Chapter 1

NAME: ARTHUR
SURNAME: CHIOZA
STUDENT NUMBER: N01519733T
DEPARTMENT: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
COURSE: RESEARCH PROJECT
COURSE CODE: TCE 3010
SUPERVISOR ENG S. MUDONO
THIRD YEAR RESEARCH PROJECT CHAPTER 1 DRAFT

CHAPTER 1
1.1 PROJECT TOPIC: AIR POLLUTION
1.2 PROJECT TITLE: AIR POLLUTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES.
1.3 INTRODUCTION
Air pollution is the presence of contaminants or pollutant substances in the air that interfere
with human health or welfare, or produce other harmful environmental effects. The term ‘air
pollution’ may refer to the presence of solid particles, liquid droplets and gaseous compounds
in the atmosphere, which are not normally present in the atmosphere or are in higher
concentrations than normal and harmful to the environment and living organisms. Sources of
air pollution can be classified into two; natural and man-made sources. Examples of natural
air pollution are forest fires which start naturally, gases released from volcanic activity and
gases such as radon released from radioactive rocks. Man-made sources of air pollution
include exhaust fumes from traffic vehicles, burning of fossil fuels in power plants and waste
gases and particulate matter produces in industrial plants and factories.
1.4 MAIN OBJECTIVE

To investigate the air pollution control technologies used to reduce emissions of air pollutants
produced by industrial activities.
1.5 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

 To characterize the types of air pollutants emitted by industrial activities.
 To research the regulations for emissions released into the atmosphere that have been
set locally and internationally.
 To investigate and make comparisons of the methods and technologies for air
pollution control for each type of pollutant identified.
1.6 PROBLEM STATEMENT

Air pollution does a great deal of damage to the environment as well as human health. Some
of the problems caused by air pollutants include ozone layer depletion thus allowing
ultraviolet rays from the sun to reach the surface, global warming, climate change and
development of respiratory diseases in human beings such as asthma and bronchitis.
According to a WHO assessment of the burden of disease due to air pollution, more than 2
million premature deaths each year can be attributed to the effects of urban outdoor air
pollution and indoor air pollution (caused by the burning of solid fuels). More than half of
this disease burden is borne by the populations of developing countries. Exposure to PM
affects lung development in children, including reversible deficits in lung function as well as
chronically reduced lung growth rate and a deficit in long-term lung function. Climate change
and global warming are causing negative environmental changes. Many scientists predict
rising sea levels, disturbances in patterns of rainfall and regional weather, and changes in
ranges and reproductive cycles of plants and animals. Climate change is already having some
effects on certain plant and animal species. There is still a lot of air pollution occurring
around the world and the diagram below can serve as an illustration.
Figure 1.1
showing the levels of fine particulate material in the atmosphere in some cities around the world. (source:
World Health Organization (WHO) Ambient (outdoor) air pollution in cities database 2016)
Most of the world’s major cities exceed World Health Organization (WHO) air pollution
guidelines as shown in the above diagram. The fine particulate concentration in Zimbabwe
per year is 24μg/m3 according to WHO, which is more than twice the target set by WHO
which is shown in the above diagram. This is just one among the other air pollutants emitted
into the atmosphere as a result of industrial activity. In recent years Zimbabwe has
experienced a rapid expansion in the national vehicle population, increased investment in the
manufacturing sector and higher energy demand. These have resulted in high emission rates
of major air pollutants resulting in a deterioration of the ambient air quality especially in the
major cities of Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare and Kwekwe. From figure 1.2, it can be
observed that most of the air pollution is caused by power generation. Most of the power
stations in Zimbabwe are coal-fired power stations with the exception of Kariba South power
station. The thermal power stations currently in operation are Hwange Power Station, which
is the largest thermal power station and Harare, Munyati and Bulawayo Thermal power
stations which all much smaller than Hwange power station.
42% of the world’s electricity is based on coal combustion, with the world’s coal-fired
capacity being 1440GW out of a global capacity of 4509GW. A 1000MW supercritical power
plant emits about 5.2 million tonnes(Mt) of carbon dioxide per year in addition to smaller but
significant amounts of sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and minor
amounts of mercury. Hence this project will focus on air pollution control in coal-fired power
stations.
Figure 1.2 showing
the different sources of air pollution and a pictorial illustration of the amount of air pollution produced by each
source. (Source: Zimbabwe’s Initial National Communication Under the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change).
1.7 PROBLEM JUSTIFICATION

Reduction of air pollution emissions will mean that the air will be less contaminated and
healthier for people and the environment. This in turn will mean that there will be a reduction
in diseases such as asthma, bronchitis which are aggravated by air pollution. Depletion of the
ozone layer may also be reduced by reducing emissions of air pollutants. Development and
improvements on air pollution control methods and technologies should be done to reduce
emission of air pollutants, hence reducing the negative impact of air pollutants on human
beings, animals, plants and the environment at large. Hence this research will give insight on
the air pollution sources, types of air pollutants, effects of the pollutants on human beings and
the environment and ways of reducing the emission of the pollutants into the atmosphere to
safe and healthy levels for people and the environment. As the world population becomes
increasingly urbanized there is a need to improve our understanding of the processes
influencing urban air quality in order to minimize population exposure and to develop
coherent air pollution abatement strategies.
1.8 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Since the 1700s, the trees that help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere have been
cut down and increased the amount of coal, gas, and oil have been burnt, all of which add
carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Science tells that these human activities have caused
greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons,
perfluorocarbons, and sulphur hexafluoride to accumulate in the atmosphere. However, in the
18th and 19th centuries, effects of air pollution emissions were noted, but air quality
management options lagged behind social concerns for managing sanitation, water supply
and solid waste.
The phenomenon of air pollution involves a sequence of events: the generation of pollutants
at and their release from a source; their transport and transformation in and removal from the
atmosphere and their effects on human beings, materials, and ecosystems. It is economically
and/or technically impossible to design a process for zero emissions of air pollutants hence
the air pollution emissions have to be controlled to levels where negative effects of emissions
are minimized. Air pollution strategies have been set up by organizations such as the World
Health Organization and Environmental Management Agency to specify allowable levels of
air pollution emissions from specified sources.

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NAME: ARTHUR

STUDENT NUMBER: N01519733T

DEPARTMENT: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

COURSE: RESEARCH PROJECT

COURSE CODE: TCE 3010

SUPERVISOR ENG S. MUDONO

THIRD YEAR RESEARCH PROJECT CHAPTER 1 DRAFT

1.1 PROJECT TOPIC: AIR POLLUTION

1.2 PROJECT TITLE: AIR POLLUTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES.

1.4 MAIN OBJECTIVE

1.5 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1.6 PROBLEM STATEMENT

1.7 PROBLEM JUSTIFICATION

1.8 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

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