Conclusion

Acid rain is caused by burning coal and fossil fuels and industrial pollutants release sulfur dioxide and nitrogen in the atmosphere. These gases combine with hydrogen in the atmosphere in the form of water vapor. As they fall on the surface alters the chemical composition of soil and water affect food chains, destroying flowers and destroy forests.

 Sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen are the main greenhouse gases by rain ácida.Estes oxidized in the atmosphere to form sulfuric and nitric acid. The oxidation occurs naturally in our environment. However, the emissions caused by human activity has been to equalize the levels of these gases.Na reality, humans have been exceeding the nature of this effect. Acid rain occurs when these emissions mix with sunlight and water and are then returned to Earth through rain or snow.

Acid Rain in Brazil

In Brazil the place that suffers most from acid rain is the region of Serra do Mar. The pollution produced by industries Cubatão causes death in the Atlantic forest covering the hills. The larger trees die due to pollution. The pollutants cause acid rain, which cause loss of leaves on some trees. Causing the death of the trees and rotting of the roots being harmful to the environment of the mountain, it can cause various points in real avalanches of mud and stones.

Acid Rain in the world

About 35% of European ecosystems are already severely altered and about 50% of the forests of Germany and the Netherlands are destroyed by acid rain. On the coast of the North Atlantic, the sea water is between 10% and 30% more acid than in the past twenty years. In the U.S., where power plants are responsible for almost 65% of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, the soil of the Appalachian Mountains is also changed: it has an acidity ten times higher than that of the surrounding areas of lower altitudes, and one hundred times larger the regions where there is no such pollution.
Acid rain releases toxic metals that were on the ground. These metals can reach rivers and are used by humans, causing serious health problems. Acid rain also helps to erode the materials used in buildings such as houses, buildings and architecture, destroying dams, hydroelectric turbines, amongst other. The lakes may be most hurt by the effect of acid rain because they could become fully acidified, losing all his life.

Some solutions

• Encourage public transportation.
• Use subway to replace its fleet of diesel buses.
• Encourage industrial decentralization.
• Desulphurize fuels with high sulfur content prior to distribution and consumption
• Use clean fuels in vehicles and industrial boilers.
• Desulphurize the flue gas industries before their release into the atmosphere.
• Subsidizing the use of clean fuels in typical urban pollution sources such as hospitals, laundries and restaurants.
• Use clean fuels in vehicles and industrial boilers.

Further study

Natural phenomena such as volcanic activity and decomposition of plants release sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the atmosphere. This will lead to increased acidity of rain water but not enough to cause ecological damage because the effect of the acid is neutralized on contact with alkaline substances present in water and soil.
The industrialization and the advent of cars begin to break this balance.
Sulphur dioxide (SO2), resulting from burning coal in power plants and nitrogen oxides (NO2) released in large quantities by motor vehicles also enter the atmosphere.
In contact with oxygen and water vapor in these gases become sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3) returning to the surface as rain, snow or microscopic particles of dust acidic.
This causes acid rain and corrosion in metal buildings, and also cause serious damage to nature.

The term acid rain was coined by a chemist, Robert Angus Smith, in describing the pollution in Manchester, England, for over a century. However, globally, the perception of acid rain only occurred from the 1950s, when many ecosystems (lakes and forests, mainly) were already seriously compromised.
This hindsight due to the fact that natural environments have a long response time to attacks such as acidification.

Effects of acid rain

 Increased acidity of lake water destroys aquatic vegetation and, consequently, causes the death of fish, destruction of the respiratory cells of the leaves of trees, removal of soil nutrients, concretro corrosion, cement and iron construction.


Since acid rain can kill aquatic animals, trees weaken and dissolve stone, it seems like it could also burn human beings. But it does not affect people the same way you do with fish or plants. Acid rain looks like rain - it's even safe to swim in an acidic lake. But particulate nitrate and sulfate dry deposition can cause asthma, bronchitis and heart problems.


In areas where acid rain occurs, the children have diarrhea, and their hair turns green because of acidic water.

Acid rain weakens trees and plants. The rainwater can accumulate in the mountains, to infiltrate the ground and form a spring.

What is ACID RAIN?

Acid rain is a phenomenon that has caused many problems in recent years. Some problems are caused the change in pH in soils of rural areas and the destruction of steel structures, churches and historical monuments of marble.

The formation of acid rain is caused mainly by burning fossil fuels. Combustion are formed in the acid oxides of sulfur and nitrogen derivatives of general formula SOx and NOx These gases by reacting with water present in atmospheric air will form what we call acid rain.

One of the most complicated is the decrease of soil pH, decreasing fertility by making it unprofitable for the planting of some species. One way of doing is correct liming the soil, which consists of adding lime (CaO) to the ground. When this is added, the following reaction occurs:

CaO + H2O → Ca +2 + 2OH-

The OH-ions released will make a correction of pH.

The destruction of statues in marble is another serious problem caused by rain, as many have a historical value unimaginable. This destruction is by the reaction of acids with marble (CaCO3), as can be seen in the reaction:

CaCO3 + 2H + → Ca +2 + H2O + CO2

See some photos ;