Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Unit 7: pH and Acid Rain
- pH: how acidic something is
- stands for: potential of Hydrogen
- range: 0-14
- only applies to liquids
- basically (pun intended) only
liquids that contain water
- logarithmic: so extremity increases each time...
- pH in the enviornment
- ocean has had the exact same acidity level for millions of years...
- acid rain formation
- CO2 in atmosphere
combines with water
vapor (H20) to form
H2CO3
- rain is naturally somewhat acidic
- considered "acid rain" when pH reaches below 5.5
- SOx, NOx carried by wind, mix w/ water vapor when it condensates into clouds
- NO, NO2 leads to NITRIC ACID (HNO3), part of acid rain
- also N2O, which is a greenhouse gas, not a pollutant
- SO, SO2, SO3, S2O2 lead to acid rain
- SO3+H2O= Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4)
- largely contributed to by coal (power plants)... more coal= more acid rain
- ionization of water
- ion= has charge
- acid rain effects
- doesn't effect humans: only NOx, SOx do
- can release aluminum from soils: enters streams, lakes
- plants like aluminum, animals in water don't
- aquatic life sometimes sensitive; trout, frogs (breathe through skin...)
- weathers rocks (limestone...)/ corrode metals
- ex) unreadable tombstones
- slowly eats away at automobile paint
- slower growth/death to forrests
- when trees don't grow as fast (cannot take in CO2, this
effects the carbon cycle and contributes to climate change)
- decreases visibility
- acid rain solutions
- decrease energy/don't use so much coal (lowers SOx)
- or cleaner coal: baghouse filters, wet scrubbers
Anmerkungen:
- xpensive, and only make it a water problem rather than a water problem
- reducing transportation lowers NOx
- pH in acidic lakes can be increased by adding limestone (a base)