The selected references used in this paper are from prominent authors with articulate command of the environmental matters. These references are the backbone of this essay, and they evidently demonstrate: the facts about rain acid, its genesis,its process of formation and its constituent elements, the foremost contributors to the acid rain and their severity.
The authors used in this paper are of great academic background and they have mastery of the subject they have covered. For instance, Hewitt is a professor of atmospheric chemistry at Lancaster University UK, and his concentration is on relationship between Biosphare and the Atmosphere.
Other authors have excelled in their fields of specialization and their information is dependable. For example, Hill is a adjunct professor and author of “Understanding Environment Pollution”. She developed many environmental courses in the university of Main when she worked there.
This paper’s emphasis is on factory emissions, and especially the three chief elements (coal, petroleum, and natural gas) that contribute to the formation of the acid rain. In addition, it seeks to demonstrate how acid rain is formed from the raw materials. This forms the area of interest in this paper, and all the ideas in it revolves around this.
Acid rain is a phenomenon that was first noted with the beginning of the industrial revolution. Petheram claims that “acid rain began with the industrial revolution in Europe about 1750, when steam power began to be used to drive machinery” (2002, p. 10). “Normal” rain contains some percentage of carbonic acid though it is not in great amount.
Rain is defined as acid rain if it contains large amounts of acid that is considerably higher than that of the normal rain. According to Hewitt and Jackson, “rain water of pH 5.6 is considered to be “pure”, whereas acid rain is defined as having a pH below 5.6” (2009, p. 139).
Since the industrial revolution to the present-day, more sophisticated machines have been invented and they are used in the factories. These machines require large amount of energy to run. In order to provide sufficient energy, fossil fuels are burnt. As a result, harmful gases are released into the atmosphere. Some of the gases produced during this chemical reaction are nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitric dioxide, and sulphur dioxide.
Sulphur dioxide and Nitric dioxide come into react with clouds and oxygen in the presence of sunlight to form acid rain. Tagare (2011) affirms this by arguing that “the major objectionable gases SO2 and NOX, when absorbed by atmospheric water (cloud) form acids and produce “acid rain,” that is rain with small percentages of the objectionable acids”.
Technology has so much advanced that most of human activities would be impossible or very sluggish without it. To run and maintain these machines, electric power is required otherwise almost every human activity will be affected immensely. However, the generation of electric power has massive effects on the air which leads to the formation of the acid rain. In order to generate enough electric power, factories use different elements such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas (Sajawan, Alva, and Keefer 1999, p. 100).
Coal is one of the chief sources of power generation in the world. The hit revealed during the coal burning is higher compared to other fossil fuels. Basically, coal is ubiquitously found in most countries in the world. The more factories are being established the more coal is required to suffice power needs.
Those factories that deal with the production of metals require a lot of energy which means that more coal is needed. When coal is burned various gases are emitted and some of these gases are the basis of acid rain today. Jones and Ujadó (2006) assert that “the acid rain that has received the most attention is caused mainly by pollutants from big coal burning power plants”.
Petroleum is the second precursor of acid rain after coal. Factories burn petroleum to produce sufficient power required to run the machineries used for production of different merchandise. During the process of burning, petroleum emits the same pollutant gases that are found in coal combustion although they are lesser in quantity (Hill 1997, p. 270).
Emissions from the natural gas used in the factories for power generation are lower compared to other fossil fuels, and it is more beneficial for the environment, but it cannot be ruled out as a safe element as well (Hill 1997, p. 270).
When natural gas burns, sulphur compounds are released into the atmosphere which mixes with nitric dioxide, clouds and oxygen which come into reaction under the influence of the high temperature from the sunlight to produce acid rain. Because of its less emissions and environmental friendliness, natural gas is often more preferable than other foremost sources of power generation, thought investigation is still foregoing for better elements.
In conclusion, there is need to carry more investigation on the dangers of the acid rain. Acid rain poses varied hazards to the environment and all creatures are in danger. Therefore, extensive investigation has to be carried in order to curb the acid rain’s impact on the environment.
Reference List
Hill, M. K. 1997, Understanding environment pollution, Press syndicate of the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Hewitt, N. C. &Jackson, A. V. 2009, Atmospheric science for environmental scientists, Blackwell Publisher Ltd., United Kingdom.
Jones, D. S. & Ujadó P 2006, Handbook of petroleum processing, Springer, Netherlands.
Petheram, L. 2002, The acid rain, Franklin Watts, United Kingdom.
Sajawan, K. S., Alva, A. K .& Keefer, R. F. 2003, Biochemistry of trace elements in coal and coal combustion byproducts, Academic/ Plenum Publisher, New York.
Tagare, D. M. 2011, Electricity power generation: the changing dimensions, John Willey & Sons. Inc, New Jersey.