Air Pollution

Prof. Mayank Kumar

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi

Combating environmental pollution through internationalisation of education in Germany and India (COMPOLL)
Source:Skepticalscience.com
SMOG = SMOKE + FOG

Source: unsplash.com/evgenit
What is Air
Pollution?
• Any atmospheric condition in which various substances
are present in the atmosphere at concentrations high
enough above their normal ambient levels to produce a
harmful effect on man, animals, vegetation, or
materials is defined as Air Pollution.
• Normal Components of Atmosphere
• Nitrogen (N2) – 78.1%
• Oxygen (O2) – 20.9%
• Carbon dioxide(CO2) – 0.03%
• Other – 0.07%
➢ Nobel gases (Krypton, xenon, argon, helium)
➢ Methane (CH4)
➢ Sulphur dioxide (SO2)

Source: Homapilot.com
 Basic Pollutants
Pollutant Abbreviation Type
Carbon Monoxide 𝐶𝑂 Primary
Sulphur Dioxide 𝑆𝑂2 Primary
Ozone 𝑂3 Secondary
Nitrogen Dioxide 𝑁02 Secondary
Hydrocarbon compounds 𝐻𝐶/𝑉𝑂𝐶 Primary & Secondary
Particulate matter 𝑃𝑀 Primary & Secondary

PM2.5 – concentration of particles with diameter less than 2.5 μm (microns)

Units – μg/m3 (micrograms/cubic meters)
Health Effects

Source: LAWA
Source: Iqair.com
AQI(Air Quality Index)

• An air quality index (AQI) is

used by government agencies
to communicate to the public
how polluted the air is.
• AQI considers eight pollutants
(PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO,
O3, NH3, and Pb) for which
short-term (up to 24-hourly
averaging period) National
Ambient Air Quality Standards
are prescribed.

Source: CPCB
Final AQI = Worst AQI among all the above pollutants
 Health statements for AQI categories

AQI Associated Health Impacts

Good (0-50) Minimal Impact

Satisfactory (51 – 100) May cause minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people

Moderately polluted (101- May cause breathing discomfort to the people with lung dieses such as asthma and
200) discomfort to people with heart diseases, children and older adults.

Poor (201-300) May cause breathing discomfort to people on prolonged exposer and discomfort to
people with heart dieses.
Very poor (301-400) May cause respiratory illness to the people on prolong exposer. Effect may be more
pronounced in people with lung and heart dieses.
Severe (401-500) May cause respiratory effects even on healthy people and serious health impacts on
people with lung/heart diseases

Source: CPCB
Air Pollution
Trends
Yearly PM2.5 values

Source: EPIC(Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago)

Air Pollution
Trends
Monthly PM2.5 values in Delhi

Data from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution
Control Committee (DPCC) monitoring stations across Delhi

Goel et al., Under Review

Average PM2.5(µg/m3) Concentration Across
World in 2021

Source: Report by IQ Air

Deaths Due to Air Pollution

Total Annual Deaths in India – 90 Lakhs

Pollution related annual deaths in India – 23.3 Lakhs!

Source: Global Alliance on Health and Pollution

 Frog in boiling water analogy

We tend to accept changes that creep up on us slowly and ultimately

take control of our lives!

Source:Skepticalscience.com
Popular Methods to Counter
Air Pollution

Anti Smog Gun Smog Towers

Source: Social News Source: Indiatimes
Popular Methods to Counter
Air Pollution

Emptying the Ocean with a spoon – Impossible!

Air Purifying Plants WAYU
Source: aliveinnovation.in Source: Hindustan Times
Solution – Control Emissions at source

Power Plant Stubble Burning

Road Dust Vehicular Emission

Public awareness needs to raise to create consensus on policy actions

Source:Skepticalscience.com
Spatiotemporal variation of PM2.5 across
Indo-Gangetic Plains (2019-21)

The annual average PM2.5 concentration over Indo-Gangetic Plains during 2019, 2020, and
2021 was 75.7, 62.6, and 67.3 µg/m3, respectively

Goel et al., Under Review

 Effect of Ujjwala Yojana on
indoor pollution and mortality
 Improving the Air Quality

❖Remember: LA smog (1950s – 1970s), Great Smog of London (1952)

❖PM levels had declined in Delhi following CNG adoption in late 1990s
 Improving the Air Quality

US Trends

US (and other countries) managed

Possible to improve air quality without
to grow economy while reducing
compromising on Development/Growth!
emissions & pollution from 1980s
 Improving the Air Quality

Pollution can reduce significantly in future provided strong control at polluting sources

Chowdhury et al., Nature Communications 2018

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IIT Delhi Case Study – Diwali Impact
Time Variation of apportioned Firecracker source concentration

ePD: Extended Pre-Diwali

DD: During Diwali
FD: Following Diwali

Organic fraction of PM2.5 rising

sharply after Diwali 2019

Firecracker impact lasts only for a few hours after Diwali.

Wind trajectories enter Delhi from

Biomass burning behind worsening Delhi air quality after Diwali Haryana/Punjab during stubble burning

Manchanda et. al. Chemical speciation and source apportionment of ambient

PM2. 5 in New Delhi before, during, and after the Diwali fireworks,
Atmospheric Pollution Research
25
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Media Coverage

More than firecrackers, biomass burning made air

poor after Diwali: IIT-Delhi study
Thank You