Acid Rain

In the presence of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere, a chemical reaction takes place, resulting in acid rain to form.

Dry deposition is a term used to describe the deposit of acidic gasses and particles from the air in the absence of water. Acidified contaminants may deposit quickly on surfaces (including aquatic environment, plants, and buildings), or they may react with one another in atmospheric reactions to clumps that are potentially toxic to humans and welfare. Whenever the collected acids on a surface are washed away by next rain, the acidic water that results runs through and then through the ground, causing damage to plants and wildlife like insects and fish in the process.

According to the amount of precipitation received by a region, the quantity of acid in the air that deposits to the globe through dry deposition is determined. For example, the proportion of dryness to wet deposition is extremely higher in desert areas than it is in an area that allows many inches of precipitation annually.Wet deposition is the type of acid rain that most people are familiar with. In the form of precipitation, glaciers, haze, or hail, sulphuric acid and nitric acids that have formed in the air fall to the earth’s surface.

Acid Rain

Acid rain is a term that refers to any type of rain which includes high amounts of sulphuric and nitric acid. It can often take the form of ice, mist, and microscopic fragments of drying agent that fall to the surface of the Earth. Rainwater has a pH of 5.6 and thus is highly acidic, whereas acid rain has a pH ranging from 4.2 to 4.4 and is usually acidic. It is a type of air pollution that occurs when pollutants accumulate in the atmosphere. Throughout vehicles, electricity generation plants, and industrial plants, the combustion of coal and petroleum results in the release of a variety of toxic emissions into the atmosphere. Air contains a mixture of gasses that combine with oxygen and water.

Acid Rain Chemical Equation

In reality, the term “acid rain” is a little misrepresentative since even genuine rainfall gathered in remote areas away from town is highly acidic (pH 5.6) due to carbon dioxide, that also reacts to carbon dioxide and water, a weak acid is formed. Equation given below:

CO2(g) + H2O(l) ⇌ H2CO3(aq) ⇌ H+(aq) + HCO3–(aq)

Acid Rain: Causes

Normal and man-made sources of acid rain have both been identified as contributing to the formation of the haze. However, the burning of fossil fuels, that ultimately resulted in the emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) as well as nitrogen oxides, is the primary source of the problem (NOx).

1.Natural Sources

Volcanic emissions are the most significant natural cause of acid rain. The eruption of volcanoes causes the release of acid-producing gasses, resulting in higher than normal volumes of acid rain and any other kind of rain like fog and snow, which can have a detrimental effect on natural vegetation as well as the wellbeing of people in the nearby region.

2.Man-made Sources

Acid rain is primarily caused by humans that result in the combustion of chemical gasses such as sulfur and nitrogen into the atmosphere. Nitrogen and sulfur gas emitting sources such as industries, energy production facilities, and vehicles are included in this category of activities.Chemical emissions that contribute to acid rain are primarily caused by coal-fired electricity generation, which is the largest source of these emissions.

Acid Rain: Effects

A significant amount of acid rain has a negative impact on the global environment and human health.

1.The Impact on Soil

Acid rain has a massive effect on the biology and chemistry of the land. Because of the impacts of acid rain, soil microorganisms and bioactivities, and also soil chemical characteristics like soil pH, are degraded or reversed, resulting in soil degradation.

2.The Impact on Forests

This pesticide makes trees more susceptible to disease and insects, as well as to extreme weather and insects, by trying to destroy their leaves, causing damage to their bark, and stunting of their growth. The most visible signs of acid rain damage are in the forests.

3.The Impact on Aquatic Environment

Acid rain whether falls straight on water bodies or is carried away by the wind and rain from forests, roads, and fields, where it enters streams, rivers, and lakes. Acids accumulate in the water over time, lowering the pH of the entire body of water as a result of this accumulation.Aquatic species require a specific pH level of approximately 4.8 in order to survive. If such pH level is below, the environment becomes unfriendly to the protection of aquatic animals.

4.The Impact of Architecture and Buildings

Acid rain on houses, particularly those made of stone, reacts with the mineral deposits in the structure and corrodes the structure. As a result, the structure is vulnerable to decay and becomes weak over time. Acid rain has an impact on modern structures such as buildings, automobiles, airplanes, steel bridges, and pipes. It is possible to cause irreversible damage to historic buildings.

5.The Impact of Public Health

Once present in the air, sulphur dioxide as well as nitrogen oxide gases, and also their particulates variants such as sulphates and nitrates, reduce visibility and have the potential to cause accidents that result in injuries and deaths. Acid rain has no direct effect on human health because the water emitted by acid rain becomes too hygroscopic to cause any significant health problems.

Conclusion

In today’s world, acid rain is a very serious problem that has negative consequences for the surrounding environment. The prevention of many health problems would be possible if acid rain were reduced in frequency and severity. Using a very simple method that does not pollute the air, we can contribute to the reduction of acid rain pollution.As a result of its detrimental effects on the environment, acid rain is a significant and dangerous severe problem. It is a type of rain that contains a really large proportion of acid-forming chemical substances. These compounds have been discharged into the sky and have combined with water vapor to form a toxic cloud. Acid rain, in its most basic form, has the potential to cause widespread damage in a small period to the fact that it can cause living things to end up dying in the ecosystem when present.