What is Acid Rain:?

Acid rain is defined as rainfall made so acidic by atmospheric pollution that causes environmental harm, chiefly to forests and lakes. The main cause is the industrial burning of coal and other fossil fuels (domestic and industrial usage), the waste gases from which contain (sulphur and nitrogen oxides) which combine with atmospheric water to form acids.
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Unusually aggresive rain that attacks materials due to presence of sulphur and nitrates in the rain. It occurs near or downwind of areas where there are major emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, in the atmosphere they are transformed by reactions with oxygen and water to form sulfuric and nitric acids
they fall from the atmosphere in the rain.

Sources of acid of rain

• Burning of fossil fuels.
• Coal burning (it occurs as an impurity in coal.
• Smelting of ores.
• Gas flaring.

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Characteristics of Acid Rain

• pH less than 5.6
• High concentration of H2SO4,HNO3 and H2CO3
• Slightly higher density than normal rain because of dissolved subs
• Coloured
• Corrosive

Mechanism

Coal burning releases sulphur in the air
Rainwater dissolves the pollutants and becomes acidic. They are pollutants because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong concentration.
Process involves mainly oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. CO2 released from volcanic eruptions are also involved.

Chemistry of Acid rain

Sulphur dioxide
In air: 3S+3O2 →3SO2
During Rain: SO2 + H2O → H2SO3 or H2SO4

For Carbon dioxide
CO2 + H2O →H2CO3

Effects of Acid rain

• Raises pH of soils and thus changes soil chemistry.

• Killing soil organisms.

• Leaching soil of nutrients.

• Decreases soil fertility.

• results in forest damage.

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• Runoff of acid rain into open water bodies lowers their pH and threatens ecosystems, decimating aquatic life and plants.

• Corrosion of solids e.g. marble
CaCO3 +H2SO4 + H2O→ CaSO4.H2O + CO2

• Reduces visibility.

• in humans, acid rain can cause or aggravate lung disorders.

• it also damages many building materials, including steel paint, plastics, cement, masonry, limestone, sandstone, and marble.

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Acid rain results on monument

• Additionally it damages automobile coatings.

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Mitigation of Acid rain

• Reduce air pollution
• Use cleaner energy sources
• Halt flaring of gases
• Strip coal of sulphur
• Smelting stacks can be CO2 and SO2 free by wet scrubbing to convert them to sludge.
• In areas prone to acid rain, apply lime (CaO) to soils.
• Apply “Cloud seeding” to remove pollutants.
• Plant fast growing trees to act as carbon sinks.

Government should enforce some laws in action, and necessary measures should be in place to help prevent acid rain from reoccuring.

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References

• Oxford geology dictionary
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