How to protect air from pollution? Ecological recommendations. Topic.2

What is being done in your city to protect the air or how to protect the air from pollution? Such a serious topic is studied in the subject of the world around us in grades 2-3 of elementary school.

On this page we will try to figure out the answer to this question.

The process of air pollution began in the 19th century, due to the rapid development of industry. All factories of that time used one type of fuel - coal. Despite the fact that even then they knew about the harmfulness of this raw material to the environment, it still remained the most popular. This was due to its low cost and excellent availability.

Approaching large metallurgical plants, first of all, you pay attention to the rows of giant pipes that throw smoke high into the sky.

Strong winds are blowing up there. They pick up clouds of smoke and tear them to shreds, scatter them, mix with clean air, quickly reduce the danger of poisonous gases. The same high pipes are made at large power plants.

Tall pipes take trouble away from people living nearby, but poisonous gases still enter the air. There they accumulate, and then fall out with precipitation in other areas.

Humans and other living beings need clean air to breathe. But in many places, especially in big cities, it is polluted.

Some factories and plants emit poisonous gases, soot, and dust from their pipes. Cars emit exhaust gases, which contain a lot of harmful substances.

Air pollution threatens human health, all life on Earth!

What is being done to protect the air in cities?

1. Now a lot is being done to protect the purity of air in cities. Many enterprises operate installations that trap dust, soot, and poisonous gases. Dust and gas trapping devices are installed on boiler rooms.

2. Harmful enterprises are being withdrawn from the city limits.

3. Public transport is being replaced by more environmentally friendly ones. New trolleybus and tram routes around the cities are being created. Scientists have developed new cars - electric cars that will not pollute the air.

4. In addition, all heavy vehicles, and vehicle exhaust gases are another harmful factor, are sent along bypass roads, they are forbidden to enter the city center.

5. Bans are introduced on burning garbage within the city.

6. Green spaces play an important role in air protection, so in cities a lot of attention is paid to the planting of squares, alleys, parks.

7. Special stations have been created in different places, they constantly monitor the purity of the air in big cities.

1. Atmosphere
2. Control of gas mixtures
3. the greenhouse effect
4. Kyoto Protocol
5. Means of protection
6. Atmosphere protection
7. Means of protection
8. Dry dust collectors
9. Wet dust collectors
10. Filters
11. Electrostatic precipitators

Atmosphere

Atmosphere - the gaseous shell of a celestial body, held around it by gravity.

The depth of the atmosphere of some planets, consisting mainly of gases (gas planets), can be very large.

The Earth's atmosphere contains oxygen, which is used by most living organisms for respiration, and carbon dioxide, which is consumed by plants, algae, and cyanobacteria during photosynthesis.

The atmosphere is also a protective layer on the planet, protecting its inhabitants from solar ultraviolet radiation.

Main air pollutants

The main pollutants of atmospheric air, formed both in the process of human economic activity and as a result of natural processes, are:

• sulfur dioxide SO2,
• carbon dioxide CO2,
• nitrogen oxides NOx,
• solid particles - aerosols.

The share of these pollutants is 98% in the total emissions of harmful substances.

In addition to these main pollutants, more than 70 types of harmful substances are observed in the atmosphere: formaldehyde, phenol, benzene, compounds of lead and other heavy metals, ammonia, carbon disulfide, etc.

Main air pollutants

Sources of air pollution are manifested in almost all types of human economic activity. They can be divided into groups of stationary and moving objects.

The former include industrial, agricultural and other enterprises, the latter - means of land, water and air transport.

Among enterprises, the largest contribution to air pollution is made by:

• thermal power facilities (thermal power plants, heating and industrial boiler units);
• metallurgical, chemical and petrochemical plants.

Atmospheric pollution and quality control

Atmospheric air control is carried out in order to establish the compliance of its composition and content of components with the requirements of environmental protection and human health.

All sources of pollution entering the atmosphere, their working areas, as well as the zones of influence of these sources on the environment (air in settlements, recreation areas, etc.)

Comprehensive quality control includes the following measurements:

• the chemical composition of atmospheric air for a number of the most important and significant components;
• chemical composition of precipitation and snow cover
• chemical composition of dust pollution;
• chemical composition of liquid-phase pollution;
• the content in the surface layer of the atmosphere of individual components of gas, liquid-phase and solid-phase pollution (including toxic, biological and radioactive);
• radiation background;
• temperature, pressure, atmospheric air humidity;
• wind direction and speed in the surface layer and at the level of the weather vane.

The data of these measurements make it possible not only to quickly assess the state of the atmosphere, but also to predict unfavorable meteorological conditions.

Control of gas mixtures

The control of the composition of gas mixtures and the content of impurities in them is based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis. Qualitative analysis reveals the presence of specific especially dangerous impurities in the atmosphere without determining their content.

Apply organoleptic, indicator methods and the method of test samples. The organoleptic definition is based on the ability of a person to recognize the smell of a specific substance (chlorine, ammonia, sulfur, etc.), change the color of the air, and feel the irritating effect of impurities.

Environmental effects of atmospheric pollution

The most important environmental consequences of global air pollution include:

• possible climate warming (greenhouse effect);
• violation of the ozone layer;
• acid rain;
• deterioration of health.

the greenhouse effect

The greenhouse effect is an increase in the temperature of the lower layers of the Earth's atmosphere compared to the effective temperature, i.e. the temperature of the planet's thermal radiation observed from space.

Kyoto Protocol

In December 1997, at a meeting in Kyoto (Japan) dedicated to global climate change, delegates from more than 160 countries adopted a convention obliging developed countries to reduce CO2 emissions. The Kyoto Protocol obliges 38 industrialized countries to reduce by 2008-2012. CO2 emissions by 5% of 1990 levels:

• The European Union must cut CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions by 8%,
• USA - by 7%,
• Japan - by 6%.

Means of protection

The main ways to reduce and completely eliminate air pollution are:

• development and implementation of cleaning filters at enterprises,
• use of environmentally friendly energy sources,
• use of non-waste production technology,
• car exhaust control,
• landscaping of cities and towns.

Purification of industrial waste not only protects the atmosphere from pollution, but also provides additional raw materials and profits for enterprises.

Atmosphere protection

One of the ways to protect the atmosphere from pollution is the transition to new environmentally friendly energy sources. For example, the construction of power plants that use the energy of ebbs and flows, the heat of the bowels, the use of solar plants and wind turbines to generate electricity.

In the 1980s, nuclear power plants (NPPs) were considered a promising source of energy. After the Chernobyl disaster, the number of supporters of the widespread use of atomic energy has decreased. This accident showed that nuclear power plants require increased attention to their safety systems. Academician A. L. Yanshin, for example, considers gas to be an alternative source of energy, which in the future can be produced in Russia about 300 trillion cubic meters.

Means of protection

• Purification of technological gas emissions from harmful impurities.
• Dispersion of gaseous emissions in the atmosphere. Dispersion is carried out with the help of high chimneys (over 300 m high). This is a temporary, forced measure, which is carried out due to the fact that the existing treatment facilities do not provide complete purification of emissions from harmful substances.
• Arrangement of sanitary protection zones, architectural and planning solutions.

A sanitary protection zone (SPZ) is a strip that separates sources of industrial pollution from residential or public buildings to protect the population from the influence of harmful production factors. The width of the SPZ is set depending on the class of production, the degree of harmfulness and the amount of substances released into the atmosphere (50–1000 m).

Architectural and planning solutions - the correct mutual placement of emission sources and populated areas, taking into account the direction of the winds, the construction of roads bypassing populated areas, etc.

Emission Treatment Equipment

• devices for cleaning gas emissions from aerosols (dust, ash, soot);
• devices for cleaning emissions from gas and vapor impurities (NO, NO2, SO2, SO3, etc.)

Dry dust collectors

Dry dust collectors are designed for coarse mechanical cleaning of coarse and heavy dust. The principle of operation is the settling of particles under the action of centrifugal force and gravity. Cyclones of various types are widely used: single, group, battery.

Wet dust collectors

Wet dust collectors are characterized by high cleaning efficiency from fine dust up to 2 microns in size. They work on the principle of deposition of dust particles on the surface of drops under the action of inertial forces or Brownian motion.

The dusty gas flow is directed through pipe 1 to liquid mirror 2, on which the largest dust particles are deposited. Then the gas rises towards the flow of liquid droplets supplied through the nozzles, where it is cleaned from fine dust particles.

Filters

Designed for fine purification of gases due to the deposition of dust particles (up to 0.05 microns) on the surface of porous filtering partitions.

According to the type of filtering load, fabric filters (fabric, felt, sponge rubber) and granular ones are distinguished.

The choice of filter material is determined by the requirements for cleaning and working conditions: degree of cleaning, temperature, gas aggressiveness, humidity, amount and size of dust, etc.

Electrostatic precipitators

Electrostatic precipitators are an effective way to remove suspended dust particles (0.01 microns) and oil mist.

The principle of operation is based on the ionization and deposition of particles in an electric field. At the surface of the corona electrode, the dust-gas flow is ionized. By acquiring a negative charge, dust particles move towards the collecting electrode, which has a sign opposite to the charge of the corona electrode. As dust particles accumulate on the electrodes, they fall by gravity into the dust collector or are removed by shaking.

Methods of purification from gas and vaporous impurities

Purification of impurities by catalytic conversion. Using this method, toxic components of industrial emissions are converted into harmless or less harmful substances by introducing catalysts (Pt, Pd, Vd) into the system:

• catalytic afterburning of CO to CO2;
• reduction of NOx to N2.

The absorption method is based on the absorption of harmful gaseous impurities by a liquid absorbent (absorbent). As an absorbent, for example, water is used to capture gases such as NH3, HF, HCl.

The adsorption method allows you to extract harmful components from industrial emissions using adsorbents - solids with an ultramicroscopic structure (activated carbon, zeolites, Al2O3.

The protection of air from pollution has become one of the priorities of society today. After all, if a person can live without water for several days, without food - for several weeks, then without air one cannot do even a few minutes. After all, breathing is a continuous process.

We live at the bottom of the fifth, airy, ocean of the planet, as the atmosphere is often called. Without it, life on Earth could not have arisen.

Composition of air

The composition of atmospheric air has been constant since the advent of mankind. We know that 78% of air is nitrogen, 21% is oxygen. The content of argon and carbon dioxide in the air together is about 1%. And all the other gases in total give us a seemingly insignificant figure of 0.0004%.

What about other gases? There are many of them: methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, helium, hydrogen sulfide and others. As long as their number in the air does not change, everything is fine. But with an increase in the concentration of any of them, pollution occurs ...

It is known that a person can live without food for more than one month, without water - only a few days, but without air - only a couple of minutes. So it is necessary for our body! Therefore, the question of how to protect the air from pollution should take the first place among the problems of scientists, politicians, statesmen and officials of all countries. In order not to kill itself, humanity must take urgent measures to prevent this pollution. Citizens of any country are also obliged to take care of the cleanliness of the environment. It just seems that practically nothing depends on us. There is hope that by joint efforts we can all protect the air from pollution, animals from extinction, forests from deforestation.

Earth's atmosphere

The Earth is the only planet known to modern science on which life exists, which was made possible thanks to the atmosphere. It ensures our existence. The atmosphere is primarily air, which must be suitable for ...

How to protect yourself from polluted air

Sections: Elementary School

generalize knowledge about the sources of air pollution, the consequences they lead to and the rules of air protection; formulate the rules of personal environmental safety; develop memory, logical thinking, vocabulary; cultivate respect for the environment.

DURING THE CLASSES

1. ORGANIZATIONAL MOMENT (1 min)

2. Introduction to the topic of the LESSON (2 min)

Red crow:

– Not enough fresh air! I can not breathe! I even changed the color. I'm suffocating! Help!

Appendix 1.

- I propose to help the CROW. Based on her request, how to formulate the topic of the lesson? (How to protect yourself from polluted air). “Appendix 1=Slide 1”.

What questions do we need to answer? / What causes air pollution and what does it lead to? What should be done to protect the air from pollution? How to protect yourself from polluted air? /"Appendix…

All areas of atmospheric protection can be grouped into four large groups:

1. Group of sanitary measures - construction of ultra-high chimneys, installation of gas and dust cleaning equipment, sealing of technical and transport equipment.

2. A group of technological measures - the creation of new technologies based on partially or completely closed cycles, the creation of new methods for the preparation of raw materials that purify them from impurities before being involved in production, the replacement of raw materials, the replacement of dry methods for processing dusty materials with wet ones, automation of production processes.

3. A group of planning measures - the creation of sanitary protection zones around industrial enterprises, the optimal location of industrial enterprises, taking into account the wind rose, the removal of the most toxic industries outside the city, the rational planning of urban development, urban greening.

4. A group of control and prohibition measures - the establishment of maximum allowable concentrations (MPC) and maximum allowable emissions (MPE) of pollutants, prohibition of the production of certain toxic products, automation of emission control.

The main measures for the protection of atmospheric air include a group of sanitary measures. In this group, an important area of ​​air protection is the purification of emissions in combination with the subsequent disposal of valuable components and the production of products from them. In the cement industry, this is the capture of cement dust and its use for the production of hard road surfaces. In the thermal power industry - the capture of fly ash and its utilization in agriculture, in the building materials industry.

There are two types of effect during the disposal of the captured components: ecological and economic. The environmental effect is to reduce environmental pollution when using waste compared to using primary material resources. So, in the production of paper from waste paper or the use of scrap metal in steelmaking, air pollution is reduced by 86%. The economic effect of the utilization of the captured ingredients is associated with the appearance of an additional raw material source, which, as a rule, has more favorable economic indicators compared to the corresponding indicators of production from natural raw materials. Thus, the production of sulfuric acid from non-ferrous metallurgy gases, in comparison with the production from traditional raw materials (natural sulfur) in the chemical industry, has a lower cost and specific capital investments, higher annual profit and profitability.

Three of the most effective ways to clean gases from gaseous impurities are liquid absorption, solid adsorption, and catalytic cleaning.

In absorption cleaning methods, the phenomena of different solubility of gases in liquids and chemical reactions are used. A liquid (usually water) uses reagents that form chemical compounds with a gas.

Adsorption cleaning methods are based on the ability of finely porous adsorbents (active carbons, zeolites, simple glasses, etc.) to capture harmful components from gases under appropriate conditions.

The basis of catalytic purification methods is the catalytic transformation of harmful gaseous substances into harmless ones. These cleaning methods include inertial separation, electrical settling, etc. With inertial separation, the sedimentation of suspended solids occurs due to their inertia, which occurs when the direction or speed of the flow changes in devices called cyclones. Electrical deposition is based on the electrical attraction of particles to a charged (precipitating) surface. Electric deposition is implemented in various electrostatic precipitators, in which, as a rule, charging and deposition of particles occur together.

To reduce air pollution by transport emissions, the following measures should be taken:

1. improvement of engines and the creation of new engines;

2. the use of alternative fuels (compressed natural gas, liquefied petroleum gases, synthetic alcohols, etc.) When using natural gas, the emission of harmful components by cars is reduced by 3-5 times, although the fuel consumption in internal combustion engines is higher (while saving oil);

3. creation of new vehicles (electric vehicles) and replacement of some vehicles with others (bus - trolleybus);

4. noise protection (passive and active). Road transport reduces noise through the development of road noise reduction, speed reduction in settlements, and the construction of cross rolls. Noise reduction in railway transport is ensured by the creation of screens, tunnels, improved aerodynamics of locomotives;

5. special measures of an administrative nature: entry restrictions, parking bans, transport sectors, etc.

The normative basis for managing the protection of the atmosphere is air quality standards. Air quality indicators are MPC of harmful substances, MPE. MPC is the content of a harmful substance in the environment, which, with constant contact or exposure for a certain period of time, practically does not affect human health. When determining MPC, the impact of pollutants not only on human health, but also on animals, plants, microorganisms, and natural communities as a whole is taken into account.

For the sanitary assessment of the air environment, MPC for the working area (MPC r.z.), maximum one-time (MPC m.r.) and average daily (MPC d.s.) are used. MPC r.z. - the maximum permissible concentration of a harmful substance in the air of the working area. This concentration should not cause any diseases or deviations from the norm in the state of health in workers with daily inhalation for 8 hours during the entire working experience. In this case, the working area is considered to be a space up to 2 m above the floor level or a platform on which the places of stay of workers are located.

MPC m.s. - the maximum one-time concentration of a harmful substance in the air of settlements, which should not cause reflex reactions in the human body.

MPC s.s. - the average daily maximum permissible concentration of a harmful substance in the air of populated areas. This concentration should not have a direct or indirect effect on the human body under conditions of indefinitely long round-the-clock inhalation.

For hygienic assessment of air pollution, a complex index of air pollution (API) is used. API, taking into account m impurities in the atmosphere, is calculated by the formula:

API m = (gav i/MPCs.s.i)K

Atmospheric air: its pollution and protection

Atmospheric air pollution by road transport emissions

Automobile- this "symbol" of the XX century. in the industrialized countries of the West, where public transport is poorly developed, it is increasingly becoming a real disaster. Tens of millions of private cars filled the streets of cities and highways, now and then there are many kilometers of “traffic jams”, expensive fuel is burned to no avail, the air is poisoned by poisonous exhaust gases. In many cities, they exceed the total emissions into the atmosphere of industrial enterprises. Total power automobile engines in the USSR significantly exceeds the installed capacity of all thermal power plants in the country. Accordingly, cars “eat up” much more fuel than thermal power plants, and if it is possible to increase the efficiency of automobile engines at least a little, this will result in millions of savings.

Automotive exhaust gases- a mixture of approximately 200 substances. They contain hydrocarbons - unburned or incompletely burned fuel components, the proportion of which increases sharply if the engine is running at low speeds or at the time of increasing speed at the start, i.e. during traffic jams and at a red traffic light. It is at this moment, when the accelerator is pressed, that the most unburned particles are released: about 10 times more than during normal engine operation. To unburned gases also include ordinary carbon monoxide, which is formed in one quantity or another everywhere where something is burned. The exhaust gases of an engine running on normal gasoline and in normal mode contain an average of 2.7% carbon monoxide. With a decrease in speed, this share increases to 3.9%, and at low speed, up to 6.9%.

carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and most other gas emissions from engines are heavier than air, so they all accumulate near the ground. Carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin in the blood and prevents it from carrying oxygen to the tissues of the body. Exhaust gases also contain aldehydes, which have a pungent odor and irritant effect. These include acroleins and formaldehyde; the latter has a particularly strong effect. Automobile emissions also contain nitrogen oxides. Nitrogen dioxide plays an important role in the formation of hydrocarbon conversion products in the atmospheric air. The exhaust gases contain undecomposed fuel hydrocarbons. Among them, a special place is occupied by unsaturated hydrocarbons ethylene series, in particular hexene and pentene. Due to incomplete combustion of fuel in a car engine, part of the hydrocarbons turns into soot containing resinous substances. Especially a lot soot and tar is formed during a technical malfunction of the motor and at times when the driver, forcing the operation of the engine, reduces the ratio of air and fuel, trying to get the so-called "rich mixture". In these cases, a visible tail of smoke trails behind the machine, which contains polycyclic hydrocarbons and, in particular, benzo(a)pyrene.

1 liter of gasoline may contain about 1 g of tetraethyl lead, which breaks down and is released as lead compounds. In emissions diesel transport lead is absent. Tetraethyl lead has been used in the USA since 1923 as an additive to gasoline. Since that time, the release of lead into the environment has been continuously increasing. The annual per capita consumption of lead for gasoline in the US is about 800 g. Lead levels close to toxic levels have been observed in traffic police officers and in those who are constantly exposed to car exhaust. Studies have shown that pigeons living in Philadelphia contain 10 times more lead than pigeons living in rural areas. Lead is one of major poisoners external environment; and it is supplied mainly by modern high compression engines produced by the automotive industry.
The contradictions of which the car is “woven” are perhaps not as sharply revealed in anything as in the matter of protecting nature. On the one hand, he made our life easier, on the other hand, he poisoned it. In the most direct and sad sense.

One passenger car annually absorbs more than 4 tons of oxygen from the atmosphere, emitting about 800 kg of carbon monoxide, about 40 kg of nitrogen oxides and almost 200 kg of various hydrocarbons with exhaust gases. Photo toxic fog. In the 1930s, smog began to appear over Los Angeles (USA) in the warm season, usually in summer and early autumn, on hot days. Los Angeles smog is dry fog with about 70% humidity. This smog is called photochemical fog because it requires sunlight to form, causing complex photochemical transformations in a mixture of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides from car emissions. AT photochemical fog Los Angeles type in the course of photochemical reactions, new substances are formed, significantly exceeding the initial atmospheric pollution in their toxicity. Photochemical mist is considered the most hazardous to health, as it contains highly toxic components. At many locations in Los Angeles, the degree of accumulation of pollutants is measured using continuously operating automatic devices. If pollution exceeded the limit sirens sound, and drivers must stop the vehicles, turn off the engines and wait until a signal is given to allow them to continue on their way (i.e. when automatic devices determine that the pollution has decreased) .

The Los Angeles area has a special climate - like in a huge flask. On three sides the bay is surrounded by mountains, and on the fourth side there is an air flow, which is heated by the action of solar heat and rushes up. The upper part of this flask is covered by a low "inversion layer", it passes at a level of 200-250 m. Smoke from 4 million cars located in the Los Angeles area is mixed in this giant flask. The amount of pollutants emitted daily is 10-12 thousand tons During the morning peak hours, a lot of smoke accumulates from cars heading into the city. In the sun Exhaust gases from cars emit substances that irritate the mucous membranes of the eyes. Before noon, a photochemical fog forms. Shortly after noon, under the influence of increasing heating, the inversion weakens, and the smog rises. The influence of the evening peak hours is already barely noticeable. In the Soviet Union, phenomena like photochemical fog were not observed, but the conditions for its formation may arise.

Influence of exhaust gases on the environment and public health. Air polluted with exhaust gases depresses and destroys vegetation. In the US, the associated losses are estimated at $500 million a year. Characteristically, in Los Angeles, green spaces destroyed by exhaust gases are being replaced by plastic dummies. Over the past 10 years, Tokyo's green space has shrunk by 12%. The damage caused by exhaust gases to buildings and structures is no less striking: metal roofs in cities serve 3 times less than in villages. The antique equestrian statue of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, which for more than four centuries adorned the famous square on the Capitoline Hill, built according to the project of Michelangelo, “moved” to restoration workshops in 1981. The fact is that this statue is the work of an unknown master, whose age is almost 1800 years old, "seriously ill". The high level of air pollution, car exhaust, as well as the scorching rays of the sun and rain caused great damage to the bronze statue of the emperor. The Romans and numerous tourists may only be able to admire a copy of the statue.

To reduce material damage, metals sensitive to automotive emissions, replace with aluminum; special gas-resistant solutions and paints are applied to the structures. Many scientists see the development of motor transport and the increasing air pollution of large cities with automobile gases as the main reason for the increase in lung disease. The capital of Spain, Madrid, is among the cities in the world with the most dangerous air pollution. Air pollution vehicle exhaust emissions are constantly increasing. In a number of areas, it has reached the maximum level and has become life-threatening. The most polluted cities in Italy are Milan, Venice, Rome, Naples and Trieste. According to experts, the main source of pollution - cars. Car exhaust poisoning in Austrian cities is rampant. In Vienna, 200 tons of lead are released into the atmosphere every year. From the published report of scientists it follows that a high degree of air pollution is observed even in those areas of Vienna where there are relatively few cars.

medical analysis showed that the content of lead in the blood of the inhabitants of the Austrian capital already exceeds the established norms.
In the political declaration adopted by the Brussels Conference of the Communist and Workers' Parties of Europe, it is noted that big capital is not capable of completely solving the problem of the environment. The experience of the socialist community confirms correctness of conclusions revolutionary workers' movement that under socialism environmental problems are solved most fully.
The position of the air basins in the cities of the USSR compares favorably with many foreign ones. Visitors to Moscow invariably note the cleanliness of the city's air.

Measures to combat vehicle emissions

Assessment of cars by exhaust toxicity. Of great importance is also the daily control over motor vehicles. All fleets are obliged to monitor the serviceability of the cars produced on the line. With a well-working engine, the carbon monoxide exhaust gases should contain no more than the permissible norm. The regulation on the State Automobile Inspectorate is entrusted with monitoring the implementation of measures to protect the environment from the harmful effects of motor vehicles. GOST under the number 17.2.03.77, introduced in our country on July 1, 1978, has the symbolic name “Nature Protection. Atmosphere". The subtitle specifies: “The content of carbon monoxide in the exhaust gases of vehicles with gasoline engines. Norms and method of determination”.

The adopted standard for toxicity provides for further tightening of the norm, although even today in the USSR they are tougher than European ones: for carbon monoxide, by 35%, for hydrocarbons, by 12%, and for nitrogen oxides, by 21%. A Soviet car of 1978 should emit almost twice as much carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, and 21% less hydrocarbons than a car of 1975 production. Since 1978, the emission of nitrogen oxides has been limited. In such large cities as Moscow, Kyiv, Alma-Ata, clean air services operate. For diesel vehicles there is a special GOST “Vehicles with diesel engines. Exhaust smoke. An interesting feature of the automobile GOST is the fact that it is addressed to a huge mass of drivers. In addition to the standards, GOST contains a methodology that gives detailed recommendations to the driver: how to determine the content of carbon monoxide in the exhaust, how to adjust the engine. Domestic standards provide further gradual tightening of emission standards for toxic substances. Cars produced in our country meet the requirements of current standards. The factories have introduced control and regulation of vehicles for toxicity and opacity of exhaust gases. In the Soviet Union, devices have been created that monitor that cars going on a trip do not exceed the permissible emission standards for harmful gases. So, in Smolensk, portable devices "GAI-1" are produced for measuring carbon monoxide in exhaust gases. Other devices measure nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons. An analytical system has been created that automatically registers simultaneously the main transport emissions. Smolensk instrument makers began its serial production. Urban transport management systems. New traffic control systems have been developed that minimize the possibility of traffic jams, because when stopping and then picking up speed, the car emits several times more harmful substances than when driving uniformly. The streets between the carriageway and residential buildings are expanding. Highways were built to bypass cities. So, in Saratov, a motorway was built to bypass the city. The road accepted the entire flow of transit traffic, which used to be an endless tape along the city streets. The intensity of traffic has sharply decreased, the noise has decreased, the air has become cleaner.

Any issues of traffic organization should be considered from the point of view of not only ensuring safety, but also reducing the toxicity of exhaust gases. Why, say, the speed limit in the city is not set at 80 or 50, but at 60 km per hour? It is at this speed that cars have a minimum of harmful emissions. With a sharp increase or decrease in the speed of movement, the emission more than doubles. A lot of work is being done in the capital to improve the organization and safety of traffic, the role of regulation technology today is very large. Of great importance in traffic regulation is the modest traffic light familiar to all of us. The tense and increasingly complex rhythm of car flows in the capital is regulated by about 800 traffic lights. On 42 highways, they operate under a clear, coordinated system known as the "Green Wave".

Created in Moscow automated control system traffic "Start", which is fundamentally different from simpler similar systems currently operating in the capital and in many other cities of the Soviet Union. Thanks to perfect technical means, mathematical methods and computer technology, it will allow optimal control of traffic throughout the city and completely free a person from the responsibility of directly regulating traffic flows. In the new building, which has risen on Sadovo-Karetnaya Street of the capital, there is a single citywide traffic control center for the unique Start teleautomatic system. Over the past decade, the number of cars and the intensity of traffic on its highways have increased significantly in Moscow. At the same time, from 350 to 450 thousand cars are in motion on them. The main highways of the city, like the Garden Ring, Gorky Street and others, have long been operating at the limit of their capacity.
The Start system will have to solve the problems of organizing traffic, managing vehicle flows, and evenly distributing them along street arteries. With its help, it will be possible to quickly analyze changing road conditions, choose the optimal mode of traffic control with a traffic light.

At the first stage, "Start" is being introduced within the Garden Ring. "Start" is a complex and unique system that currently has no analogues in the world. Automated traffic control in such large cities as Tokyo, London or Washington, is carried out only within the boundaries of a district or one highway, and not the entire city, as it will be in Moscow. Undoubtedly, "Start" will increase the capacity of the capital's highways, reduce the number of traffic accidents and not only increase the efficiency of transport, but also, by reducing traffic delays, beneficial effect on the state of the air basin of the city. This is "Start" - a pioneer of a comprehensive solution to the problem of automatic traffic control. "Start" will reduce traffic delays at intersections by 20-25%, reduce the number of traffic accidents by 8-10%, improve the sanitary condition of urban air, increase the speed of public transport, and reduce noise levels. According to experts, the transfer of vehicles to diesel engines will reduce the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere. The exhaust of a diesel engine contains almost no toxic carbon monoxide, since diesel fuel is burned in it almost completely. In addition, diesel fuel is free of lead tetraethyl, an additive used to increase the octane rating of gasoline burned in modern high-burning carburetor engines.
Diesel is more economical than a carburetor engine by 20-30%. Moreover, the production of 1 liter of diesel fuel requires 2.5 times less energy than the production of the same amount of gasoline. Thus, it turns out, as it were, a double saving of energy resources. This explains the rapid growth in the number of cars running on diesel fuel. In 1976, 25 thousand cars with diesel engines were sold in the USA, and in 1980 - 400 thousand. It is planned to increase the share of diesel cars in the total number of cars produced to 15-20%. The US Environmental Protection Agency predicts that by 1990, 25% of all passenger cars sold in the country will have diesel engines.

Improvement of internal combustion engines. Creation of cars taking into account the requirements of ecology is one of the serious tasks that designers face today. Improving the process of fuel combustion in an internal combustion engine, the use of an electronic ignition system leads to a decrease in the exhaust of harmful substances. To save fuel, various types of ignition are created. Engineers of the Yugoslav association "Electronska Industry" have created an electronic system with a service life of 30 thousand hours. Among other things, it regulates fuel consumption. And one of the British firms used a plasma version, which provides easy ignition of a poor combustible mixture. A car equipped with such a system consumes only 2 liters per 100 kilometers. Other methods of saving have also been developed. The French company Renault is experimenting with car gas generators. The raw materials for them are wood, straw, corn stalks and other plant residues. When the resulting gas is burned in a mixture with diesel fuel, the latter needs 3-4 times less.

The purity of the “breathing” of the machine A lot depends on the carburetor. About 75% of these devices installed on domestic passenger cars are produced in Dimitrovgrad. The creators of the Ozone carburetor were faced with the task of achieving more optimal mixtures in various engine operating modes. This meant reducing fuel consumption and, consequently, reducing the toxicity of exhaust gases.
Since 1979, all cars leaving the VAZ have been equipped with Ozone carburetors. Such carburetors provide current and prospective exhaust gas toxicity standards and provide 10-15% fuel savings over the driving cycle. Production Association "GAZ" (Gorky Automobile Plant) produces a new model of passenger cars "Volga" GAZ-3102. This car is more elegant, more comfortable and more powerful than its predecessor, but the main thing is that it has an engine with a fundamentally new ignition system for the working mixture. This system - pre-chamber ignition - was developed by Soviet specialists on the basis of the phenomenon of high chemical activity of the products of incomplete combustion of a mixture rich in hydrocarbons.

The new method of ignition is called the process of avalanche activation of combustion or, for short, the LAG process. Its essence is that in the main combustion chamber of the gasoline-air mixture thrown out from the auxiliary prechamber, a torch of chemically active products of incomplete combustion of this mixture. The prechamber engine, with its high power, provides high fuel economy and exceptionally low exhaust gas toxicity. Neutralizers. Much attention is paid to the development of a device for reducing toxicity-neutralizers, which can be equipped with modern cars. The method of catalytic conversion of combustion products is that the exhaust gases are cleaned by coming into contact with the catalyst. At the same time, afterburning of the products of incomplete combustion contained in the exhaust of cars takes place. The catalyst is either granules with a size of 2 to 5 mm, on the surface of which an active layer is deposited with additives of noble metals - platinum, palladium, etc., or a honeycomb-type ceramic block with a similar active surface. The design of the neutralizer is very simple. The reactor chamber is enclosed in a metal shell with branch pipes for supplying and discharging gas, which is filled with granules or a ceramic block. The converter is attached to the exhaust pipe, and the gases that have passed through it are released into the atmosphere purified. At the same time, the device can act as a noise suppressor.

In the USSR, the production of a neutralizer for diesel engines has been launched. In 1979, the first Volgas entered the city roads, equipped with an unusual “smoke trap” - catalytic converters, which sharply reduce the toxicity of car exhaust gases. The effect of the use of neutralizers is impressive: in the optimal mode, the emission of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere is reduced by 70-80%, and hydrocarbons by 50-70%. A large number of cars in Moscow work with converters, which allow cleaning the exhaust gases of cars from carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. Specialists of the Scientific Research Automotive and Automotive Institute have developed a device that significantly reduces the content of toxic substances in exhaust gases - "Cascade". In the conditions of urban traffic "Cascade" provides a reduction in fuel consumption by 4-7% and reduces carbon monoxide emissions by 20-40%. "Cascade" can be installed both on vehicles in operation and on newly produced ones.

The most important indicator of the quality of motor gasoline is knock resistance. To increase the octane number, additives are added to the fuel. The simplest method to improve knock resistance is the addition of tetraethyl lead. In most countries, legislative measures have already been adopted or are being developed to limit both the doses of leaded and the volume of consumption of leaded gasolines. In the USSR, the use of leaded gasoline is prohibited in Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv and in some resort centers. The amount of addition of tetraethyl lead is also limited. Before scientists and engineers, the task arose - to extinguish the detonation in other ways. This can be done, say, by depleting the air-fuel mixture, but then the engine did not work well at full power. They added hydrogen to the air-fuel mixtures, it turned out well. But for now, the widespread use of hydrogen requires a lot of preparatory work. There was only one way - to find other, less toxic antiknocks. In search of them, scientists have tried almost all the elements of the periodic table and were forced to admit that few of them can be used for these purposes. For many reasons, manganese compounds turned out to be among the main contenders.

In our country, work related to the creation of antiknock agents based on organoelement compounds of manganese (CTM) is being carried out under the guidance of Academician A.N. Nesmeyanov. An extensive set of engine and operational tests has already been carried out, and the total mileage of cars of various brands on fuels with CHM additives amounted to about 30 million km. It turned out that gasoline with these additives ensures the normal operation of cars in the mileage range of 60-100 thousand km. At the same time, catalytic converters from exhaust gases work flawlessly. And the toxicity of the output remains at the level of conventional gasolines. The composition of exhaust gases can be significantly improved by using various fuel additives. Scientists have developed an additive that reduces the content of soot in exhaust gases by 60-90% and carcinogenic substances by 40%. Recently, the process of catalytic reforming of low-octane gasolines has been widely introduced at the country's oil refineries. The difference between this unit and those operating at other plants lies in the fact that it allows for more efficient refinement of fuel. As a result, unleaded, low toxicity gasolines can be produced. Therefore, they are considered relatively pure. Their use reduces air pollution, increases the service life of automobile engines, and reduces fuel consumption.

Gas instead of petrol. High-octane, compositionally stable gas fuel mixes well with air and is evenly distributed over the engine cylinders, contributing to a more complete combustion of the working mixture. The total emission of toxic substances from cars running on liquefied gas is much less than cars with gasoline engines. Thus, the ZIL-130 truck, converted to gas, has an indicator of toxicity almost 4 times less than its gasoline counterpart. About 10,000 vehicles running on liquefied fuel are operated in Moscow. propanobutane gas. They can be distinguished by the red balloon on the left side. Basically, these are ZIL and GAZ trucks. Passenger cars (taxi) and buses are undergoing trial operation on this type of fuel. In 1981, they began to use compressed natural methane gas in vehicles. It is contained in cylinders under pressure of 200 kg/cm2. The conversion of motor vehicles to natural gas fuel saves gasoline and reduces the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere. Many years of experience in operating vehicles running on liquefied gas in many countries of the world have revealed significant technical, economic, sanitary and hygienic advantages of blue fuel compared to gasoline. When the engine is running on gas, the combustion of the mixture is more complete. And this leads to a decrease in the toxicity of exhaust gases, a decrease in carbon formation and oil consumption, and an increase in engine life. In addition, LPG is cheaper than gasoline.

Electric car. At present, when a car with a gasoline engine has become one of the significant factors leading to environmental pollution, experts are increasingly turning to the idea of ​​creating a "clean" car. We are usually talking about an electric car. In some countries, their mass production begins. Experts are aware that the transfer of all vehicles to electric traction would require an enormous amount of electricity to charge batteries, scarce materials for their manufacture. There is no need for this. After all, for example, personal cars (in the future, mainly tourist) or intercity buses, main road trains, of course, more advanced and economical than the current ones, can also be operated on liquid or gas fuel in the future. In the places of the greatest accumulation of vehicles, in the interests of protecting the environment, it was found expedient to transfer it to electric traction. This will require 15-20 times less energy and other resources and will provide 5-7% fuel savings. The “Guidelines for the economic and social development of the USSR for 1981-1985 and for the period up to 1990” state: “Create designs and begin production of low-tonnage cargo electric vehicles with efficient current sources for intracity transportation.” Currently, five brands of electric vehicles are produced in our country. The electric car of the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant (“UAZ” -451-MI) differs from other models by an alternating current electric propulsion system and a built-in charger. This allows the lead-acid batteries to be recharged directly from the city power grid. The charger is equipped with a current converter that allows the use of a light and low-speed traction motor. Cars of this brand are already used in Moscow to deliver groceries to shops and school canteens. In 1982, the first farm was created in the capital, which included 25 electric trucks. This year has become the date of serial production of electric vehicles in the country. By the end of the eleventh five-year plan, the fleet of such silent vehicles will increase to 400 units. In the interests of protecting the environment, it is considered expedient to transfer vehicles to electric traction, especially in large cities.

Atmospheric air pollution by industrial emissions

Enterprises of the metallurgical, chemical, cement and other industries emit dust, sulfur dioxide and other harmful gases into the atmosphere, which are released during various technological production processes. The ferrous metallurgy of smelting pig iron and processing it into steel is accompanied by the emission of various gases into the atmosphere. Air pollution by dust during coal coking is associated with the preparation of the charge and its loading into coke ovens, with the unloading of coke into quenching cars and with wet quenching of coke. Wet quenching is also accompanied by the release into the atmosphere of substances that are part of the water used. Non-ferrous metallurgy. During the production of metallic aluminum by electrolysis, a significant amount of gaseous and dusty fluorine compounds is released into the atmospheric air with exhaust gases from electrolysis baths. Air emissions from oil and petrochemical industries contain large amounts of hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulfide and foul-smelling gases. The emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere at oil refineries occurs mainly due to insufficient sealing of equipment. For example, atmospheric air pollution with hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulfide is observed from metal tanks of raw stock parks for unstable oil, intermediate and trade parks for light oil products.

The production of cement and building materials can be a source of air pollution with various dusts. The main technological processes of these industries are the processes of grinding and heat treatment of batches, semi-finished products and products in hot gas flows, which is associated with dust emissions into the atmospheric air. The chemical industry includes a large group of enterprises. The composition of their industrial emissions is very diverse. 0 major emissions from chemical industry enterprises are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, ammonia, dust from inorganic industries, organic substances, hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide, chloride compounds, fluorine compounds, etc. Sources of atmospheric air pollution in rural areas are livestock and poultry farms, industrial complexes from the production of meat, enterprises of the regional association "Selkhoztekhnika", energy and thermal power enterprises, pesticides used in agriculture. Ammonia, carbon disulfide and other foul-smelling gases can enter the atmospheric air in the area where the premises for keeping livestock and poultry are located and spread over a considerable distance. The sources of air pollution with pesticides include warehouses, seed treatment and the fields themselves, on which pesticides and mineral fertilizers are applied in one form or another, as well as cotton ginning plants.

Smog (mixture of smoke and fog). In 1952, more than 4 thousand people died from smog in London within 3-4 days. The fog itself is not dangerous to the human body. It becomes harmful only when extremely contaminated with toxic impurities. On December 5, 1952, a zone of high pressure arose over the whole of England, and for several days not the slightest breath was felt. However, the tragedy played out only in London, where there was a high degree of atmospheric pollution. British experts determined that the smog of 1952 contained several hundred tons of smoke and sulfur dioxide. When comparing air pollution in London these days with the level of mortality, it was noted that mortality increases in direct proportion to the concentration of smoke and sulfur dioxide in the air. In 1963, a thick fog with soot and smoke that descended on New York (smog) killed more than 400 people. Scientists believe that every year thousands of deaths in cities around the world are related to air pollution. Smog is observed only in autumn-winter time (from October to February). The main active ingredient is sulfur dioxide at a concentration of 5-10 mg/m3 and above. Influence of atmospheric pollution on the environment and public health. Animals and plants suffer from air pollution. Every time it rains in Athens, along with water, sulfuric acid falls on the city, under the destructive influence of which the Acropolis and its priceless monuments of ancient Greek architecture, built of marble, are destroyed. Over the past 30 years, they have suffered much more damage than in the previous two millennia.

All industrialized countries are affected to some extent by air pollution. But the Greek capital is suffering more than most other major cities in Western Europe. Every year, 150,000 tons of sulfur dioxide are released into the air in the Athens area.
Large environmental pollution is different in the Chinese city of Shanghai. There are almost no gas cleaning equipment in its thousands of factories and plants. Therefore, many millions of tons of coal dust, up to 20 million tons of soot, 15 million tons of sulfur dioxide are emitted into the air every year, pollution of the air basin above it is truly catastrophic. At times, the city is enveloped in such a dense smog that even during the day, cars with headlights on can hardly make their way through its streets. 1.2-2.5 times more sulfur falls on the territory of Northern Sweden and Norway than is emitted into the air from these territories. At the same time, in many industrial countries of Western Europe, in particular in the UK and the Netherlands, the ratio of sulfur precipitation to emissions is only 10-20%, and in Germany, France and Denmark - 20-45%. From here was concluded that in these states much more sulfur is emitted into the atmospheric air than falls on their territory, and, consequently, the rest is carried by air flows to neighboring countries, in particular to Scandinavia. The danger of emissions of sulfur compounds lies primarily in their mass character, toxicity and relatively long searches "lifetime".

The “life span” of sulfur dioxide itself in the atmosphere is relatively short (from two to three weeks if the air is relatively dry and clean, to several hours if the air is humid and contains ammonia or some other impurities). It, dissolving in drops of atmospheric moisture, oxidizes as a result of catalytic, photochemical and other reactions and forms a solution of sulfuric acid. The aggressiveness of emissions increases even more. Ultimately, airborne sulfur compounds are converted into the form of sulfates. Their transport mainly occurs at an altitude of 750 to 1500 m, where the average speeds are close to 10 m/s, and the range of sulfur dioxide transport extends up to 300-400 km. At the same distance from the emission source, the maximum concentration of the sulfuric acid solution is observed in the transfer jet. It is also found at a distance of up to 1000-1500 km, where its transition to the form of sulfates is basically completed. The process described above is only a simplified scheme that does not take into account the possibility of leaching of sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid along the path of transfer by raindrops, as well as their absorption by vegetation, soil, surface and sea waters, the impact of sulfur dioxide and its derivatives on humans and animals is manifested primarily in upper respiratory tract injury. Under the influence of sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid, chlorophyll is destroyed in the leaves of plants, and therefore photosynthesis and respiration deteriorate, growth slows down, the quality of tree plantations and crop yields decrease, and at higher and prolonged doses of exposure, vegetation dies. The so-called "acid" rains cause an increase in soil acidity, which reduces the effectiveness of the applied mineral fertilizers on arable land, leads to the loss of the most valuable part of the species composition of grasses on long-term cultivated hayfields and pastures. Soddy-podzolic and peat soils, which are widespread in the northern part of Europe, are especially susceptible to the influence of acid precipitation. In neutral water, the concentration of hydrogen ions (pH) is 7. If the instruments show a number less than seven, the water is acidic, more alkaline] Figure 15 shows sensitivity of aquatic organisms to a decrease in pH in fresh waters. The presence of sulfur compounds in the air accelerates the processes of corrosion of metals, the destruction of buildings, structures, historical and cultural monuments, and worsens the quality of industrial products and materials. It has been established, for example, that in industrial areas steel rusts in 20, and aluminum is destroyed 100 times faster than in rural areas.

Given that the use of solid fuels, in particular brown coal (characterized by a high sulfur content), according to fuel and energy forecasts, tends to further steady growth for the entire foreseeable period, a corresponding increase in sulfur dioxide emissions should be foreseen, in any case, until methods and means of extracting sulfur and its compounds from fuel or exhaust gases are implemented on the required scale. Air pollution not only poses a threat to human health, but also causes great economic damage Poisonous substances in the air Com- United States of America poison livestock in Florida, discolor paint on house walls and car bodies in Lincoln, Maine, kill pine trees 60 miles from Los Angeles, orchards in Texas and Illinois, and spinach in southern California. Air pollution costs Americans billions of dollars every year. According to estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency, the economic losses from death and disease due to air pollution in the United States amount to 6 billion dollars annually. This figure also includes the cost of disability, as well as the cost of related medical care.

Protection of atmospheric air from pollution

The Party and government are constantly concerned about the protection of the environment, since this problem is inextricably linked with improving the health, prolonging the life and working capacity of the Soviet people. [In recent years, many advanced technological processes, thousands of gas-cleaning and dust-collecting devices and installations have been put into operation at enterprises in various industries, which drastically reduce or eliminate emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. A program of transferring enterprises and boiler houses to natural gas is being carried out on a large scale. Dozens of enterprises and workshops with dangerous sources of air pollution have been withdrawn from cities. All this has led to the fact that in most industrial centers and settlements of the country the level of pollution has noticeably decreased. The number of industrial enterprises equipped with the latest and most expensive gas cleaning equipment is also growing. In the Soviet Union, for the first time in the world, they began to ration maximum allowable concentrations harmful substances in the environment. Of course, it would be better to ban polluting the atmosphere altogether, but with the current level of technological processes, this is still impossible. The world's most stringent maximum allowable concentrations of harmful substances in the atmosphere have been introduced in the USSR.
Hygienists proceed from the fact that the maximum permissible concentrations of these substances in the air will not have a negative impact on humans and nature.

Hygiene standards are a state requirement for business leaders. Their implementation is monitored by the bodies of state sanitary supervision of the Ministry of Health of the USSR, the State Committee for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control. In 1980, Belarus completed a large and important work on the inventory of sources of emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. The results of the inventory are the basis for the development of standards for maximum permissible emissions at each industrial enterprise. Events held allowed to reduce or stabilize air pollution in many cities of the republic. Maximum allowable emissions are set necessarily taking into account the maximum allowable concentrations.
Sanitary supervision of air purity is one of the important elements of the system for the protection of atmospheric air from pollution.
The functions of state sanitary supervision are defined by the Fundamentals of the Legislation of the USSR and Union Republics on Public Health (1970) and the Regulations on State Sanitary Supervision in the USSR.

Of great importance for the sanitary protection of atmospheric air are the identification of new sources of air pollution, accounting for those being designed, under construction and reconstructed objects polluting the atmosphere, control over the development and implementation of master plans for cities, towns and industrial centers regarding the location of industrial enterprises and sanitary protection zones.
The Sanitary and Epidemiological Service supervises new construction and reconstruction of industrial facilities, the design and construction of gas and dust treatment facilities at operating enterprises, and checks design institutes. Supervision of changes in the technological profile of enterprises. Our country is consistently taking extensive measures to protect the environment. Since January 1981, the Law on the Protection of Atmospheric Air came into force; another real embodiment of the policy of the party and the state in this area. It comprehensively covers an important universal problem, systematizing legal norms that have stood the test of time. The law first of all expressed in a more qualified way those requirements that were developed in previous years and justified themselves in practice. This includes, in particular, the rules on the prohibition of the commissioning of any production facilities - newly created or reconstructed, if they become sources of pollution or other negative impacts on the atmospheric air during operation (Article 13). The rules on the regulation of maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) of pollutants in the atmospheric air are preserved and are being further developed.

At the same time, the law contains a lot of new things. First of all, it should be emphasized that while maintaining the principles of regulation of maximum permissible concentrations of pollutants, their scope is expanding: - MPCs will continue to operate not only in the territory of settlements, as it was before, but throughout the entire territory of the USSR. Significantly new is the provision provided for in Article 10 on the regulation of maximum allowable emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere by stationary and mobile sources of pollution. This means that for each point of release, say each pipe, a permit will be issued (or not issued) by the competent state authorities, which provides for limits on the amount of pollutants emitted per unit of time. And if this rate specified in the emission permit, will be violated, then the created situation, of course, will be considered as an offense with all the ensuing consequences. Such a formulation of the question fully meets the interests of people, the requirements of environmental protection. But in order to strictly comply with these standards, it is necessary to know exactly the composition and amount of harmful substances emitted by each enterprise, each boiler house, each car. First of all, it is planned to conduct an inventory of emission sources, determine the composition and amount of harmful substances, their concentration in the air, soil, snow cover, and establish the boundaries of distribution.

Until now, the legislation, as is known, proceeds from the need to protect the atmospheric air mainly from pollution and only within the boundaries of settlements. However, this concept has ceased to meet the needs of practice. In modern conditions, the atmosphere needs to be protected not only from pollution, although this continues to be the main problem, but also from other types of negative impact of society, as a result of which uncomfortable living conditions for people on Earth can occur. That is why the articles contained in the law on regulating the impact on the weather and climate (Article 20), on regulating the consumption of atmospheric air for industrial and other national economic needs (Article 19), on preventing, reducing and eliminating harmful effects on the atmosphere of physical factors (Article 18), etc. So far, deliberate human impact on the weather is usually limited to the destruction of hail clouds and attempts to artificially cause rain in the desired area. But even these attempts require great caution, because the destruction of a hail cloud in one place can cause a catastrophic downpour in another. The wider use of weather modifications is fraught with the danger of other unforeseen consequences today. Considering these circumstances, the law provides for a permissive procedure for artificial changes in the state of the atmosphere and atmospheric phenomena.

Should emphasize the novelty of the rule contained in article 14 of the law: to prohibit the introduction into practice of discoveries, inventions, rationalization proposals and new technical systems, as well as the acquisition abroad, commissioning and use of technological processes, equipment and other objects if they do not meet the requirements established in the USSR for air protection. It is necessary to take into account the requirements of the law on the protection of atmospheric air when using plant protection products, mineral fertilizers and other preparations. It is easy to see that all these legislative measures constitute a preventive system aimed primarily at preventing air pollution. The law provides not only control over its requirements, but also measures of responsibility for their violation. A special article of the law defines the role of public organizations and citizens in the implementation of measures to protect the air environment, obliging them to actively assist state bodies in these matters. It cannot be otherwise, because only broad public participation will make it possible to implement the provisions of the law. It is no coincidence that Article 7 obliges state bodies to take into account in every possible way the proposals of public organizations and citizens aimed at protecting the atmosphere.

It is difficult to overestimate the educational value of the new law. Like other laws in force in our country, it develops in every citizen a respectful, caring attitude towards the environment, teaches us all the appropriate behavior. Purification of emissions into the atmosphere. Gas cleaning technology has a variety of methods and apparatus for removing dust and harmful gases. The choice of a method for purifying gaseous impurities is determined primarily by the chemical and physicochemical properties of this impurity. The nature of production has a great influence on the choice of method: the properties of the substances available in the production, their suitability as gas absorbers, the possibility of recovery (capture and use of waste products) or utilization of the captured products. To purify gases from sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, their neutralization with an alkali solution is used. The result is salt and water.
To purify gases from minor concentrations of impurities (no more than 1% by volume), direct-flow compact absorption apparatuses are used. Along with liquid absorbent- for purification, as well as for drying (dehydration) of gases, solid absorbers can be used. These include various brands of active carbons, silica gel, alumogel, zeolites. Recently, ion exchangers have been used to remove gases with polar molecules from a gas stream. Gas purification processes with adsorbents are carried out in batch or continuous adsorbers.

Dry and wet oxidation processes, as well as catalytic conversion processes, can be used to purify the gas stream, in particular, catalytic oxidation is used to neutralize sulfur-containing gases of sulphate pulp production (gases from the cooking and evaporation shops, etc.). This process is carried out at a temperature of 500-600 ° C on a catalyst, which includes oxides of aluminum, copper, vanadium and other metals. Organosulfur substances and hydrogen sulfide are oxidized to a less harmful compound - sulfur dioxide(MPC for sulfur dioxide 0.5 mg/m3, and for hydrogen sulfide 0.078 mg/m3). The Kiev plant "Khimvolokno" has a unique integrated system for cleaning ventilation emissions from viscose production. This is a complex set of mechanisms, compressor units, pipelines, huge absorption tanks. Every day, 6 million m3 of exhaust air passes through the machine "lungs", and not only cleaning, but also regeneration is carried out. Until now, a significant part of carbon disulphide has been emitted into the atmosphere in the viscose production of the plant. The cleaning system allows not only to protect the environment from pollution, but also to save valuable material.

Electrostatic precipitators are widely used to remove dust from thermal power plant emissions. and reliability.The last sample is designed for a capacity of more than a million cubic meters of gas per hour, which is used as a raw material for the production of building materials. to ensure the comprehensive processing of primary raw materials and industrial waste dumps, to obtain additional products and thereby increase the efficiency of the national economy. Enormous funds are spent on the protection of atmospheric air. The cost of treatment facilities of many enterprises reaches a third of the fixed production assets, and in some cases - 40-50%. In the future, these costs will increase even more. What is the way out? He is. It is necessary to look for such ways of developing industry and achieving a clean atmosphere that would not exclude each other and would not cause an increase in the cost of treatment facilities. One of these ways is transition to a fundamentally new waste-free production technology, to the integrated use of raw materials. The technology of non-waste production is a new stage in the development of the scientific and technological revolution. Modern science and technology provide opportunities for overcoming the contradictions that arise between outdated production methods and the desire to free the natural environment from harmful influences.

Plants and factories based on waste-free technology are, in general, the industry of the future. But even now such enterprises exist, for example, in the light and food industries. There are a number of enterprises and low-waste production. The Orenburg gas field began to produce by-products - hundreds of thousands of tons of sulfur. At the Kirovkansky chemical plant named after Myasnik, the emission of mercury gases into the atmosphere has been stopped. They are re-introduced into the technological cycle as a cheap raw material for the production of ammonia and urea. Together with them, the most harmful substance, carbon dioxide, which makes up 60% of all plant emissions, no longer enters the air pool.
Enterprises for the integrated use of raw materials provide society with enormous benefits: the efficiency of capital investments is sharply increased and the costs of building expensive treatment facilities are just as sharply reduced. After all, the complete processing of raw materials at one enterprise is always cheaper than obtaining the same products at different ones. And waste-free technology eliminates the danger of environmental pollution. The use of natural resources becomes rational, reasonable. The history of the ancient world tells us about fire worshipers who prayed to the flame. Metallurgists can also be called "fire worshipers". Pyrometallurgy (from the ancient Greek "feast" - fire), which is based on the effect of high temperatures on ores and concentrates, leads to atmospheric pollution and often does not allow the integrated use of raw materials. In our country, a lot is being done to reduce the risk of environmental pollution by waste from traditional metallurgical industries, and here the future lies with fundamentally new solutions.

On the iron ores of the Kursk magnetic anomaly, the Oskolsny electrometallurgical plant is being built - the first domestic enterprise of coke-free metallurgy. With this method of production, harmful emissions into the atmosphere are sharply reduced, and new prospects for obtaining high-quality steels open up. The Oskol Electrometallurgical Plant will use a new technological scheme for the domestic ferrous metallurgy: metallization-electric smelting. Calcined pellets obtained from rich iron ore concentrates are metallized in twelve shaft furnaces (Fig. 18), in which iron oxides are reduced by a gas heated to 850 ° C - a mixture of CO and H2. Since it is possible to do without pig iron for the smelting of high-quality steel, it means that the blast-furnace process with its expensive and bulky equipment, which pollutes the atmospheric air, becomes unnecessary. The new technology has another important advantage: the direct in-line reduction of iron makes it possible to dispense with coke. And this means that the development of metallurgy will not be hindered by the reduction of coking coal reserves. The problem of waste is not only that the biosphere is polluted, but also that raw materials are used in an uncomplex way. Only at the Ural enterprises of non-ferrous metallurgy during the smelting of copper from copper-zinc concentrates with waste slag and dust, 70 thousand tons of zinc are lost annually. In addition to zinc, the ore contains sulfur and iron. By the way, 50-60% of the cost of many copper ores falls on sulfur and another 10-12% on iron.

The KIVCET unit operates at the Irtysh Polymetallic Combine named after the 50th anniversary of the Kazakh SSR. Behind this name is fundamentally new process for obtaining non-ferrous metals- oxygen-weighted cyclone-electrothermal melting. The purpose of the process is to combine in one unit all operations from ore preparation, to the output of finished metal, using sulfur, previously released into the atmosphere, as fuel. The most difficult thing is to move away from tradition, to overcome the inertia of thinking. Non-ferrous metallurgy has existed for eight thousand years. From time immemorial, proven technological processes that have already become canonical have come to us. It was unthinkable to imagine a plant without gloomy "umbrellas" of poisonous smoke. The main "participants" of the new process are oxygen and electricity. Accordingly, the unit itself consists of two zones. In the first, ore preparation and smelting takes place. The fuel here, instead of coke, is sulfur contained in the ore itself. It burns completely in oxygen, releasing a large amount of heat. And then the melt enters the second zone and flows between the electrodes, breaking up into its constituent parts. Some metals, zinc for example, evaporate and then condense in their pure form, others are released directly into the ladle. KIVCET allows you to extract from the ore literally everything that is in it. So, not only such traditional metals as copper, lead, zinc, but also cadmium and rare metals are obtained from raw materials at the plant.

So far, with the help of KIVCET, the same copper is obtained as in shaft furnaces. Metal needs additional processing. In the future, it is planned to "train" the unit to smelt pure copper. KIVCET is patented in the USA, Germany, France and others - in 18 countries. Metallurgists are attracted to it not only by ease of handling and maintenance, not only by the ability to automate the complex and laborious process of smelting metal, not only by the absence of harmful emissions, but, first of all, by its unpretentiousness: after all, it is capable of processing raw materials that were previously considered junk - with a metal content 6-7 times lower than normal. No other technology will take such raw materials. Moreover, it also has much less metal waste in the slag than in a conventional process. In November 1979, a high-level pan-European conference on cooperation in the field of environmental protection was held in Geneva. Almost all European states, as well as the USA and Canada, are represented on it. The meeting adopted a Declaration on low-waste and waste-free technology and waste management.

The Declaration emphasizes the need to protect man and his environment and to use resources rationally by encouraging the development of low-waste and zero-waste technology and the use of waste. The reduction of waste and emissions of pollutants and in various production cycles is planned through the use of improved industrial processes in the creation of new or refurbishment of existing production facilities, creating products with special attention to the requirements of increasing their durability, facilitating repair and reuse when possible. Of great importance are the regeneration and use of waste, their transformation into a useful product, in particular, by extracting valuable substances and materials from waste gases, better using the energy contained in waste and residual products. It is important to reuse more waste as secondary raw materials in other manufacturing processes. The rational use of raw materials in production processes and throughout the entire life cycle of products, the replacement of depleting types of raw materials with other available types, is recommended. It is necessary to rationally use energy resources in the process of production and consumption of energy and, in the case of practical feasibility, the use of waste heat. Much attention is paid to the evaluation of industrial scale application of low-waste and zero-waste technology in order to optimize the use of raw materials and energy, including the possibility of recovery, recycling and economic efficiency, taking into account environmental and social impacts.

To create non-waste industrial production throughout the country, it is necessary to develop scientific and technical foundations for planning and designing regional territorial-industrial complexes, in which the waste of some enterprises could serve as raw materials for others. The introduction of such complexes will inevitably require a restructuring of ties between enterprises and sectors of the national economy, and high costs. However, all this will eventually pay off handsomely, as the industry will receive a huge influx of previously unused raw materials and materials, not to mention how much cleaner and harmless our environment will become. Sanitary protection zones. Enterprises, their individual buildings and structures with technological processes that are sources of emission of harmful and unpleasantly smelling substances into the atmospheric air, separated from residential area sanitary protection zones. The size of the sanitary protection zone up to the boundary of residential development is established: a) for enterprises with technological processes that are sources of atmospheric air pollution with harmful and unpleasant smelling substances - directly from sources of air pollution with concentrated (through pipes, mines) or dispersed emissions (through lanterns of buildings, etc.), as well as from places of loading of raw materials or open warehouses; b) for thermal power plants, industrial and heating boiler houses - from chimneys. In accordance with the sanitary classification of enterprises, industries and facilities, the following sizes of sanitary protection zones for enterprises are established:

Transfer of heating systems to gas. Of great importance for the improvement of the air basin is the transfer of urban heating systems to gas fuel. In 1980, 185 million Soviet people used gas in their everyday life. It produces 87% of steel, over 60% of cement. Every third state district power plant or thermal power plant runs on gas. It also provides up to 90% of the fertilizers produced in the country.
The Soviet Union quickly became one of the largest gas producing countries in the world. If in 1955 the USSR produced only 9 billion m3 of gas. In 1980, more than 435 billion m3 of gas had already been produced. The task set for 1985 was to increase the level of its production to 600-640 billion m3. The role of the gas industry in improving the atmosphere of cities by replacing coal and oil products with natural gas is well known. It has been established that if the level of atmospheric air pollution when using coal is taken as a unit, then the combustion of fuel oil will give 0.6, and the use of natural gas reduces this value to 0.2. The creation in the USSR of the Unified Gas Supply System of the country made it possible to solve the problem of protecting the atmosphere of cities. At present, over 140,000 cities and towns in the USSR receive natural gas. And not without reason, according to experts from many foreign countries, the air basin of the cities of our country is the cleanest.

Extinguishing torches in the oil-producing regions of our country is one of the serious environmental tasks. Burning in a torch the most valuable raw material for the chemical industry - associated petroleum gas And, of course, the atmosphere is polluted. Associated petroleum gas can be used to produce gasoline, polyethylene, synthetic rubber, resins, and fuel. In Nizhnevartovsk, near the famous Samotlor, an oil and gas refinery was built. The company produces its products - dry gas and the so-called broad fraction or unstable gasoline. From Nizhnevartovsk to Surgut and Kuzbass, millions of cubic meters of blue fuel are sent daily via the Trans-Siberian gas pipeline. Gasoline is supplied by rail to the petrochemical enterprises of the country. The capital of Samotlor-Nizhnevartovsk-became a major center for the processing of associated gas. At one site, there are already four technological stages, each of which is, in fact, an independent plant. They are able to process 8 billion m3 of valuable raw materials. The domestic oil industry has never had such an impressive complex. At the Samotlor field, the level of associated gas utilization is 70%. Processing volumes are growing. The largest factory- Belozerny, whose capacity is 4 billion m3 of gas per year. Surgutskaya GRES uses associated petroleum gas as fuel. Efficient fuel combustion. With the help of rational combustion of fuel, it is possible to achieve a reduction in emissions into the atmosphere. Thus, scientists from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute have developed a special device in the furnaces of steam generators for the efficient combustion of various types of fuel.

The new scheme creates such an aerodynamic environment in the furnace that flue gases enter the most active flame zone. Depending on the layout of the burners, two modes can be created - full or partial intersection of the air-fuel jets. In the first case, when liquid or gaseous fuel is burned, 70-80% of inert impurities enter the core. As a result, the formation of sulfuric anhydride and 50-60% nitrogen oxides are reduced by 30-40%. The second mode is designed for the optimal concentration of low-reactivity fuels in the combustion core. At the same time, the emission of harmful oxides is reduced by 20-30%. Savings from the introduction of new combustion schemes amount to approximately 2 thousand tons of fuel equivalent per unit per year. It has been established that fuel oil contains much less nitrogen than solid fuel, while natural gas, as a rule, does not contain it at all. So when burning these types of fuel faced with such a peculiar phenomenon: the main amount of oxides is formed from nitrogen, which is contained in the air used to support combustion. How can these emissions be reduced? The formation of nitrogen oxides can be limited if only the minimum amount of air necessary for combustion is supplied to the boiler furnace and at the same time a part of the flue gases leaving the boiler is returned. This will reduce the oxygen concentration in the furnace and the flame temperature, which will eventually slow down the nitrogen oxidation reaction.

By implementing this encouraging technical idea, boiler builders designed and organized the production of oil-fired boilers with different-density panels made of finned tubes. They are equipped with specially designed unified burners and steam-mechanical nozzles, which provide almost complete fuel burnout in the entire range of operating loads. Supply by enterprises of this equipment to TPPs reduced emissions into the atmosphere, both nitrogen oxides and soot particles. At the same time, the efficiency and reliability of the equipment have increased. Emission through high pipes. Chimneys are built at thermal power plants and metallurgical plants. The chimney has two purposes: the first is to create draft and thereby force air, an obligatory participant in the combustion process, to enter the furnace in the right amount and at the right speed;

the second is to remove combustion products - harmful gases and solid particles present in the smoke - into the upper layers of the atmosphere. Due to the continuous turbulent movement, harmful gases and solid particles are carried away from their source and dispersed.
With the introduction of requirements for the regulation of the content of harmful substances in the atmospheric air, it became necessary to determine by calculation the degree of dilution of harmful substances entering the atmosphere from organized emission sources. These data are used to compare the calculated concentrations of harmful substances in the surface layer with the maximum allowable concentrations of these substances. For dispersing sulfur dioxide contained in the flue gases of thermal power plants, chimneys 180, 250 and even 320 m high are currently being built. A 250 m high pipe increases the dispersion radius to 75 km. In the immediate vicinity of the chimney, a so-called shadow zone is created, into which harmful substances do not enter at all.

Air pollution control

Great importance has laboratory control over the state of atmospheric air in populated areas. Sanitary and epidemiological stations of the Ministry of Health of the USSR at stationary points determine diffuse air pollution, monitor the territory of industrial enterprises and around them, study the zonal distribution of emissions, master and put into practice new methods for determining various ingredients. Station employees summarize the results laboratory research of the atmosphere for their use in practical work, publish monthly bulletins on the state of the air environment of cities together with the local bodies of the State Hydrometeorological Committee. The USSR State Committee for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control (Goskomgidromet) and its local bodies have been granted the right to check compliance with the norms and rules for the protection of atmospheric air by enterprises, institutions, organizations, construction sites and other objects, regardless of their departmental subordination, as well as in case of violation make suggestions stop existing production facilities. In the largest cities, air pollution observations are carried out simultaneously at several points. The Air Pollution Monitoring Network has more than a thousand stationary and 500 route posts of systematic observations, as well as under-flame observations, the points of which are selected depending on the direction of the wind and other factors. It solves both operational and prognostic problems of assessing air pollution with harmful substances. The programs include daily three-time sampling for the main pollutants: dust, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, as well as those specific for the industrial enterprises of the city.

The forecasting of high levels of atmospheric air pollution has also received further development. Forecasts are made for 122 cities. In accordance with them, more than a thousand large enterprises are taking prompt measures to reduce harmful emissions. The new duty of the State Committee for Hydrometeorology is to identify such sources and supervise compliance with permissible emission standards.
Officials of the committee are allowed to visit and monitor industrial enterprises, as well as to impose appropriate sanctions. The Mukachevo Plant of Complete Laboratories produces a control and measuring complex for the study of atmospheric pollution "Post-1". This is a stationary laboratory. Its services are used by the hydrometeorological service, sanitary and epidemiological stations, and industrial enterprises. It works effectively in many cities of the country. The complex is equipped automatic analyzers for continuous recording of air pollution, has equipment for air sampling, which are analyzed in the laboratory. In addition, it also performs purely meteorological functions: it measures wind speed and direction, air temperature and humidity, and atmospheric pressure. In 1982, the plant mastered the production of the Vozdukh-1 station. The purpose of the station is the same, but it takes almost 8 times more samples. Consequently, the objectivity of the overall assessment of the state of the air basin within the radius of the station also increases. The Automatic Atmosphere Station assumes the functions of an observation post of the Automated System for Observing and Controlling the State of the Atmosphere (ANCOS-A). These systems are the future.

The first stage of the ANKOS-A experimental system is operating in Moscow. In addition to meteorological parameters (wind direction and speed), they measure the content of carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide in the air. A new modification of the ANKOS-A station has been created, which determines (in addition to the above parameters) the content of the sum of hydrocarbons, ozone and nitrogen oxides. Information from automatic sensors will immediately go to the dispatch center, and the computer will process messages from the field in a matter of seconds. They will be used to compile a kind of map of the state of the urban air basin. And one more advantage of the automated system: it will not only control, but also make it possible to scientifically predict the state of the atmosphere in certain areas of the city. A z Importance of timely and accurate forecast great. Until now, pollution has been fixed, thereby helping to eliminate them. The forecast will improve preventive work and avoid atmospheric pollution. Keeping the air clean is a very difficult task. And above all, because remote research methods are needed.

The first attempts to use a light beam to study the atmosphere date back to the beginning of the 20th century, when a powerful searchlight was used for this purpose. With the help of projector sounding, interesting information about the structure of the earth's atmosphere was subsequently obtained. However, only the appearance of fundamentally new light sources - lasers - made it possible to use the known phenomena of the interaction of optical waves with the air medium to study its properties. What are these phenomena? First of all, they include aerosol scattering. Propagating through the earth's atmosphere, a laser beam intensively dispersed by aerosols-solid particles, drops and crystals of clouds or mists. At the same time, the laser beam is also scattered due to fluctuations in air density. This type of scattering is called molecular or Rayleigh, in honor of the English physicist John Rayleigh, who established the laws of light scattering. In the light scattering spectrum, in addition to the lines characterizing the incident light, additional lines are observed accompanying each of the lines of the incident radiation. The difference in the frequencies of the primary and additional lines is typical for each light-scattering gas. For example, by sending a green laser beam into the atmosphere, information about nitrogen can be obtained by determining the properties of the resulting red radiation. Let us dwell on the fundamental device of a laser locator-lidar-device that uses a laser to probe the atmosphere. Lidar in its device resembles a radar, a radar. The radar antenna receives radio emission reflected, for example, from a flying aircraft. And the lidar antenna can receive light laser radiation reflected not only from the aircraft, but also from the contrail that occurs behind the aircraft. Only the lidar antenna is a light receiver-mirror, a telescope or a camera lens, in the focus of which is a photodetector of light radiation.

The laser pulse is radiated into the atmosphere. The duration of the laser pulse is negligible (in lidars, lasers with a pulse duration of 30 billionths of a second are often used). It means; that the spatial extent of such a pulse is 4.5 m. The laser beam, unlike the rays of other light sources, expands slightly as it propagates in the atmosphere. Therefore, a luminous probe - a laser pulse at each moment of time - informs about everything that has met on its way. Information arrives almost instantly at the lidar antenna - the speed of the laser probe is equal to the speed of light. For example, less than a thousandth of a second will pass from the moment of a laser flash to the registration of a signal returned from a height of 100 km. Imagine that there is a cloud in the path of the laser beam. Due increased concentration particles in the cloud, the number of light photons scattered back to the lidar will increase. When working with a cathode beam device, the operator will observe a characteristic pulse, similar to the pulse from the target during a radar survey. However, the cloud is a diffuse target with water droplets or ice crystals distributed in space. The distance to the first signal determines the values ​​of the cloud base, subsequent signals indicate the thickness of the cloud and its structure. Based on the known regularities, it is possible to determine the distribution of water from the scattering signal of laser radiation, to obtain information about the crystals in the cloud. In the future, lidar technology has been intensively developed. Modern lidars make it possible to detect accumulations of particles at an altitude of 100 km or more, and to monitor the temporal variability of aerosol layers.

One of most promising applications lidars is to determine the pollution of the air basin of cities. Lidars make it possible to determine the gas composition directly in emission plumes, on highways, as emission sources are removed. The sensitivity of measurements carried out using the developed methods is high. It was possible to measure the concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, ethylene, carbon monoxide, ammonia on surface routes hundreds of meters-kilometers long. If you select several reference points for installing the lidar, you can explore an area of ​​tens of square kilometers. Having obtained maps of pollution in this way, urban planners analyze them and use the results in design work. What are the possibilities of laser location? Viewing maps gives an objective picture of urban air quality. Zones of high concentrations and trends in their distribution depending on specific meteorological factors are identified. Comparing the maps of air pollution with the layouts of industrial enterprises, it is easy to determine the contribution of each of them. Based on these data, specific measures are being developed aimed at improving the air basin. In the future, it is possible to create an automated system for monitoring the quality of the city's atmosphere.