Studies on the Air Pollution Around Cement and Lime Factories

Abstract

Air pollution is a chemical or particulate matter or biological agent that changes the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. Air pollution due to lime and cement producing industries  has been found to cause serious occupational health hazards, and adverse effects on crops, orchards and buildings. The people residing in the vicinity of these industries may be exposed to higher levels of pollutants. Cement production requires massive amount of energy, mostly in the form of coal, which produces a considerable amount of carbon dioxide emission as an undesirable by-product. The emission of carbon dioxide depends on the type of production processes, their efficiency, fuel used etc.  One of the most important impacts of cement manufacturing is the dust generated during storage, milling, packing and transport. Atmospheric mineral dust is an important source of air pollution contains high concentrations of many metals known to have toxic effects not only on plants and animals but also on humans. On account of the gravity of the problem, this paper  presents predictions of air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon mono oxide(CO) and suspended particulate matter (SPM)  during the manufacturing months with the causes, effects and the cost to the mankind, with special reference to the Madhya Pradesh region. The proposed measures should limit the ambient air pollutant concentrations to be in compliance with the standard values.

Key words:  Air pollution, atmosphere, air pollutants, mineral dust