Environmental technologies. The problem of environmental pollution. Human impact on nature

Everyone knows that one of the most acute problems facing humanity today is the pollution of our environment. This topic finds resonance in scientific circles, and it is discussed by many media.

To date, various organizations have been established and are working, whose activities are aimed at combating all deteriorating natural conditions. Scientists are sounding the alarm, warning humanity of the imminence of terrible environmental disasters.

And today the issue of pollution of our environment is one of the most discussed. She devoted a lot of books and scientific works. However, despite all the efforts made, the issue of pollution of nature remains relevant and important. Do not put it off the shelf. The consequences of environmental disasters are unpredictable and can become a great tragedy for our planet.

History of pollution

The problem of preserving nature, which worries humanity today, is not new. Even in the era of primitive society, people barbarously destroyed forests, exterminated animals, changed the landscape of the territory in order to obtain valuable resources and create arable land. Already in those distant times, such activities led not only to climate change, but also to the emergence of other environmental problems.

With the increase in the number of inhabitants of our planet and the progress of civilization, people began to intensively extract minerals and drain water. The influence of man on nature was aggravated by the technical revolution. It not only marked a new era of social order, but also brought a new wave of natural pollution.

With the development of technology and science, man has received into his hands a different instrument, using which one can make a trial and accurate analysis of the ecological state of our planet. And the urgency of this issue is confirmed by alarming weather reports, data on the control of soil, water and air chemistry, as well as satellite imagery. Negative impact on the environment is provided by smoking pipes of plants and oil spots formed on the water surface. With the expansion of the technosphere, the problem of preserving the ecology is rapidly exacerbated. No wonder the main ecological catastrophe of our planet is the very appearance of man.

Sources of pollution

To ensure their life, a person has to work. He extracts water in order to consume it and use it in production. Necessary for human life and food. They also need to be grown, extracted and processed. The goal of all other activities of people is to address their household needs for clothing and housing. For this, the extraction and processing of minerals and natural resources is carried out, their transportation and transportation are carried out, energy is generated.

Man constantly struggles not only for life, but also for improving its quality. He expands his space, waging devastating wars, mastering space, engaged in science, etc.

All of the above human activities are nothing more than the main sources of pollution of our planet. After all, their result is the emergence of domestic and industrial waste.

Sources of pollution of nature are classified according to the relevant production areas. The most dangerous for our planet is the extraction of gas and oil, chemical industry and metallurgy, energy, agriculture and transport. And the formation of waste is not only at the end of the production cycle. Substances that pollute our planet are also produced during the technological process.

Sometimes, waste itself becomes dangerous to nature. If they are stored incorrectly, disposed of, and if not processed, they become a source of harmful emissions.

Assessment of the environmental situation

Today, mankind strives to use the achievements of scientific and technological progress in solving environmental problems. First of all, this is due to the optimization and improvement of resource-saving and environmentally friendly technological processes, the creation of waste-free industries and the extensive use of water circulation systems. The evaluation of the state of the natural environment becomes especially important. It becomes possible on the basis of data obtained by the systems controlling the emission of hazardous elements into the environment and the state of natural objects. The main purpose of this assessment is the possibility of early diagnosis of negative changes.

An information system of continuous monitoring and subsequent analysis of pollution levels and the effects caused by these processes in the biosphere is called monitoring. This procedure consists of three elements:

- observations;
- assessment of the state;
- the forecast of probable changes.

To monitor the environment, regular monitoring of natural resources and environments, animals and flora is conducted. At the same time, the obtained data make it possible to determine their state, as well as those processes that occur because the person's influence on nature is realized.

As a result of environmental monitoring conducted by researchers, a constant assessment of the conditions of the environment in which man lives and various biological objects (animals, plants, microorganisms, etc.) is given. In this analysis, the functional value of ecosystems is also determined. In addition, if there is any problem of environmental pollution, ecologists determine those corrective actions that must be taken to improve the state of nature.

Still, the main component of monitoring is the assessment of the state of the natural environment. To determine it, the characteristics and indicators of the objects of nature are selected, and their direct change is revealed. The totality of the obtained data allows to answer the question "What is the state of the environment?".

Types of environmental protection measures

What are the ways to solve environmental problems? First of all, they are concluded in carrying out various kinds of nature protection measures. This concept, which is abbreviated as PMS, includes all types of diverse economic activities of a person that are aimed at eliminating and reducing the negative impact of production on the environment. Under such measures are also understood the preservation, rational use and improvement of the country's resource and raw materials base. At the same time, the types of environmental technologies are as follows:

- erection and operation of detoxifying and treatment facilities;
- development of waste-free and low-waste production and technological processes;
- distribution of traffic flows and enterprises taking into account environmental requirements;
- combating erosion of the soil cover;
- land reclamation;
- rational use of various mineral resources and protection of mineral resources and much more.

The purpose of environmental protection measures

How to combine such different concepts as "production" and "environment"? Environmental technologies are the main key to solving environmental problems arising on our planet.

Their use is intended to ensure:

- Compliance with the developed regulatory requirements for the state of the environment, which meet the interests of human health and take into account the long-term changes caused by demographic shifts and development of the production sector;
- obtaining the greatest national economic effect from a more complete use and conservation of mineral resources.

Atmosphere protection

Let's consider the basic ways of the decision of ecological problems which are concluded in use of nature-saving technologies.

Industrial enterprises, developing measures to protect the atmosphere, primarily determine:

- sources of emission of harmful substances;
- amount and composition of emissions;
- levels of air pollution in the areas of dispersion of hazardous elements;
- MPE emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere.

At the same time, one or another technological solution must be adopted to reduce the harmful effect on the atmosphere with the determination of the required amount of gas cleaning and dust-collecting equipment.

Wastewater treatment

The application of environmental technologies also affects this sphere of industrial production. Wastewater enterprises must be treated with special substances. Only in this case, destruction or removal from them of hazardous elements that do not have to enter water bodies according to the current legislation.

There are two methods of such purification - destructive and regenerative. At the first of them dangerous substances contained in the water that has passed the technological cycle are destroyed by various chemical or physicochemical methods (reduction, oxidation, etc.). As a result, disintegration products are obtained, which are removed as precipitation or gases.

In the regeneration procedure, liquid waste is returned to the process cycle, used in another production, or lost valuable components in them. Such environmental protection technologies distinguish contaminated water, spent fuel or oils as their objects, as well as various multicomponent mixtures.

Recycling

The problem of environmental pollution can not be solved without the use of environmental technologies related to the collection, destruction and burial of various kinds of unnecessary elements. At the same time waste not only of industrial production is considered, but also solid household waste. This problem is especially acute in cities and industrial centers.

What are the environmental technologies that can solve this basic problem? To them it is possible to carry:

- Waste volume reduction;
- re-use of resources recycled as part of solid waste;
- burning of non-hazardous waste;
- placement of solid waste at special landfills, where they will be stored for a long time (if there are hazardous substances in their composition).

Wasteless technologies

Today, the process of improving technology is gaining momentum. Industry produces a huge number of very complex mechanisms and machines, consisting of a variety of materials. Their list includes non-ferrous and ferrous metals, wood and plastic, fiberglass, rubber and composites. At the same time, the life of such equipment is not determined by its physical wear and tear. It is very morally obsolete. That is why more and more technically sound products and materials are on the dump. However, this raw material is quite useful when creating new mechanisms. And here there are places such environmental technologies as the creation of cyclical material flows.

A promising direction in this case is the expansion of industries using wasteless technology. With this method of production, environmental and energy-saving technologies are used. This allows us to maintain the normal operation of the environment due to minimal impact on it.

A large number of modern productions throw some of their waste into the air and into the water. However, in that, gets into the atmosphere, there are also valuable substances for management. Applying environmental technologies, you can identify the necessary elements. The most promising project that would solve this task is the use of waste from one production as raw material of another. This will significantly reduce the volume of liquid, solid and gaseous emissions and discharges.

Ecology and Fuel and Energy Complex

An important condition for the preservation of our planet are environmental technologies in heat power engineering. This is due to the fact that the enterprises of this complex are one of the main sources of negative environmental impacts.

Stages of work of the fuel and energy complex are concluded in:

- extraction, processing and transportation of fuel;
- the production of energy in the form of electricity and heat;
- transportation and processing of waste and their disposal.

In all of the above stages there is an entire technological chain of interrelated processes. And each of these links has its impact on nature. So, impressive emissions into the air are produced from large coal cuts. At the same time, carbon dioxide and dust, nitrogen oxides and toxins enter the atmosphere. All these substances are the result of blasting and the movement of career vehicles.

The TPP also has a negative impact on the environment. To generate heat, they burn gas and fuel oil, peat and coal, as well as wood waste. At the same time, toxic substances and hazardous chemical elements are emitted into the atmosphere.

What environmental technologies are used in this complex? The harmful effect on the environment is reduced due to:

- installed cleaning systems;
- optimization of technological processes at all stages of electricity and heat generation;
- selection of organic fuel;
- cleaning of waste gases;
- emissions of hazardous elements into the atmosphere and into water bodies.

Increase energy conservation and environmental safety of the complex is possible only when taking measures implemented at all three stages of its operation.

Conclusion

In the history of the biosphere there were many shocks. Over the course of four billion years, it extinguished the negative consequences that had occurred during the eruption of powerful volcanoes, the fall of large meteorites, etc. The biosphere managed to change levels of stability in the ice-free and icy Earth, the disintegration and unification of continents, etc. At the same time, there was always a stabilization of the environment, which was kept within the limits of acceptability for life.

It is likely that in past times nature was harmed by certain destroyers, which she simply cut off. In this case, the disappeared species never appeared again. Today these laws of nature can touch a person. If he continues to believe that he is playing a leading role on the planet, he will strengthen the approach of an ecological catastrophe, and may disappear as a destroyer species. However, this can be avoided if we balance the activities of human society according to the concept of biospheric development, based on the known laws of chemistry, physics and biology.