Tag: air and water pollution

Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions. Acid rain pollutes water and soil. It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals and infrastructure.

Acid rain is very harmful as it contains sulphuric acid and nitric acid. It reduces the fertility of soil, damages vegetation and affects the marble monuments by corrosion.

All the above activities result in the less use of fossil fuels, and hence less release of acid rain causing oxides.

Since the area in which Taj Mahal is located is surrounded by many industries and factories, they emit a great amount of pollutants into the atmosphere, They even release toxic and acidic components in the near by water bodies. The pollutants in air are discoloring the white marbles of Taj Mahal due to acidic corrosion (caused by the oxides of non-metals like sulfur and nitrogen).

When pH of rain water drops anywhere below 5.6, it is said to be acid rain. 

One of the most fundamental acid rain solutions is to utilize fuels that burn more cleanly or to burn coal more efficiently. This will greatly reduce the possibilities of acid rain developing in the atmosphere.

The industries located in and around Agra like rubber processing, automobile, chemicals and especially Mathura Oil Refinery have been responsible for producing pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, which contaminate the environment by producing dissolved acids in the air.  

Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids. 

Carbon monoxide is basically formed when an object is burned. Methane, which is a natural gas produces  CO after oxidation. Methane, produces less CO as compared to other units of gas. Incomplete combusion results in creation of poisonous CO. It occurs when supply of oxygen is poor. 

A plant, like an animal, needs energy. Plants have a process called photosynthesis to transform light energy into chemical energy (glucose sugar). Plants produce oxygen during photosynthesis, the oxygen is derived from the water it intakes and not from the carbon dioxide.