nitrogen emissions, such as factories, power plants, and automobiles, are among the activities.
The usage of coal for electrical power generation, in particular, is the largest contributor to gaseous emissions that cause acid rain. Automobiles and factories also emit enormous amounts of gaseous pollutants into the air on a regular basis, especially in highly industrialised areas and urban areas with heavy traffic.
Sulfuric acid, ammonium nitrate, and nitric acid are among the acidic compounds formed when these gases react with water, oxygen, and other molecules in the environment. As a result, these locations are subjected to extremely high levels of acid rain.
These acidic substances are blown across huge areas by existing winds, and they fall to the ground as acid rain or other forms of precipitation. When it reaches the surface of the earth, it runs across the surface, absorbs into the soil, enters lakes and rivers, and eventually mixes with seawater.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are two chemicals that are emitted predominantly from coal-fired power plants and are responsible for acid rain.
Effects of Acid Rain
Acid rain has an impact on practically every living and non-living item, from soil and water bodies to buildings and other man-made structures. Along with direct damages to some organisms, others that aren’t meant to be harmed by acid rain are harmed because what affects one species eventually impacts everything in an interrelated ecosystem.
Acid rain seepage into the soil dissolves vital elements in the soil, such as calcium and magnesium, which are required for tree survival. In the absence of these essential nutrients, trees and plants become less healthy and more susceptible to diseases, cold weather damage, and insect attack. Acid rain also releases aluminium into the soil, making it difficult for trees to absorb water. It prevents trees from growing and reproducing.
Direct acid rain or the passage of precipitation into streams and lakes through forest, roads, and fields, which usually contain an amount of Aluminum leached from soil, have the greatest impact on water bodies and aquatic environments.
Most lakes and streams have a pH of around 6.5, but acid rain lowers it to around 5 or below, making the water more acidic. Many plants and animals, particularly those of younger species, are acid-sensitive, while others can withstand mildly acidic waters. Most fish eggs will not develop at lower pH levels, and some adult fish will perish. Increased acidity and aluminium level in water surfaces are poisonous to aquatic creatures and can potentially be lethal.
The acid rain water is far too dilute to pose a direct threat to human health. infinitesimal acid particles such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur dioxide (SO2), often known as gaseous particulates, can cause serious respiratory disorders or worsen them. Asthma and chronic bronchitis, as well as an increased risk of heart disease, are examples.
Acid rain not only harms live organisms, but it also harms countless objects. It causes irreversible damage to historic structures, as well as weathering limestone and marble structures and monuments such as gravestones. It causes metals to corrode, such as steel bridges and pipes, and it even damages the surface of vehicles by peeling the paint off.
Solutions to Acid Rain
- Exhaust Pipes and Smokestacks Cleaning up
The majority of the electric power used to meet today’s energy needs comes from the combustion of fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal, which produce nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur dioxide (SO2), which are the main contributors to acid rain. SO2 emissions are generally caused by coal combustion, while NOx emissions are generally caused by fossil fuel combustion.
Washing coal, using low-sulfur coal, and using “scrubbers” are some of the technical solutions to SO2 emissions. Scrubbing, also known as flue-gas desulfurization (FGD), is a chemical process that removes SO2 from gases from smokestacks.
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It has the ability to remove up to 95% of SO2 emissions. In addition, instead of burning coal, power plants can switch to fuels that emit far less SO2, such as natural gas. “Emission reduction strategies” are the term for these procedures.
Similarly, the use of catalytic converters reduces NOx emissions from fossil fuel burning in automobiles. To reduce NOx emissions, catalytic converters are installed on the exhaust pipe system. The development of cleaner-burning gasoline is also an approach for reducing NOx emissions.
- Environments Damaged Restoring
Liming, or the application of limestone or lime to lakes, rivers, and brooks, is a procedure that individuals can utilise to restore the damage caused by acid rain. Lime is used to buffer acidity in acidic surface waters. It’s a method that’s been widely employed, for example, in Sweden, to keep the water pH at its ideal level.
Despite the fact that liming is an expensive procedure that must be repeated. Furthermore, it only provides a temporary remedy at the expense of addressing the larger issues of SO2 and NOx emissions and human health risks. Nonetheless, by enhancing chronically acidified surface waters, it aids in the restoration and survival of aquatic life forms.
- Alternative Energy Sources
Aside from fossil fuels, there are a variety of other energy sources that may be used to generate electricity. Wind energy, geothermal energy, solar energy, hydropower, and nuclear power are among them.
Instead of using fossil fuels, these energy sources could provide effective electrical power options. As greener energy sources, fuel cells, natural gas, and batteries can also be used to replace the use of fossil fuels. All energy sources have environmental and economic costs and benefits as of today. The only option is to use renewable energy that will protect the environment in the future.
- Individual, National/State, and International Actions
SO2 and NOx emissions are caused by millions of people, both directly and indirectly. Individuals must become more knowledgeable about energy conservation and measures to reduce emissions, such as turning off lights or electrical appliances when not in use, taking public transportation, using energy-efficient electrical appliances, and driving hybrid or low-NOx automobiles.
