Oil Spills: Causes, Effects and Control.

Hey guys, first of all, I apologize for the long absence. I got caught up in the euphoria of having my graduation from Middlesex University recently and all the excitement. I have always wanted to blog about oil spills though and here you go.
You guys must have heard of the most recent oil spill disaster of British Petroleum at the gulf of Mexico which has been referred to as one of the largest accidental marine oil spills in the history of the Petroleum Industry by analysts. I'll try to discuss the causes and effects of oil spills as well as options for a reduction in its occurrence and control.

Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Source: Boston.com

Oil spill is a type of pollution that occurs mostly on water as well as on land and can have devastating effects on plant and animal life, and the environment. It occurs mainly as a result of human activity (exploration and transport of oil) and is the release of oil/liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the aquatic environment such as oceans and coastal waters and on land. Spills may occur of crude oil (unrefined oil) from tankers, oil rigs and platforms and oil wells as well as during the transport of the refined petroleum product in vessels and tankers.  
Illegal waste oil dumping into oceans by organisations who do not want to invest in the cost of degrading their waste oils also contributes to increasing oil spills. Natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes can also contribute to oil spills from oil rigs and wells as well as during transport in vessels and tankers. In a country like Nigeria where there is illegal oil bunkering by militants, oil spills occur quite frequently and are a major environmental challenge.

The recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill flowed undiminished for three months in 2010 due to an explosion of Deepwater Horizon drillin rig that was operated by British Petroleum. The explosion killed 11 workers and injured 16 others; another 99 people survived without serious physical injury. The effect of the explosion was that the Deepwater Horizon began to sink which started the offshore (away/at a distance from the land surrounding the ocean) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico aand which has been reffered to as the seconf largest environmental disaster in the US.

Effects of Oil spills

A bird covered in oil from an oil spill. 

Oil spills largely affect the plumage of birds and fur of mammals by penetrating it and thereby affecting its insulation abilities thereby making them less able to adapt to temperature fluctuations and less buoyant in water. Mammals get hypothermia, which is a reduction in body temperature which may lead to death of both birds and mammals. Oil may reach the mammals liver or lungs poisoning it. Oils may also blind certain animals which reduces their ability to avoid predators and they may this be killed, which can lead to that animal specie being endangered.
When sea birds are covered in oil slick, they become heavy and may find it difficult to fly. The birds then attempt to clean themselves by eating the oil slicks from their plumage which leads to irritation of their digestive tract, altering their liver function, causing kidney damage and eventually leads to death.
Killer whales are also poisoned when they feed on fish that that has swam through the oil. The oil poisons them, and eventually they die. Sometimes, the oil blocks their blowhole (the holes through which they breath) and they die. This has led to killer whales being endangered species.
Plankton, larval fish, seaweed, oysters and bottom dwelling organisms are strongly affected by oil spills because sunlight cannot penetrate through the oil slick to the bottom of the ocean and therefore affects producers. When microscopic plants cannot photosynthesize and manufacture their food, they cannot release oxygen for the bottom dwelling aquatic organisms which leads to their death. When these organisms die, fishes cannot feed on them so they die as well, humans that have fish farming as a means of livelihood have their livelihoods denied them and may have to relocate. The biodiversity of a place where a spill has occurred is greatly affected.

Control of Oil spills
Oil spills occur largely because there is a need/demand for oil has a source of energy. Oil is used in one way or another in our day to day activities. We use oil to fuel our cars/trucks/buses and so on as well as to heat/light up our homes. Oil is used extensively in industries to power large machinery and equipment. Oil is used to tar roads, make plastics, used in inks, paints etc. If less oil is used, there will be a lesser demand on the refining and transport of oil which will lead to less oil spills. If you will walk or ride a bike for short distances, less oil is consumed. If you will turn off your electronic equipment when not in use, less electricity is consumed and less oil is used. In this way, little oil saving measures add up and impact on the demand for oil and can lead lesser spillages.

Oils spill clean ups can be carried out using a variety of approaches, depending on the type of oil spilled, layout of the spill area, the temperature of the water (which affects evaporation and bio degradation)etc.
Some bacteria such as Sulfate reducing bacteria which are anaerobic (can survive without oxygen) can be used to clean up oil spills are they are oil consuming bacteria. This is called a bio-remediation approach because it entails the use of micro organisms to biodegrade/eat up the oils.

Controlled burning at the Gulf of Mexico oil spill site. Source: usgs.gov

Controlled burning is also another approach that has been used to clear out oil spillages but it brings about air pollution issues.
Bio-remediation accelerator is another approach which entails using chemicals to chemically and physically bond the hydrocarbon oil molecules. What this does is to cause the oil molecules to aggregate and float towards the surface of the water column. Undetected hydrocarbon molecules can be aggregated in this way. The accelerator creates a bloom of indigenous hydrocarbon consuming bacteria that bio degrade the hydrocarbon into water and carbon dioxide. Other times the oil can be separated from the water and burnt, but like i said, this creates air pollution issues.

Dispersal agents have been used on oil spills as well, this prevents the oil suspension from forming clumps or settling, thereby rapidly dispersing the oil over a large surface area from which water soluble micelles are formed and are rapidly diluted. The downside of this approach is its toxicity to fishes. several other methods employed include dredging; when the degree of spill is not extensive, skimming and solidifying. Solidifying entails using hydrophobic (having little affinity for water) polymers to clean up spills. Solidifiers change the physical state of the oil droplets into more solid/semi-solid substances and thus can be quite easily separated from the water column and removed. They have been tested to be non toxic to aquatic organisms as well.
The use of a centrifuge has been commonly employed and works by sucking up oil and water after which the oil is separated from the water and the water pumped back into the ocean. The separated oil is then broken down / biodegraded in special treatment plants. The downside of this approach is that some oil may be pumped back into the ocean along with the water.
Finally, and thus may shock you, the best approach may be to do nothing and let nature take its course. This is actually a remediation approach and is regarded to as natural attenuation. This is particularly ideal in certain ecologically sensitive areas where the use of micro organisms may significantly affect the balance and biodiversity of the environment, such a wetlands.

Preventing Oil spills.
In the United States, Congress passed the Ocean Pollution Act in 1990 which laws include:

1. Emergency response plans. This entails that oil transporters/tankers have detailed written plans on what actions they will take if a spill occurs. This plans must have been written out before transporting oil
2. Double hulls: The law states that all ships transporting hulls must have double hulls before 2015. Double hulls reduce the possibility of oil spills during transport by 60% has compared to single hull ships.
3. Spill funds: This law specifies that Oil companies pay certain amounts to the government so that in case of a spill, The government can pay for a clean up.
4. Navigation: The law states that the Coast Guard (they protect the United State's water bodies) must know where oil tankers can navigate through without a spill occurring and enforcing it.

In a country like Nigeria, the Government should pay more attention to the activities of militants engaged in oil bunkering as some of the spills in the oil rich region occur due to this. In addition, Government should ensure that regulatory bodies have the authority to sanction oil companies who spill oil in the region. More and stricter laws with stiffer penalties should be passed so that oil companies are more mindful of their activities and the spills that they cause. Nigeria is highly dependent on oil as a means of foreign exchange and revenue. The government is unlikely to want to discourage the presence of foreign oil companies that drill for oil in the oil rich region despite the spills that their activities cause. A shift from the dependence on oil to other  sources of revenue such as agriculture will make it more likely for stricter laws and stiffer penalties for organisations guilty of oil spills to be implemented.

There you go guys, I hope you learnt a thing or two about oil spills.

Flooding: Causes and Effects.

Floods in Hereford and Worcester, UK. Source: BBC

Hi guys,

You will agree with me that flood events are one of the greatest environmental disasters of our time. In almost every continent of the world, there is a reported case of flooding and storms and without any doubt it is undesirable as it has led to the loss of many lives and property.

Flooding is primarily caused by natural weather events like rainfall and thunderstorms. Whenever there is heavy rainfall combined with thunderstorms over a short period of time, you can be sure that flooding will occur. Extensive rainfall over a long period of time will also lead to flooding. A flood will also occur when a river overflows its bank and the excess water spills onto the flood plain, which is usually also as a result of heavy rainfall. 

Scientists also say that greenhouse gas emissions have increased the occurrence of extreme weather events, making flooding more likely. In the United Kingdom, research carried out on flood events that occurred in 2000 was attributed to more green house emissions in the atmosphere which led to greenhouse warming and made the floods more likely. Scientists in Oxford University performed a model of the atmosphere as it actually was, and carried out another model of what the atmosphere would have been without the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Interpolating the two models on a third model, they found that the likelihood of the flood occurring was doubled as a result of humanity's emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.That year, the Hampshire village of Hambledon in the UK was underwater for six weeks and the loss to the country was estimated to be about £1bn.

Some of the factors that may encourage flooding include:

•  A lack of vegetation and woodland. This is because trees and other forms of vegetation obstruct surface runoffs, while roots of trees take up water from the soil. A lack of vegetation will mean that surface runoffs will be high, and this can lead to flooding.
• Rivers surrounded by steep channel may also lead to flooding when the river overflows its bank as a result of excessive rainfall which lead to a high surface run off.
• Drainage basin in urban areas are made of concrete which is impermeable and encourages surface flows. The drainage system takes the water quickly and directly to sewage treatment plants or as in some countries directly to rivers. Heavy rainfall in short periods in instances like this will lead to flooding. Faulty or ill maintained sewer networks and insufficient drainage networks will also encourage flooding.
• Buildings and other developments like car parks in inappropriate places such that they prevent rainfall from draining away naturally can also lead to flood events. 
• Canals, reservoirs and other man made structures can fail causing flooding to areas downstream. Industrial activities, water mains and pumping stations can also give rise to flooding due to failure.

The effects of flooding includes damage to homes and properties, potential loss of lives, disruption in livelihood and communications and usually an economic loss to the Government. This is because businesses may lose stock, patronage and productivity. Flooding can also affect vital infrastructure. Tourism, agriculture and transportation can also be affected. Road links, canals, rail links may become damaged. The repair cost of the damaged infrastructure can be very high and the period before reinstatement long. Potable water supply may be lost or contaminated and these can have significant health effects as well. One good thing about flooding though is the deposition of silt on the flood plain making it fertile for agriculture and thereby supporting the livelihood of inhabitants of such areas by the provision of food. People living on or near floodplains may rely upon regular flooding to help support their farming and therefore provide food.


Controlling Flood events includes Dam Construction. 

Kainji Dam in Northwest Nigeria

Dam are built along the course of a river. This helps to control the amount of water available for discharge and excess water is held back in this way and released in a controlled manner. This approach helps to reduce the risk of flooding. The stored water can be used to generate hydroelectric power. The downside of building dams is that they are expensive and need to be properly maintained.
Floods can also be mitigated against by a process referred to as river engineering. This entails widening or deepening the river channels to enable it carry more water and reduce the risk of flood. This in itself is a potential flood risk because the water flows faster and may soon flood downstream.


Proper urban planning entail controlling developments close to a floodplain which helps reduce the chance of flooding. Drainage and sewer systems should be properly planned and well maintained. Clogging the sewer system with litter as is the case in most developing metropolitan states can significantly increase the risk of flooding.
Afforestation or the planting of trees should be practised in flood plains and areas prone to flooding. This is a low cost and environmentally friendly approach to reduce and prevent floods.


Flood management approaches should be economical, environmentally friendly and socially sustainable. Sustainable developments manage the immediate flood situation (prevention and control) without compromising the needs of future generations.

Gas Flaring in Nigeria. What are the harmful effects?

Gas Flaring.

Some of the world's largest crude oil deposits sit together with large deposits of natural gas, known as associated gas. Oil exploration companies around the world prefer to have oil deposits without the associated gas and therefore whenever gas exists with oil reserves, it is flared. Gas flaring entails burning off the natural gas associated with the crude oil during extraction in places where there is no capacity or infrastructure to trap and make use of the gas. It is a process by which unusable or excess natural gas is released by a pressure valve and burned – releasing tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

In the 1960's and 1970's Natural gas used to be continually flared in Texas and Saudi Arabia, but in more recent years, Russia and Nigeria flare the highest amount of Natural gas.
Flaring Natural gas has pumped out about 110 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere each year, about 0.5% of the World's Carbon dioxide emissions.
The act of gas flaring has reduced due to the potential energy use/commercialization of the associated gas (AG) and has led more oil extracting companies to devise means to trap and channel the gas for energy. Gas flaring has also reduced due to more awareness of the significant health and environmental effects it produces as well as because the high volume of carbon dioxide emitted during flaring is a major driver of Climate Change.

In Nigeria, burning off the associated gas (AG) has been illegal since 1984 and the Nigerian government has set up several deadlines to end the practice, but Gas flaring continues till this day. Some reductions have actually been seen in recent times in  the volume of Gas Flares and documented by the Government but analysts say this reduction has been has a consequence of militancy in the oil producing Niger Delta region of Nigeria, which halved oil production and subsequently the flaring.

According to a 2005 Friends of the Earth report, about 2.5 billion cubic feet of gas associated with crude oil is flared in this way every day. This is equal to 40% of all Africa's natural gas consumption in 2001 and reresents a financial loss to Nigeria of about 2.5billion USD. The flares have contributed large volumes of green house gases than all of Sub Saharan Africa combined as well as several dangerous toxins released into the atmosphere, polluting the soil and thereby affecting the health and well being of the nearby Niger Delta communities, exposing the residents to an increased risk of premature deaths, respiratory illnesses such as Asthma, and cancer.

One of the significant effect of gas flaring is its contribution to climate change. The burning of fossil fuels, mainly coal, oil and gas has led to warming up of the world and is expected to get worse according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In July 2003, Sir John Houghton, who was on the IPCC's scientific panel said "the impacts of global warming are such that I have no hesitation in describing it as a weapon of mass destruction". Climate change is particularly serious for developing countries and Africa, because of a high vulnerability and limited ability to adapt to the effects of climate change such as a scarcity of water resources, a shortage of food due to changes in climatic paterns that can lead to decline in agricultural productions, spread of pests and diseases especially vector and water borne, possible floodings/sea level rise in coastal areas as well as desertification due to intensified land use.

The flaring of Associated Gas during oil production result in emissions comprising particulate matter (smoke), sulfur and nitrogen oxides, benz[a]pyrene and dioxin and unburned fuel components such as toluene, benzene and xylene. These components lead to significant health problems such as asthma, coughing and difficulty in breathing, chronic bronchitis and possibly premature death. According to the U.S EPA, it has been clearly established that exposure to benzene and its metabolites cause acute nonlymphocytic leukemia and a variety  of other blood related disorders in humans.

Due to the release of oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur into the atmosphere, acid rain is  formed as a result of a mixture of these gases with moisture. Acid rain causes there to be an acidification of lakes and streams and also destroys vegetaion. Acid rain also damages structures and buildinggs, reduces visibility and generally causes harm to public health.

Nigeria is drafting an oil bill which is close to being finalised that mandates oil firms to stop flaring gas by the end of this year. A draft of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) states "Natural gas shall not be flared or vented after 31st December, 2012, in any oil and gas production operation, block or field, onshore or offshore, or gas facility,except under exceptional and temporary circumstances". This is perceived to be good news although many oil industry analysts see the new target date to end flaring as unrealistic.

Gas flaring should be brought to an end because of the monumental waste of resources especially in a country like Nigeria where energy demand surpasses supply and where over 70% of the population still live in abject poverty. In addition, the extent of environmental degradation that gas flaring causes is enormous and therefore stopping gas flaring will reduce the environmental and health effects.

Gas Fracking

Ever heard the term? When i first heard the word 'fracking', i had to look it up in the dictionary. And all my spell checks do not recognize the word but trust me, such a word exists and along with its existence, it has several energy and environmental consequences.

Natural gas is used as a primary source of electricity generation in most countries and is usually associated with petroleum. Some natural gas reservoirs are found not associated with petroleum in large gas fields. It is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon that is essentially made of methane, carbon dioxide and other hydrocarbon components. Natural gas is used to heat up homes and provide electricity, it is also used to power industries, used as fuel in vehicles and is essential for the manufacture of certain chemicals. It is the major feed stock in the haber process, used in the production of ammonia for fertilizers.

Natural gas may sometimes contain heavier hydrocarbons like ethane, propane, butane and pentane which have to be removed before methane can be used commercially. Natural gas is also sometimes produced artificially (which sounds like an irony) when methane is produced by the decay/decomposition of organic matter or biomass and is referred to as biogas. Biogas is largely produced in waste and waste water treatment processes such as in marshes, anaerobic digesters for sewage sludge, landfills when there is a decomposition of waste components as well as in animal waste such as manure.

As energy demand increases, there is more dependence on natural gas which is found in large reservoirs in deep underground natural rock formations or other hydrocarbon reservoirs such as coal beds. The downside of the use of natural gas to produce electrical energy and heat is the emission of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. These gases cause the greenhouse effect that leads to global warming and climate change. (See earlier posts for the greenhouse effect, global warming and climate change) 

Since we now have a basic understanding of what natural gas is, Gas Fracking was actually coined from the term 'Hydraulic Fracturing' or 'Hydrofracking' and then 'Fracking'. It is basically a technique used to extract petroleum and natural gas, particularly shale gas from rock formations. Shale gas is natural gas trapped in a type of sedimentary rock (made up of components such as clay, silt and other minerals such as quartz and calcite). As unlike natural gas found in underground reservoirs associated with petroleum or in gas fields, shale gas, trapped in rocks, require a different approach for its extraction.

Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking is the introduction of fractures in a rock layer by the use of a highly pressurized liquid. The fractures are created by the use of holes drilled into the rocks and then liquid forced through at high pressure to release the oil or gas. The energy from the injection of a highly-pressurized fracking fluid creates new channels in the rock which can increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of fossil fuels.

This method has proven to be quite effective for the extraction of gas trapped in rock formations but has also generated a lot of uproar due to the effects. Fracking has been discovered to potentially contaminate groundwater, which is the source of water for drinking and other domestic purposes. Fracking also poses a risk to air quality due to emissions from leaks and natural gas or diesel powered rigs and equipment used during the process. Chemicals from the fracking process can migrate to the surface and cause health effects which can include cancer and death over a prolonged exposure period. Fracking can also lead to explosions as well as spills which can have severe environmental impacts.

In parts of the US where hydraulic fracturing is being carried out, waste water from the process have been observed to be radioactive and with public sewage treatment plants not being equipped to deal with the radioactivity, the untreated radioactive water may be discharged into local rivers raising contamination levels.

A recent report in the UK suggested that Gas Fracking causes low magnitude earthquakes from the forceful injection of wells for waste collection. As is being predicted by energy experts, there will be a higher demand for natural gas in the near future, and those in favor of the Fracking process argue that previously inaccessible hydrocarbon deposits found in rocks can now be accessed and extracted to produce the much needed energy for human need, and those who oppose fracking point out the many negative environmental and human health effects it causes.

Global Warming & Climate Change

Hello guys,

Global warming is a very important phenomenon and continues to undergo intense debate all over the world as to whether it is a natural occurrence that we should not worry about or whether we should take it seriously. I think we should take global warming seriously and i will tell you why.

Global warming occurs when the earth heats up as a result of temperature rises. This is as a result of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane and nitrous oxide) trapping heat and light from the sun in the earth's atmosphere and therefore causing there to be an increase in the temperature of the earth. Normally when the sun shines on the earth, the heat and light can get through the atmosphere to warm and lighten earth. Some of the heat and light are then reflected back from the earth, this helps to keep the earth warm enough for people to live on, neither too hot that its burning or too cold that its freezing. In this way by absorbing some of the heat and light reaching earth, the temperature is not too hot that living things cannot survive during the day and not too cold at night because some of the absorbed heat helps to warm the earth so that temperatures are not at freezing. The green house effect is that heat and light from the sun can get through the atmosphere to the earth, but it can't get out, and as a result eath's temperature rises.

Melting glaciers as a result of global warming. Source: http://www.solarpowernotes.com

Green house gasses are gasses in the atmosphere that help to trap heat and light from the sun. The consequence of having too many green house gases in the earth's atmosphere is that they will trap too much heat and as a result, earth will get too hot for humans, plans and animals to survive because the heat will be too strong. Global warming is mainly caused by pollution. Fossil fuels are in most cases burnt to create electricity. As a result of this, many chemicals are released into the atmosphere, some of which are greenhouse gases. An example of fossil fuel is petroleum which is used for transportation, for generating electricity and in many other industrial processes. This source of energy gives off a lot of pollution and contributes significantly to greenhouse effect. 

Most greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere through natural and man made processes. Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal as well as solid waste, trees and wood products and in some industrial processes e.g. the manufacture of cement. Methane is emitted in the production of coal, natural gas and oil. It is also emitted from livestock and in the decay of organic wastes in municipal solid waste landfills. Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as during combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste. Flourinated gases such as hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride also contribute to global warming as they are powerful green house gases emitted during various industrial processes because they are being used as substitutes for ozone depleting substances.

Daily activities like washing using a washing machine, turning on a light bulb, or the tv, playing a video game, using a hair dryer and using an air conditioner contributes to green house gases being released into air because creating the electricity to do these things involve the burning of fossil fuels. 

Human activities such as deforestation (cutting down of trees) also contributes to the green house effect because trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide which is a green house. When we breathe, we take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide while trees and lower plants such as algae take in the carbon dioxide and release oxygen. There is therefore a need to protect our trees otherwise there'll be too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with no plants to absorb them and release oxygen, which we need. 

Generating high volumes of garbage also contributes to global warming. This is because methods to deal with the garbage such as disposals in landfills and incineration generate methane  and carbon dioxide which are greenhouse gases. As you can see, the major cause of global warming is from human activities.

Global warming will cause sea levels to rise, and when this occurs, the water covers many low land islands. This will displace many plants, animals and humans in such places. Plants will die, causing several animals that depend on plants as food to die also. With plants and animals dead, humans will experience food scarcity and may have to leave the area or die too. Humans will also loose their homes when sea levels rise due to floodings.

As flood events occur in some parts of the world due to global warming, so will droughts occur due to a change in amount and pattern of precipitation. This will lead to more desert formations. Scientists say global warming is strongest in the artic and some of the strongest effects include extreme weather conditions such as heavy rainfalls and heat waves that will bring about a shift in temperature cycles and cause climate change. This in turn has the effect of causing certain species of living organisms to go into extinction. Due to the warmer temperatures, drier leaves and trees easily catch fire. These forest fires lead to the formation of more arid areas/deserts.

Certain schools of thought believe global warming is a natural process and that human beings and living organisms will adapt accordingly. This may not necessarily be true because rate of change of earth's temperature pre industrial times was less likely to cause the effects we currently experience today and if global mean temperatures continue to increase, the limits for human adaptation are likely to be exceeded and the adaptation for many natural systems will also be exceeded. In plain English, this means the natural processes for which human existence depend would not be preserved.

What we can do to stop Global warming.

To stop global warming, one of the things we can do is to reduce the amount of energy we consume. This means more energy saving appliances. When electric gadgets are not in use, they should be turned off. This reduces the amount of green house gases released into the atmosphere to generate the electricity.

Carpooling is also a good way to reduce the amount of fossil fuel emissions into the atmosphere. It means sharing a car by two or more people rather than having the cars on the road at the same time. The effect of this will be a reduction in the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a result of too many cars on the road.

Alternative energy sources, such as solar, wind and biomass should be looked into. These energy sources do not entail the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and therefore reduces the cause and effects of global warming.

 Deforestation should be reduced. Many Government legislations now make it compulsory that for the feliing of a tree, two trees should be replanted. This way, some sort of balance can be maintained on the amount of trees that are felled which will in turn reduce the effects of global warming.

Environmental Facts: Acid Rain

Hey guys,

I used to imagine acid rain to be a deposition of sulfuric or nitric acid from the skies. Imagine the effect that is going to have on humans, plants, animals and buildings. Burning the skin, corroding metals and basically melting buildings. Scary stuff yeah??? Acid rain is not that intense yet, but with an increasing population explosion, more industrial activities as well as more vehicles on the roads, there has been an increase in the combustion of fossil fuels, which is the predominant cause of acid rain.

Acid rain is a consequence of air pollution. The release of oxides of Carbon, Nitrogen and Sulfur from the combustion of fossil fuels into the atmosphere and the reaction of these gases with water molecules in cloud produce acids. The wet deposition of acidic components in the form of snow, fog and rain as well as the direct dry deposition of acidic particles is generally termed acid rain.

When there is a combustion of any type of fossil fuel, certain gases and particles are released. Sometimes, the particles are visible for example in the combustion of diesel, seen as black sooty particles. Most times however, the gases are not visible but are present. They are present because they are contained as constituents of the fuel. Carbon and sulfur and major of components of fossil fuels and will naturally produce their oxides during burning. Oxides of nitrogen are formed because Nitrogen is abundant in air and combustion usually takes place in the presence of air.

Oxides of Sulfur are also released during volcanic eruptions, therefore areas where some volcanic eruptions have occurred are likely to be affected by acid rain.

The acidity of a substance is measured on a pH scale from 0 - 14. 0 is most acidic and 14 is the most alkaline while 7 is neutral. Strong acids can burn the skin on touch and corrode metals. Rainwater has a pH of 5.7 as a result of the formation of carbonic acid from a reaction between carbon dioxide in air and water molecules. Vinegar and lemon juice have a pH of between 2 - 3, acid rain is usually not as acidic and therefore will not harm human skin. Why worry about acid rain then, you might ask.

Acid rain can be transported over great distances between countries and even continents. In the 1950's when acid rain was discovered, the emission of oxides of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur from industrial processes in Britain was transported to Norway and Scandinavia having the effect of causing fish kills as well as a declining forest ecosystem.

Acid rain forest. Source: Wikispaces.com

This means trees without leaves because essential plant nutrients like potassium and magnesium which help plants to grow are being dissolved in the soil and washed away into lakes and rivers, becoming unavailable for plants use. It also damages plants leaves and affects the ability of plants to photosynthesize normally.

Aquatic environments are also affected because fish and other aquatic organisms function at optimal levels within a certain pH. Eggs hatched by fishes are dissolved because of the increased acidity and cannot hatch properly. Calciferous organisms (organisms with shells) are also affected.

Many buildings and statues that contain calcium carbonate (limestone) are also affected because they react with acids to form salts. The salts are soluble in water and in plain English, the buildings get eroded. This leads to collapse. For statues, the aesthetic and economic values are also lost. 

Effects of acid rain on sculptures. Source:http://www.elmhurst.edu

Reducing the effects of Acid Rain:

To reduce the consequences of acid rain, regulations have been put in place to reduce the levels of sulfur  dioxide emissions from coal combustion using fluidized beds.

Modern cars are being fitted with catalytic converters to reduce the emissions of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides during fuel combustion. 

The combustion of fossil fuels is still one of the major ways by which electricity is generated. Alternative  renewable sources of energy such as biomass, wind and solar energy are being researched into to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels.

Governments should provide subsidized alternative forms of transport so that people don't have to always travel by cars.

Walking, cycling and car sharing are individual efforts that can help reduce the amount of gases released into the atmosphere as well as reduce acid rain.

Energy saving approaches such as turning off light switches when they are not in use as well as the use of energy saving appliances can help reduce acid rain.

For forests and aquatic ecosystems, the addition of lime into the soil or rivers and lakes can help neutralize the acidity and prevent the effects of acid rain.

Reduce Reuse Recycle

Hi everyone,

Ever heard those three words that begin with the letter R? I bet you have. It is one of the most popular mantras in waste management. The European Union has it included in its 2008 waste framework directive on how waste is to be managed without endangering human health and harming the environment with particular reference to water, air, soil, plants or animals as well as not being a nuisance in the form of odours and not affecting the aesthethic value of the countryside and places of interest. Big grammar! What that means in plain English is managing waste in such a way that it does not adversely affect the living and non living components of the environment. So what is waste? Is it something you dump in the bin? Is it something you have no use for? Is it what you pass out in the toilet?

Waste is generally defined as unwanted or useless material and has also been used in place of terms such as rubbish, trash, refuse, garbage, junk, litter and so on. but that is quite an ambiguous definition because in what context would you say an  object or material becomes unwanted? An empty plastic bottle that contained your milk is no longer useful for that purpose, but does it become waste? The contents of a newspaper you bought today becomes stale news tomorrow but would you consider the newspaper useless?? Maybe or Maybe not. The European Union goes on to place waste in several categories including municipal or household waste, which is waste generated at home and include substances like food particles, green or garden waste, used plastic and glass bottles, newspapers etc. Other categories include industrial waste, which as the name implies is waste generated during industrial purposes and can include cement. Clinical waste is another example generated from hospitals and includes syringes, plasters etc.

To the more dangerous ones, we have hazardous waste which as the name implies are types of waste that can be deadly on contact with humans, plants, animals and buildings. They include toxic chemicals.

The different categories of wastes are collected and disposed off or treated in different ways. My focus today will be on municipal/household waste.

In developed parts of the world like the UK, household wastes are collected according to the way in which they will be disposed off and the further uses to which they can be used. Food and garden wastes are collected separately from plastics newspapers and bottles and are known as mixed recyclables.The food and garden wastes are transported to waste management/treatment companies where they are treated and used to generate electricity from bio gas which powers some of their processes while some of the electricity is transported to the national grid. Another useful product generated from food/garden waste is garden compost which is used to improve soil quality in gardens and allotments for the growth of fruits and vegetables.

The plastics, bottles, bags and papers are transported to a materials reclamation facility where they are sorted into similar kinds, batched and compressed and then transported to recycling companies where they are used as raw materials in the manufacture of new products. Large out of life materials like fridges, computer screens, television are also transported in a similar way to specialist companies that dispose them off. The remainder of the wastes that cannot be reused or recycled are then transported to landfill sites. Now landfill sites have a problem of their own which we shall discuss later.

In developing countries where there is a problem of infrastructure, waste materials used to be initially burnt by households in small pits near their houses. More recently however, more waste management guidelines and regulations are being put in place that allow waste management authorities to have partnerships with private sector participants to collect wastes from households. The waste are collected jointly irrespective of type and transported to landfill. At landfill, certain groups of people called scavengers are registered to pick  through the wastes and sort them and sell the sorted materials (plastic bags and bottles as well as glass materials) to small and medium scale enterprises, thereby generating a small market for recyclable products.

There you go. Your waste materials do not end up useless after all. Some of them can be Re used in your households which will in turn Reduce the amount of waste generated. Others are Recycled and used in the generation of new products. The concept of reusing, reducing and recycling waste reduces our dependence on landfills and consequently the health effects that they pose. It also reduces the need for large parcels of land for landfill, allowing for more economic use of land such as in the construction of roads and industries.