Contact & Haber Process

Contact Process

Sulphur dioxide is released to the air from the burning of sulphur and the burning of coal. The sulphur dioxide is oxidised to sulphur trioxide by used the oxidising agent in the atmosphere such as ozone ( ) and hydrogen peroxide ).The sulphur trioxide forms acid rains which dissolve in the rainwater causing environmental damage. Some of the environmental problems caused by acid rain are:

a          a) Pollution by increasing the acidity of soil, rivers and pond. 

           b)  Corrosion of metallic structures. 

           c) Corrosion of marble structures

Haber Process

Haber Process is a complex chemical procedure that takes nitrogen from the air and under high pressures and temperatures combines it with hydrogen to produce ammonia. This ammonia is the base of the synthetic nitrogen fertilizers increasingly used around the world today. Nitrogen, a key component of all proteins, DNA, and RNA, is vital to life here. Plants can only use fixed nitrogen and the lack of fixed nitrogen is often the limiting factor in an ecosystem or for crops. Several issues cause by Haber Process:

        a)      Serious imbalance to the nitrogen cycle

        b)     High fossil fuel energy inputs

        c)      Negative effects on soil organisms and soil organic matter

        d)     Excess runoff cause ocean dead zones

        e)      Major component of weapons including all those roadside bombs.