1. Acid Rain
7/8

2. Sulfur Dioxide
Sulfur dioxide is a reactive gas released by burning fossil fuels, such as coal, that contain sulfur.
In the United States, 67% of SO2 emission comes from electric utilities.
Sulfur dioxide is linked to increased asthma symptoms.

3. How Acid Rain is Formed
Burning coal at a power plant produces sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxides (NOx) from its smoke stack.
These acidic gases combine with water in the clouds to form sulfuric acid.
Acid rain falls, impacting the environment.

4. pH Scale: Acids & Bases Base Acid Drain Cleaner Bleach Soapy Water
Ammonia
Milk of Magnesia
Baking Soda
Sea Water
Pure Water
Healthy Lake (6.5)
Clean Rain (5.6)
Acid Rain (4.3)
Orange Juice/Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Sulfuric Acid
Battery Acid 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Mayfly: 5.5
Salamander: 5.0
Perch: 4.5
Frogs: 4.0
Acid

5. Environmental Impact on Fish
Acid rain can sterilize a lake or pond by increasing acid levels:
Small aquatic plants are destroyed.
Fish that feed on those plants lose a food source and may become weaker and smaller.
Birds and mammals that depend upon fish in their diet are deprived.
The entire ecosystem is weakened.

6. Environmental Impact on Trees
Weakens trees and forests, making them susceptible to disease and parasitic insects.
Lowers the growth of forests as tree tops die off, especially in high elevation forests such as the Appalachian Mountains from Maine to Georgia.
Loss of habitat for wildlife.

7. Animated Map of Sulfur Reductions
National pH Levels
Animated Map of Sulfur Reductions

8. Local Air Quality Map Five Sulfur Dioxide Monitoring Sites
Taft (Clifton)
Colerain (Colerain Twp)
Amanda (Middletown)
Made (Middletown)
Yankee (Middletown)

9. Air Quality Index Convert SO2 readings to the Air Quality Index
Protect Your Health
2012 Days
Good
0-50
No health impacts are expected when air quality in this range.
127
Moderate
51-100
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
206
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion. 30
Unhealthy
Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion. 3
Very Unhealthy
Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid all prolonged outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit outdoor exertion.
Hazardous
Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects
Convert SO2 readings to the Air Quality Index

10. Acid Rain Experiment
Buffering: soil’s ability to absorb acid rain deposits
Materials for each group:
1 soil sample
1 funnel; 1 coffee filter
1 cup of acid rain solution
1 cup to “capture” acid rain
pH paper

11. Acid Rain Experiment Instructions: Place coffee filter inside funnel.
Base
Instructions:
Place coffee filter inside funnel.
Place soil sample in filter.
Slowly pour acid rain solution over soil sample; collect filtered water in Styrofoam cup.
Test filtered water with pH paper.
Drain Cleaner
Bleach
Soapy Water
Ammonia
Milk of Magnesia
Baking Soda
Sea Water
Pure Water
Healthy Lake (6.5)
Clean Rain (5.6)
Acid Rain (4.3)
Orange Juice/Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Sulfuric Acid
Battery Acid 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acid

12. Steam moves through hundreds of blades at an incredible speed
Releases
gaseous
air pollutants
Large air filters that separate pollutants like SO2 & NOx
Used to “scrub” pollutants with H2O & limestone
Burns coal at such high heat, it converts into steam
Then, an electromagnetic reaction creates electricity
Grinds coal to a fine powder
Increases the voltage of the electricity
A coal plant running at full capacity needs two million tons of coal per year and produces 3.7 million tons of carbon dioxide!

13. Scrubbers