Acid Rain | What can be done?
What can be done?
Acid rain was first identified in 1852 by an English chemist named Robert Angus Smith. He suggested that factories that burned coal were sending sulfur dioxide into the air. Since then, the world has gained many more factories—and many more sources of air pollution.
Fortunately, scientists have found ways to wash the sulfur out of coal before it is burned and to wash the sulfur out of smoke before it leaves the smokestacks. In addition, new vehicles must now have a device called a catalytic converter, which uses filters and chemicals to change carbon monoxide and other air pollutants into carbon dioxide and water. This device nearly eliminates the nitrogen oxide released by cars' exhaust systems.
Lime, which is a natural base, can be added to streams and lakes to neutralize their acidity. NeutralizationA chemical process in which the mixing of an...
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