In recent years in India, urbanization advanced at a rapid phase. Rural areas have advanced into cities. Cities have developed into metro cities and so on. This development has made India a developing country with more people migrating to big cities. The cement industry is one of the best industries in the country.
There are different types of pollution such as air, water and noise pollution. Today we will be focusing on air pollution caused by cement industries and how we can control it. All of us are familiar with what air pollution is. Let us now discuss the harmful effects of air pollution on our health.
Effects of Air pollution on Health
Air pollution can affect humans, animals, and plants. Air pollution can be caused by both humans and natural activities. Substances that cause pollution are called pollutants. When we inhale these pollutants, they can reach into our bloodstream and even reach the brain and make us very sick. It can also cause diseases like asthma, cancer, and in some cases, even cardiovascular diseases, thereby decreasing our lifespan.
Effect of Air pollution on the Environment
Air pollution has a negative effect on our ecosystem as well. It can reduce biodiversity and cause damage to crops. India is one of the most populated countries in the world. The Air Act was passed in 1981 to reduce pollution and to put control on it, but that wasn’t effective. Air pollution is caused by the burning of fuel and biomass, using adulterated fuel, because of traffic and greenhouse emissions.
Pollution in Cement Industries
The cement industry has a position in the 17th place for causing pollution in India. There has been an increase in the number of cement plants in the country because of the increase in demand for building materials.
Some of the major pollutants released by the cement plants are Methane, fumes, dust, oxides of Sulphur and Nitrogen, and Carbon dioxide. These plants also release harmful greenhouse gases both directly and indirectly. Cement is made by heating limestone, sand, and clay at a very high temperature. This heating can release large amounts of carbon dioxide. The heating takes place inside a kiln, and it causes the carbon in the limestone to combine with oxygen and forms carbon dioxide. Now the number of cement plants in the world is increasing, thereby the rate of pollution has also increased. The dust from these cement plants can enter your lungs and make you prone to diseases.
Steps to take to control air pollution from the cement industries
To help our environment to stay green and to prevent air pollution, there are many ways and methods we can implement. Some of the ways to reduce air pollution from cement industries are
- Altering the temperature
The amount of carbon dioxide released can be reduced by decreasing the temperature. Researchers have found out that almost 30 percent of the limestone used in these plants becomes carbon dioxide.
- Sources of Fuel
You can also use alternate sources of fuel to minimize the levels of pollution.
- Installation of devices
Pollution control devices can also be installed for the same. Mercury is one of the most harmful pollutants present; installing an air pollution control device can remove mercury from the waste that is being removed. Some of the air pollution control devices are electrostatic precipitators, fabric filters, selective catalytic reduction, and flue gas desulfurization.
- Use of Electronic Precipitators
The electrostatic precipitators create an ionized zone that will remove charged particles from ash emissions, and this method is not very expensive. Sulfur dioxide can be removed from the flue gas by using scrubbers.
- Proper disposal of wastes
All the wastes can be buried in a burial pit where animals wouldn’t be trespassing through. The pit should have a depth of 2 m, and then about of the pit should be covered with dirt and then to almost 50 cm of the surface, the pit should be filled with lime. Soil should be spread over the pit, and using a coil or a galvanized wire, and you can ensure that nobody goes near it.
- Government Initiative
Some of the local governments have taken actions to keep a limit on pollution.
Conclusion
It is not just about our lives, and we have to care about the future generations as well. It is important that we do what we can to reduce pollution. A small step can have a huge impact. We have to leave earth with lifeforms and rich biodiversity for our kids. If our world is going to go down, this path everyone is going to suffer from a disease. WHO had estimated that every year almost 7 million people die because of exposure to harmful particles in the air.
