Environmental factors affecting the rate of degradation

Question 1

Will two identical amounts of pollutants released in 2 different locations degrade the same?

Answer 1

No as location may change impacts

Question 2

What is an example of a pollutant that degrades faster in cooler conditions?

Answer 2

CFC’s

Question 3

What does increased temperature usually lead to?(pollution)

Answer 3

increases the rate of chemical reaction

Question 4

How does temperature affect breakdown of pollutants?

Answer 4

will break down faster (sewage will rot faster when warmer

Question 5

what breaks down the polluted sewage?

Answer 5

Microbes

Question 6

What happens to microbial activity when the temperature increases by 18*c?

Answer 6

doubles

Question 7

What does warm waste water do to microbial activity?

Answer 7

causes activity to double and increase bio-degradation

Question 8

What can happen to polluted rivers in summer?

Answer 8

Warmer water increase microbe activity leading to decomposition that uses oxygen causing deoxygenation and dead zones developing meaning oxygen has to be supplied to counter this

Question 9

What two ways is light important for degradation?

Answer 9

Photochemical fog
Degradation of pesticides

Question 10

What is photochemical smog?

Answer 10

type of smog produced when UV light from the sun reacts with nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere

Question 11

What two outcomes are a result of nitrogen oxide emissions form cars?

Answer 11

combines with water to form nitric acid (acid rain)
reacts with sunlight to produce monatomic oxygen that combines to produce ozone

Question 12

Is photodegradation an abiotic or biotic process when degrading pesticides?

Answer 12

Abiotic

Question 13

How does photodegradation of pesticides occur?

Answer 13

Molecules in pesticide become more active and vibrate more as they absorb light energy causing range of reactions and degradation

Question 14

What is oxygen vital for?

Answer 14

Aerobic decay of organic waste

Question 15

What non-organic compound dopes oxygen react with?

Answer 15

Sulphide ores to produce sulphur dioxide

Question 16

What is oxidation?

Answer 16

chemical process or reacting with oxygen

Question 17

Why do we know oxygen is reactive?

Answer 17

Important part of combustion
remove oxygen to put of a fore

Question 18

What is a catalyst?

Answer 18

Substance that speeds up a reaction but doesn’t affect the outcome

Question 19

How does pH affect pollutants?

Answer 19

affects solubility of range of heavy metal

Question 20

what are some examples of heavy metals?

Answer 20

Iron
Lead
Mercury

Question 21

What does more acidic water do to heavy metals?

Answer 21

allows them to become more mobile which is bad

Question 22

How can pH / acidity of water be reduced?

Answer 22

can be neutralised by basic or alkaline rocks

Question 23

what is a good option that can be used to neutralise acidic water?

Answer 23

Limestone- where limestone beds do not underlie the area limestone chips can be used

Question 24

How can the presence of other chemicals affect pollution/ pollutants?

Answer 24

When other chemicals are present they may bind to the pollutant either helping to degrade it or it may cause it to form a new, secondary pollutant

Question 25

How are PANs a good example of other chemicals affecting. pollutant?

Answer 25

they are produced in the atmopshere when oxidised volatile organic compounds combine with nitrogen

Question 26

why is adsorption a good thing?

Answer 26

may prevent the pollutant from being so harmful as it immobilises it

Question 27

What is an example of a good adsorbent material?

Answer 27

clay which can be sued to bind heavy metals once bined they do not leach into water or end up in the atmosphere

Question 28

What is an example of where the presence of an adsrobent material reduced the effects of pollution?

Answer 28

After the Chornobyl accident in 1986 radioactive caesium was washed out of the atmosphere by rain caesium bound to clay in the soil immobilising it helping reduce the radioactivity if the air but soils still remian radtioactive (will do for 3000yrs)