Name: Green Chemistry in Our Lives
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 4 min 49 s
Description: Green chemistry provides a cost-effective approach to perform the processes that maintain the quality of the environment and reduce material, energy consumpt...

Question

What is air pollution? What are the main sources of air pollution? Write a few lines about each of them.

Accepted Answer

Air pollution:
Air pollution may be defined as any atmosphere condition in which certain substances are present in such concentrations that they can produce undesirable effect on man and his environment. It occurs when the concentration of a normal component of the air or a new chemical substance added or formed in the air builds up to significant proportion causing harmful effects on human, other animals, vegetation.

Sources of Air pollutions:
i) Air pollution is caused by both natural as well as human activity.
ii) Natural sources include volcanic eruptions, forest fires (caused by lightning), pollen dispersal, bacterial decomposition of organic matters, erosion of soil and natural radioactivity.
iii) Man made sources mainly include burning of fuels in industries and in motor vehicles.

Types of Air pollutants:
i) Primary air pollutant: It is a harmful chemical substance that directly enters the air as a result of natural events or human activities.
E.g: $CO, {CO}_{2}, NO, {SO}_{2}$ hydrocarbons, suspends particular matter.
ii) Secondary air pollutant: It is a harmful chemical substance that forms in the air due to chemical reaction between primary and one or more other chemicals.

What is air pollution? What are the main sources of air pollution? Write a few lines about each of them.

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