Environmental Science

and Engineering-GE 2021

Unit-II
Environmental Pollution

Dr. V.Nagarajan

UNIT II ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Definition causes, effects and control measures of:
(a) Air pollution (b) Water pollution (c) Soil pollution
(d) Marine pollution (e) Noise pollution (f) Thermal
pollution (g) Nuclear hazards
Soil waste management: causes, effects and control
measures of municipal solid wastes role of an
individual in prevention of pollution pollution case
studies disaster management: floods,earthquake,
cyclone and landslides.
Field study of local polluted site Urban / Rural /
Industrial / Agricultural.

THERMAL POLLUTION
Thermal pollution can be defined as presence of waste heat in the water
which can cause undesirable changes in the natural environment.
Causes of thermal pollution:
Heat producing industries i.e.,thermal power plants, nuclear power
plants, refineries, steel mills etc. are the major sources of thermal
pollution.
Power plants utilize only 1/3 of the energy provided by fossil fuels
for their operations.Remaining 2/3 is generally lost in the form of
heat to the water used for cooling.
Cold water, generally, is drawn from some nearby water-body,
passed through the plant and returned to the same water body, with
temperature 10-16C higher than the initial temperature.
Excess of heat reaching such water bodies causes thermal
pollution of water.
Effects of Thermal Pollution
1. The dissolved oxygen content of water is decreased as the
solubility of oxygen in water is decreased at high temperature.
2. High temperature becomes a barrier for oxygen penetration into
deep cold waters.

THERMAL POLLUTION
Effects of Thermal Pollution
Toxicity of pesticides, detergents and chemicals in the
effluents increases with increase in temperature.
1. The composition of flora and fauna changes
because the species sensitive to increased
temperature due to thermal shock will be replaced
by temperature tolerant species.
2. Metabolic activities of aquatic organisms increase at
high temperature and require more oxygen, whereas
oxygen level falls under thermal pollution.
3. Discharge of heated water near the shores can
disturb spawning and can even kill young fishes.
4. Fish migration is affected due to formation of various
thermal zones.
3.

THERMAL POLLUTION
Control of Thermal Pollution
The following methods can be employed for control of thermal
pollution:
(i)Cooling ponds,
(ii) Spray Ponds,
(iii) Cooling towers
(i)Cooling Ponds:
Water from condensers is stored in ponds where natural
evaporation cools the water which can then be recirculated or
discharged in nearby water body.

(ii) Spray Ponds:

The water from condensers is received in spray ponds. Here the
water is sprayed through nozzles where fine droplets are formed.
Heat from these fine droplets is dissipated to the atmosphere.

(iii) Cooling Towers:

(a)Wet cooling tower:
Hot water is sprayed over baffles.
Cool air entering from sides takes away the heat and
cools the water.
This cool water can be recycled or discharged.
Large amount of water is lost through evaporation and
in the vicinity of wet cooling tower extensive fog is
formed which is not good for environment and causes
damage to vegetation.
(b) Dry cooling tower:

The heated water flows in a system of pipes.

Air is passed over these hot pipes with fans.
There is no water loss in this method but installation
and operation cost of dry cooling tower is many times
higher than wet cooling tower.

Soil Pollution
Soil is the upper layer of earths crust which is formed by
weathering of rocks.
Organic matter in the soil makes it suitable for living
organisms.
Soil pollution is defined as the build-up in soils of persistent
toxic compounds, chemicals, salts, radioactive materials, or
disease causing agents, which have adverse effects on
plant growth and animal health.
Dumping of domestic and industrial wastes causes soil
pollution.
There are many different ways that soil can become
polluted, such as:
Seepage from a landfill
Discharge of industrial waste into the soil
Percolation of contaminated water into the soil
Rupture of underground storage tanks

Soil Pollution

The most common chemicals involved in causing soil

pollution are:
Petroleum hydrocarbons
Heavy metals
Pesticides
Solvents
Types of Soil Pollution
Agricultural Soil Pollution
i) pollution of surface soil
ii) pollution of underground soil
Soil pollution by industrial effluents and solid wastes
i) pollution of surface soil
ii) disturbances in soil profile
Pollution due to urban activities
i) pollution of surface soil
ii) pollution of underground soil

Causes of Soil Pollution:

Polluted water discharged from factories

Runoff from pollutants (paint, chemicals, rotting organic material)

leaching out of landfill

Oil and petroleum leaks from vehicles washed off the road by the
rain into the surrounding habitat

Chemical fertilizer runoff from farms and crops

Acid rain (fumes from factories mixing with rain)

Sewage discharged into rivers instead of being treated properly

Over application of pesticides and fertilizers

Purposeful injection into groundwater as a disposal method

Interconnections between aquifers during drilling (poor technique)

Septic tank seepage

Lagoon seepage

Sanitary/hazardous landfill seepage

Cemeteries

Scrap yards (waste oil and chemical drainage)

Leaks from sanitary sewers

Effects of Soil Pollution

Agricultural
o Reduced soil fertility
o Reduced nitrogen fixation
o Increased erodibility
o Larger loss of soil and nutrients
o Deposition of silt in tanks and reservoirs
o Reduced crop yield
o Imbalance in soil fauna and flora
Industrial
Dangerous chemicals entering underground water
Ecological imbalance
Release of pollutant gases
Release of radioactive rays causing health problems
Increased salinity
Reduced vegetation

 Urban
Clogging of drains
Inundation of areas
Public health problems
Pollution of drinking water sources
Foul smell and release of gases
Waste management problems
Effects of soil pollution in general:
pollution runs off into rivers and kills the fish, plants and other
aquatic life
crops and fodder grown on polluted soil may pass the pollutants on
to the consumers
polluted soil may no longer grow crops and fodder
Soil structure is damaged (clay ionic structure impaired)
corrosion of foundations and pipelines
impairs soil stability
may release vapours and hydrocarbon into buildings and cellars
may create toxic dusts

Control of soil pollution

Adopt the three R's: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Reducing chemical fertilizer and pesticide use
o Applying bio-fertilizers and manures can reduce
chemical fertilizer and pesticide use.
o Biological methods of pest control can also reduce the
use of pesticides and thereby minimize soil pollution.
Reusing of materials
Materials such as glass containers, plastic bags, paper,
cloth etc. can be reused at domestic levels rather than
being disposed, reducing solid waste pollution.

Recycling and recovery of materials

o Materials such as paper, some kinds of plastics and
glass can and are being recycled.
o This decreases the volume of refuse and helps in the
conservation of natural resources.
o For example, recovery of one tonne of paper can save
17 trees.

 Reforesting
o Control of land loss and soil erosion can be attempted
through restoring forest and grass cover to check
wastelands, soil erosion and floods.
o Crop rotation or mixed cropping can improve the fertility
of the land.
Solid waste treatment
o Proper methods should be adopted for management of
solid waste disposal.
o Industrial wastes can be treated physically, chemically and
biologically until they are less hazardous.
o Acidic and alkaline wastes should be first neutralized; the
insoluble material if biodegradable should be allowed to
degrade under controlled conditions before being
disposed.
o As a last resort, new areas for storage of hazardous waste
should be investigated such as deep well injection and
more secure landfills.
o Burying the waste in locations situated away from

 Solid waste treatment

o Incineration of other wastes is expensive and leaves a
huge residue and adds to air pollution.
o Pyrolysis is a process of combustion in absence of oxygen
or the material burnt under controlled atmosphere of
oxygen. It is an alternative to incineration. The gas and
liquid thus obtained can be used as fuels.
o Pyrolysis of carbonaceous wastes like firewood, coconut,
palm waste, corn combs, cashew shell, rice husk paddy
straw and saw dust, yields charcoal along with products
like tar, methyl alcohol, acetic acid, acetone and a fuel
gas.

Natural land pollution:

o Land pollution occurs massively during earth quakes, land
slides, hurricanes and floods.
o All cause hard to clean mess, which is expensive to clean ,
and may sometimes take years to restore the affected
area.
o These kinds of natural disasters are not only a problem in

Marine Pollution
Marine Pollution is defined as the direct or indirect introduction by
humans of substances or energy into the environment (including
estuaries), resulting in harm to living resources, hazards to human
health, hindrances to marine activities including fishing, impairment of
the quality of sea water and reduction of amenities.
Causes / Sources of Marine Pollution:
The main sources of marine pollution are:
(i)rivers, which bring pollutants from their drainage basins,
(ii)Catchment area i.e. coastline where human settlements in the form of
hotels, industry, agricultural practices have been established, and
(iii)oil drilling and shipment .

Marine Pollution

The origin of various sources of pollution are listed below :

Source

Percentage

Land

45

Air

33

Transportation

12

Dumping

Offshore

Marine Pollution
Dredging
Among all land based activities that cause marine
pollution,
dredging of ports and harbours is probably the most
significant in terms of propagation of pollutants.
The process of dredging causes the disruption of bottom
sediments.

estuarine

Toxic materials released from the disturbed soils may go

into solution and cause severe mortality to marine
life.
Re-deposition of suspended materials could possibly
eliminate bottom flora & fauna.

create

Organic material in the suspended material may deplete

available oxygen in the surrounding waters and can
temporary stress conditions for aquatic animals.

Marine Pollution
Dredging
If suspended sediments are sufficiently concentrated,
penetration of light in the water column is significantly
reduced, thereby causing damage to light depending
photosynthetic algae, corals and other aquatic organisms.
Explosives used to break rock formations destroy bottom
habitats.
Pressure radiation due to blasting, often injure or
disable marine life at considerable distances.
grained

Areas of sediment depositions, typically contain fine

sand which act as "sinks" for many compounds.

are

Many organic contaminants have a low solubility in water

and therefore are associated with suspended solids and
transported along with the sediments.

Marine Pollution
Dredging
Mitigation measures:

sources
can

dredging
seasons.

The problem of dredged material disposal can be

considerably reduced, if effluents from land based
are controlled.
Further to control/ limit the propagation of contaminants
be achieved by proper selection of dredging process,
equipment and disposal sites.
Another mitigative measure is to avoid or minimise
during fish migration, breeding and spawning

Marine Pollution
Dredging
In areas where, chemical contaminants of the bottom
sediments exceed threshold values, selection of
appropriate
dredging equipment is to be considered.
These include:
*
Oozer pump suction dredger to avoid the release of
material
at the point of excavation
*
Closed clamshell bucket dredger or trailing cutter suction
dredger with no overflow
*
Proper offloading equipment on a disposal barge to pump
to
disposal sites without leakage

Marine Pollution
Ship discharges include :*

Ballast water from cargo tanks / oil tankers.

Tank washings from oil tankers.

Bilge waste from machinery spaces.

Residues from fuel & lubricating oil purification units, spent

lubricating oils, and sludge from tankers.

Sanitary wastes.

Garbage
Although many large ships have sewage treatment, and oil/water
separation facilities, smaller ships and other port crafts lack these
facilities.
To mitigate this problem all ports must have connections from ship to
shore-based facilities to receive and treat sanitary wastes, oily
waste & garbage.
For vessels anchored outside port, a floating reception facility such
as towed or self propelled barge may be considered.

Marine Pollution
Ballast Water Discharges:
Discharge of ballast water in ports may result in coliform &
pathogens from the port of origin to propagate to the port of
destination.
Increases in ship speeds, especially those of container vessels,
have resulted in increase of survival rates of these pathogens.
It is mandatory for ships to exchange their ballast water several
times in course of their voyage.
Oil Spills - Detection and Cleanup:
Although major oil spills constitute an estimated two-percent of
the total marine pollution, they cause in addition to
environmental damage, a serious aesthetic degradation of the
shoreline.
The major causes of the spill are :

Marine Pollution
Spills - Detection and Cleanup:
*
Marine causalities such as collisions, grounding, fires, etc.
*
Hull failure
*
Failure of equipment such as pipelines, flanges, hoses, etc.
*
Incorrect operating procedures
The avoidance of spill is a key requirement.
All ports must have an emergency contingency plan clearly
outlining authority and responsibility for dealing with such
situations.
A mechanism for alerting and reporting must be established.
Oil spill clean up equipment must be available with all ports to
deal with minor to medium spills.

Marine Pollution
Spills - Detection and Cleanup:
These equipments must include containment booms, recovery
equipment and suitable dispersants.
All operators should be trained to handle the equipment.
These equipments should be routinely checked and regular
exercises must take place to test the efficiency reporting, alerting
and operating mechanisms.

Marine Pollution
Containment and skimming -to clean up the slick.
Sorbents -- large sponges that absorb the oil from the water.
In situ burning.
Dispersants- chemicals which break down oil much more
quickly than the elements can alone.
Effects of Oil on Marine ecosystems mainly depend on the following factors:
Type of Oil (crude or refined)
Amount released
Distance of release from shore
Time of year
Weather conditions
Average water temperature
Ocean currents

Marine Pollution
Anti-Fouling Paints:
By their very nature anti-fouling paints inhibit the growth and/or
destroy a wide variety of marine organisms.
Severe damage to the aquatic life is caused by the application
of paints containing tri-butyl-tin.
Careless application of this paint causes more damage than
necessary.
Removal of old paint from vessels and floating craft in the
waterfront also causes similar damage.
New ship building/repair facilities should be located where
marine life is minimal.

Marine Pollution
Run-Off from raw material storage:

Raw materials such as coal, mineral ores, sulphur, salt, etc, are
usually stored in the open in port areas prior to loading or after
unloading from ships.

Due to their large volumes, it is uneconomical to store them

otherwise.

Due to prevalent weather conditions such as rain and wind,

frequently, significant amounts of these materials find
themselves in harbour waters.

Over a period of time, enormous quantities are built up to such

levels that cause acute toxicity and fatalities to aquatic life.

To alleviate this problem, bunds are to be built along the

periphery of the storage areas along with suitable drains.

These drains may flow to a centralised location, where water

can be treated before disposal to harbour waters.

Marine Pollution
Water front discharge:

Most port jetties are designed so that they have slight slope
towards the harbour waters, to avoid flooding and/or water
stagnation due to heavy rainfall.
Inadvertently, this type of jetty design allows unimpeded flow of
contaminants into harbour waters.
The principal constituents of these contaminants are oils, diesel,
hydraulic oils, and spillages of
cargo on the wharf.
As far as possible, direct drainage from the wharves and piers
must be avoided.
These areas are to be paved and sloped so that they direct
flows to catch basins, where the water collected
is treated
before disposal.

EFFECTS OF MARINE POLLUTION

1)

Untreated or partially treated sewage effluent, or organically rich industrial

effluent such as that from fish processing plants, present a number of
problems.

Decomposition of organic matter causes a drop in dissolved oxygen,

particularly in calm weather and sheltered bays. This can cause the death of
marine plants and animals, and may lead to changes in biodiversity.

Effluent, rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, results in `eutrophication'

(overfertilization), which may cause algal blooms. These blooms can discolour
the water, clog fish gills, or even be toxic, e.g. red tides. Microbial breakdown
of dead algae can cause oxygen deficiencies.

Pathogenic microorganisms cause gastric and ear-nose- throat infections,

hepatitis, and even cholera and typhoid. Filter feeding animals (e.g. mussels,
clams, oysters) concentrate pathogens in their gut, so eating shellfish from
polluted waters is a health risk.

Effects from industrial discharges are generally limited to the area next to the
discharge (the `mixing zone'). Water quality guidelines specify maximum levels
of pollutants allowed in the receiving water.

2)

Oil spills smother plants and animals, preventing respiration. In seabirds and
mammals it can cause a breakdown in their thermal insulation. Chemical
toxicity can cause behavioral changes, physiological damage, or impair
reproduction. Oil pollution is an eyesore, and cleanup and subsequent
disposal of oily wastes is difficult.

3)

Pesticides, such as DDT, and other persistent chemicals e.g. PCBs,

accumulate in the fatty tissue of animals. These chemicals can cause
reproductive failure in marine mammals and birds.

4)

Ships often paint their hulls with anti-fouling substances, e.g. tributyl-tin or
TBT, to prevent growth of marine organisms. These substances leach into
water and, in high traffic areas such as harbours and marinas, can affect
animal life. There is a world wide trend towards limiting the use of TBT
containing paints.

5)

Plastics kill many marine animals. Turtles, for example, often swallow floating
plastic bags, mistaking them for jelly- fish. Animals are often strangled when
they become entangled with plastic debris.

Control of Marine Pollution

(i) Toxic pollutants from industries and sewage treatment
plants should not be discharged in coastal waters.
(ii) Run off from non-point sources should be prevented to
reach coastal areas.
(iii) Sewer overflows should be prevented by having
separate sewer and rain water pipes.
(iv) Dumping of toxic, hazardous wastes and sewage
sludge should be banned.
(v) Developmental activities on coastal areas should be
minimized.
(vi) Oil and grease from service stations should be
processed for reuse.
(vii) Oil ballast should not be dumped into sea.
(viii) Ecologically sensitive coastal areas should be
protected by not allowing drilling.