ENWC201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Methanogenesis, Water Pollution, Eutrophication
15 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Agriculture pollution and pesticides
Agriculture - production, processing, marketing, and use of foods, fibers
and byproducts from plant crops and animals
Invention of the plow and increase of harvest efficiency
§
Learned to fertilize crops and add pesticide crops
§
○
Fertilizer
Nutrients are removed
§
Fertilizers supplement
§
Consist of:
Macronutrients - N, P, K
□
Micronutrients - B, Zn, etc
□
Adding these nutrients back to the soil
□
§
Has allowed the semi-viable land to be farmed
§
100 million tons per year of nitrogen fertilizers
§
40 million tons per year of phosphate fertilizers
§
What are the consequences?
Eutrophication
Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of
water, from runoff from the land
®
Things will grow more because they have more
nutrients
Algae reproduce rapidly with nitrogen
◊
Adds a ton of oxygen to the water, draws in fish
to eat it
◊
Algae gets so thick that sunlight doesn’t
penetrate, then the algae and plants die and rot
◊
Oxygen poor environment in an area with a ton of
fish and plants
◊
®
Causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal
life from lack of oxygen
®
Dead zones
®
□
Methane production
Methanogenenesis = creation of methane
®
Fertilizer stimulates methanogenesis
Fertilizing rice causes this
◊
GMO rice may help this
◊
®
Methane contributes to global warming
®
□
Other implications of fertilizer use
Pollution - example: high nitrate levels can cause coma
and death
®
Heavy metal accumulation: uranium, cadmium, arsenic
®
□
§
○
Pesticides
any chemical used to kill or control unwanted populations of fungi,
animals, or plants
Insecticides
DDT
Used in WW2 to control malaria and typhus
◊
silent spring
◊
Thin egg shells
◊
Still used in many developing countries
◊
®
Human health and chlorinated hydrocarbons
Have been linked to
Diabetes
}
Premature birth and low birth rate
}
Developmental delays
}
Parkinson's
}
Asthma
}
Cancers
}
◊
®
Organophosphates and carbamates
Interfere with the function of the nervous system
◊
Non specific
◊
High toxicity to humans
◊
Do not persist in the environment
But..
Kills the animals that eat our crops
and the animals that eat the insects
–
}
◊
®
□
Herbicides
Acute exposure
®
Cancer
®
Parkinson's
®
Reproductive effects
®
Genetic damage
®
?
®
□
Fungicides□
Rodenticides
Warfarin - causes internal bleeding in any animals that
consumes it
®
Non specific
®
□
§
○
•
Water pollution
The importance of water
Water is essential to life
§
70-95% of cells are water
§
Humans and water 70% water
§
The world needs water!!! Everything needs water!!
§
○
In the US, 45% of streams are considered polluted
○
Two types of water pollution
Point source pollution
Comes from a single point
Ex oil spills, pipe leak
®
□
§
Non point source
Ex pollution from fertilizer
Comes from fields all over
®
□
§
Industrial pollution
Chemical contamination□
Radioactive materials□
Mining industries are particularly prone to pollution
Cyanide used
®
□
§
Thermal pollution
Change in water temp□
Makes some fish not able to survive in hotter waters□
§
Municipal pollution
From our cities□
Fecal coliform bacteria and human pathogens□
Soaps and detergents□
Antibiotics□
Hormones□
Fire retardants□
Other chemicals□
§
○
•
Air pollution
May be natural or man made
○
Primary air pollution - substance directly emitted from a process,
vehicular pollution, power plants
○
Secondary air pollution - pollutants form in the air where primary
pollutions react or interact (eg smog)
○
Criteria air pollutants (ones we monitor and try to control)
Carbon monoxide
§
Particulate matter
§
Sulfur dioxide - primary
§
Nitrogen oxides - primary
§
Lead
§
Ozone
§
○
Acid rain
Secondary air polluton
§
Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides
Form sulfuric acid and nitric acid□
4.5 pH□
§
○
Effects on wildlife and biodiversity
Acid deposition alters the pH of aquatic environments
§
Range of tolerance'
§
Kills animals
§
Trees die, embryos die, etc
§
Removes nutrients like calcium and magnesium
§
○
•
Light pollution
Birds become disoriented and fly into things and die
○
Estimates range from 4,000,000-40,000,000
○
Sea turtle hatch
At night, the water is always light. That is the sea turtles cue of
where to go
§
When there is artificial light they go towards that - end up in a city
§
○
•
Trash
Where does the trash go?
Water
§
○
How long does it take to go away?
Plastic jug - 1 mil years
§
Plastic is never actually gone - just decrades in
§
○
Ends up in the oceans when its not in a landfill
Killing animals when they eat it
§
Also fish
§
○
•
Pollution
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
1:25 PM
Agriculture pollution and pesticides
Agriculture - production, processing, marketing, and use of foods, fibers
and byproducts from plant crops and animals
Invention of the plow and increase of harvest efficiency
§
Learned to fertilize crops and add pesticide crops
§
○
Fertilizer
Nutrients are removed
§
Fertilizers supplement
§
Consist of:
Macronutrients - N, P, K□
Micronutrients - B, Zn, etc□
Adding these nutrients back to the soil□
§
Has allowed the semi-viable land to be farmed
§
100 million tons per year of nitrogen fertilizers
§
40 million tons per year of phosphate fertilizers
§
What are the consequences?
Eutrophication
Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of
water, from runoff from the land
®
Things will grow more because they have more
nutrients
Algae reproduce rapidly with nitrogen
◊
Adds a ton of oxygen to the water, draws in fish
to eat it
◊
Algae gets so thick that sunlight doesn’t
penetrate, then the algae and plants die and rot
◊
Oxygen poor environment in an area with a ton of
fish and plants
◊
®
Causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal
life from lack of oxygen
®
Dead zones
®
□
Methane production
Methanogenenesis = creation of methane
®
Fertilizer stimulates methanogenesis
Fertilizing rice causes this
◊
GMO rice may help this
◊
®
Methane contributes to global warming
®
□
Other implications of fertilizer use
Pollution - example: high nitrate levels can cause coma
and death
®
Heavy metal accumulation: uranium, cadmium, arsenic
®
□
§
○
Pesticides
any chemical used to kill or control unwanted populations of fungi,
animals, or plants
Insecticides
DDT
Used in WW2 to control malaria and typhus
◊
silent spring
◊
Thin egg shells
◊
Still used in many developing countries
◊
®
Human health and chlorinated hydrocarbons
Have been linked to
Diabetes
}
Premature birth and low birth rate
}
Developmental delays
}
Parkinson's
}
Asthma
}
Cancers
}
◊
®
Organophosphates and carbamates
Interfere with the function of the nervous system
◊
Non specific
◊
High toxicity to humans
◊
Do not persist in the environment
But..
Kills the animals that eat our crops
and the animals that eat the insects
–
}
◊
®
□
Herbicides
Acute exposure
®
Cancer
®
Parkinson's
®
Reproductive effects
®
Genetic damage
®
?
®
□
Fungicides□
Rodenticides
Warfarin - causes internal bleeding in any animals that
consumes it
®
Non specific
®
□
§
○
•
Water pollution
The importance of water
Water is essential to life
§
70-95% of cells are water
§
Humans and water 70% water
§
The world needs water!!! Everything needs water!!
§
○
In the US, 45% of streams are considered polluted
○
Two types of water pollution
Point source pollution
Comes from a single point
Ex oil spills, pipe leak
®
□
§
Non point source
Ex pollution from fertilizer
Comes from fields all over
®
□
§
Industrial pollution
Chemical contamination□
Radioactive materials□
Mining industries are particularly prone to pollution
Cyanide used
®
□
§
Thermal pollution
Change in water temp□
Makes some fish not able to survive in hotter waters□
§
Municipal pollution
From our cities□
Fecal coliform bacteria and human pathogens□
Soaps and detergents□
Antibiotics□
Hormones□
Fire retardants□
Other chemicals□
§
○
•
Air pollution
May be natural or man made
○
Primary air pollution - substance directly emitted from a process,
vehicular pollution, power plants
○
Secondary air pollution - pollutants form in the air where primary
pollutions react or interact (eg smog)
○
Criteria air pollutants (ones we monitor and try to control)
Carbon monoxide
§
Particulate matter
§
Sulfur dioxide - primary
§
Nitrogen oxides - primary
§
Lead
§
Ozone
§
○
Acid rain
Secondary air polluton
§
Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides
Form sulfuric acid and nitric acid□
4.5 pH□
§
○
Effects on wildlife and biodiversity
Acid deposition alters the pH of aquatic environments
§
Range of tolerance'
§
Kills animals
§
Trees die, embryos die, etc
§
Removes nutrients like calcium and magnesium
§
○
•
Light pollution
Birds become disoriented and fly into things and die
○
Estimates range from 4,000,000-40,000,000
○
Sea turtle hatch
At night, the water is always light. That is the sea turtles cue of
where to go
§
When there is artificial light they go towards that - end up in a city
§
○
•
Trash
Where does the trash go?
Water
§
○
How long does it take to go away?
Plastic jug - 1 mil years
§
Plastic is never actually gone - just decrades in
§
○
Ends up in the oceans when its not in a landfill
Killing animals when they eat it
§
Also fish
§
○
•
Pollution
Tuesday, April 17, 2018 1:25 PM
Document Summary
Agriculture - production, processing, marketing, and use of foods, fibers and byproducts from plant crops and animals. Invention of the plow and increase of harvest efficiency. Learned to fertilize crops and add pesticide crops. Has allowed the semi-viable land to be farmed. 100 million tons per year of nitrogen fertilizers. 40 million tons per year of phosphate fertilizers. Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, from runoff from the land. Things will grow more because they have more nutrients. Adds a ton of oxygen to the water, draws in fish to eat it. Algae gets so thick that sunlight doesn"t penetrate, then the algae and plants die and rot. Oxygen poor environment in an area with a ton of fish and plants. Causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen. Pollution - example: high nitrate levels can cause coma and death.
