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ACID RAIN
WHAT IS?
It is a broad term referring to a mixture of wet and dry deposition (deposited material) from the atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids.
Sulfur is found as a trace element in coal and oil. When these are burned in power plants and industrial boilers, the sulfur combines with oxygen to form sulfur dioxide (SO2). Nitrogen makes up about 78% of the atmosphere. When heated to the temperatures found in steam boilers and internal combustion engines, it can combine with oxygen from the atmosphere to form nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide. Also from the volcanos and sea spray and lightning.
EMITION SOURCES
The precursors, or chemical forerunners, of acid rain formation result from both natural sources, such as volcanoes and decaying vegetation, and man-made sources, primarily emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NO2).
COMPONENTS