|
Major Sources of Pollution
: |
|
Evidently urban
air pollutants arise from a wide variety of
sources although they are mainly a result of
combustion processes. The largest source in
most urban areas comes from motor vehicles and industry. The main urban air pollutants and their sources are
summarized in the table below.
|
|
Pollutants |
Main Sources |
|
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) |
Combustion of motor spirit and other
fuel, combustion for domestic
heating, power stations, industrial boilers,
chemical processes etc |
|
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) |
Fuel combustion for power stations,
domestic heating, industrial boilers, diesel
vehicles, waste incinerators |
|
Carbon monoxide (CO)
|
Combustion of motor
fuel and other
combustion processes |
|
Ozone (O3) |
Secondary pollutant resulting from
chemical reactions with nitrogen oxides and VOCs |
|
Particulates (PM10) |
Fuel combustion for power stations,
transport, heating, other industrial
processes. |
|
Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs) |
Transport, oil combustion, chemical
processes, solvent use, waste-incinerators. |
|
Benzene |
Combustion of motor
fuel,
evaporation from petrol pumps and
fuel tanks. |
|
Lead |
Combustion of leaded petrol, coal
combustion, metal production. |
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