Correct Answer - Option 1 : air pollution
Explanation:
Atmospheric Pollution: Pollution occurs due to the presence of undesirable solid or gaseous particles in the air.
- The following are the major gaseous and particulate pollutants
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Gaseous air pollutants: These are oxides of sulphur, nitrogen and carbon, hydrogen sulphide, hydrocarbons, ozone and other oxidants.
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Particulate pollutants: These are dust, mist, fumes, smoke, smog etc.
- When the quantity of acids in the raining water is more than the average, then such rain is called 'Acid rain'.
- We are aware that normally rainwater has a pH of 5.6. When the pH of the rainwater drops below 5.6, it is called acid rain.
- Acid rain is a by-product of a variety of human activities that emit the oxides of sulphur and nitrogen in the atmosphere.
- As mentioned earlier, the burning of fossil fuels (which contain sulphur and nitrogenous matter) such as coal and oil in power stations and furnaces or petrol and diesel in motor engines produce sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
Hence the correct option is Air pollution.
SO2 and NO2 after oxidation and reaction with water vapour and sunlight are major contributors to acid rain because polluted air usually contains particulate matter that catalyses the oxidation.
2SO2 (g) + O2 (g) + 2H2O (l) → 2H2SO4 (aq)
4NO2 (g) + O2 (g) + 2H2O (l) → 4HNO3 (aq)