Ammonia pollution
Common forms include air pollution by the ammonia gas emitted by rotting agricultural slurry and fertilizer factories while natural sources include the burning coal mines of Jharia, the caustic Lake Natron and the guano of seabird colonies.
Gaseous ammonia reacts with other pollutants in the air to form fine particles of ammonium salts, which affect human breathing.
Ammonia gas can also affect the chemistry of the soil on which it settles and will, for example, degrade the conditions required by the sphagnum moss and heathers of peatland.
[8] Ammonia is now recognized by many countries as a major pollutant and some have begun taking steps to limit their emissions.
This includes nitrogen based compounds like ammonium (NH4+) which, similar to manure, is released as ammonia through volatilization (into the atmosphere or in runoff).
Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) contribute largely to ammonia emissions.
[11] (⅔ from livestock) (⅓ from fertilizer) Ammonia decreases the biodiversity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and also forms aerosols in the atmosphere which can cause human health complications if inhaled.
Gaseous ammonia emissions enter Earth’s soil and water through both wet and dry deposition.
Aqueous ammonia, another form of the compound, may seep directly into the ground or flow into aquatic ecosystems.
In terrestrial settings, ammonia increases soil acidity (decreased pH) and causes eutrophication (an overabundance of nutrients).
The products of this reaction include hydrogen (H+) ions which lower the soil pH and lead to acidification.
Increased soil acidity in the ecosystem leads to decreased protection against cold temperatures, drought, disease, and invasive species.
Sensitive plant groups such as lichen and moss are particularly susceptible to ammonia pollution and habitats such as bogs, peatlands, grasslands, heathlands, and forests are mainly affected.
[17][18] In livestock, high ammonia concentrations has been linked to ascites, gastrointestinal irritation and respiratory disease.
[20] Ammonia is toxic to most aquatic life including fish, corals, and planktonic crustaceans.
This reaction is showing how ammonia changes into ammonium in water and generates a hydroxide ion.
The ammonia causes stress on the fish and damages internal organs which will eventually lead to death.
Beyond its impact on ecosystems, ammonia pollution poses significant risks to human health.
Gaseous ammonia that is not deposited forms aerosols by combining with other emissions such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX).
Ammonium particles can then cause complications including asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular issues, birth defects, and premature death in humans.
[28] Despite efforts to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions, the persistent presence of ammonia pollution continues to pose challenges to air quality management, particularly in densely populated areas like urban centers [29] Ammonia pollution is most commonly measured by its presence in the atmosphere.
It has no automatic relay system as with other pollutant measurements such as carbon dioxide; therefore, ammonia samples must be collected through other methods including filter packs, fabric denuders, satellite imaging, and rainwater analysis.
The Teflon and glass fiber filter are coated in citric acid which reacts with the slightly basic ammonia particles.
[30] Fabric denuders function through passive sampling (no pump is used and collection depends only on airflow).
A pipe fitted with cloth filters on either side serves as a tunnel for air to diffuse through.
Air flows through the tube and ammonia sticks to the filters which can then be tested for NH3 concentrations using Nessler's reagent and a spectrophotometer.
[7] Although ammonia is now recognized as a potentially hazardous air pollutant, only some countries have taken further action to reduce their emission.
The Gothenburg Protocol was revised in 2012 to set new, stricter, ceiling limits on ammonia until 2020 and to include all EU-27 countries.
One suggested change is keeping manure and fertilizer in large storage tanks to prevent runoff and volatilization into the air.
A final idea is using less urea and ammonium based fertilizers which are prone to volatilization into ammonia.
