1. Environmental Impact of the Industrial Revolution

2. Industrial Revolution Production and Profit
Massive increase in energy use from burning fossil fuels.
Agrarian to industry-based economy
Rapid and large increase in production of goods
Sustained population growth with movement from farm to urban centers
Improvements in transportation, agriculture
Increase the standard of living

4. Industrial Revolution Pollution
Air pollution
Water pollution
Global warming
Acid rain
Deforestation
Ecosystem destruction

5. Air Pollution
Particulates from burning fuel and from volcanoes [today also: power plants, auto emissions]
Gas emissions from burning fuel and from volcanoes [today also: power plants, auto emissions, industry]
CO2: from combustion of fossil fuels by motor vehicles, power plants
SO2: from burning fossil fuels, esp coal (90%), volcanoes, wildfires
NO, NO2: from burning fossil fuels, esp coal
[CFC (chlorofluorocarbons): now mostly banned]

6. Detrimental Impact of Air Pollution
Production of acid rain
Respiratory problems and disease in humans (1952 great London smog killed 4000)
Chemical corrosion of buildings and statues
Stresses plants (smog reduces sunlight and therefore photosynthesis) and animals

7. Acid and pH
Acids donate H+(aq) ions in water. The more H+(aq) ions present, the more acidic.
pH is a measure on the strength of the acid. The pH range is 1-14 with pH 7 being neutral.
Unpolluted rain has pH (slightly acidic; the pH of coffee due to the presence of CO2.
The pH of acid rain has been measured as low as 2.4.

8. Acid Rain
Precipitation (rain, snow) that contains acids formed from the reaction of human generated air pollutants, oxygen and water.
SO2 (g) + ½ O2 (g) + H2O(g)  H2SO4
2NO2 (g) + ½ O2 (g) + H2O(g)  2HNO3
2NO (g) + 3/2 O2 (g) + H2O(g)  2HNO3
Note that CO2 is naturally present in the atm.
2CO2 (g) + 2H2O(g)  2H2CO3

9. Detrimental Impact of Acid Rain
Vegetation suffers due to an increase in mineral leaching at higher acid levels
Microbes in the soil are killed
Insects suffer evolutionary changes; higher food chain members are affected
Aquatic species populations are stressed as oceans become more acidic
Buildings and statues are chemically corroded

10. Acidification of the Lakes, Streams and Oceans
Healthy lakes have pH 6.5; at pH 4, the lake is dead.
Healthy oceans have pH 8.2; current pH 8
The presence of excess H+(aq) causes
Dissolving/deterioration of seashells
Fish eggs that do not hatch (< pH 5)
Increase in [Al+(aq)]  decrease in fish
Decrease in biodiversity

11. Global Warming
The increase in the average temperature of the earth’s oceans, land and surrounding air.
Also called climate change.
Depends on incoming and outgoing solar radiation, wind and water currents, atmospheric gases, clouds, volcanic gases and human activities.
Car example

12. Greenhouse Effect Solar radiation
30% reflected by atmosphere, clouds, dust
25% absorbed by atmosphere
45% absorbed by land and oceans
Some heats the land and oceans
Some is radiated back into the atm as IR radiation
19% escapes out of earth’s atm
81% is absorbed by greenhouse gases and re-emited, thus warming the earth’s surface even more. Enhanced greenhouse effect is the problem

13.
Animation from the BBC

14. Greenhouse Gases
GWP: Global Warming Potential: effectiveness in absorbing IR radiation; measure of contribution to Global Warming
Chemistry in Context, 2006, Am. Chem. Soc
Increase
Persistence
GWP
CO2
33%
5-200 yr 1
CH4
160% 12 23
N2O
10%
114
296

16. Detrimental Impact of Global Warming
More precipitation in some areas  flooding
Less precipitation in others  spread of deserts, change in crops
Melting of ice caps  rise of sea level
Spread of diseases
Changes in ecosystems (e.g. Ocean warming)
Weather pattern alterations
Reduced biodiversity

17. Water Pollution Water covers 70% of the earth.
Much water is held in aquifers – ground water
Sources: industrial waste (heavy metals, phosphates, asbestos, nitrates, solvents, petrochemicals), fertilizers and pesticides, untreated sewage, oil spills, dumping in oceans, acid rain, underground storage leakage.

18. Detrimental Impact of Water Pollution
Developmental problems (heavy metals, toxic compounds)
Disease (cholera and typhoid from microorganisms, also organic solvents, asbestos)
Death (see above, also algae blooms and microorganism growth which deplete oxygen in lakes

19. Industrial Revolution
Major turning point in earth’s ecology and the relationship between humans and environment.
The next revolution: Sustainability, a Green Industrial Revolution ?