A new approach to the problem of removal of soluble gaseous pollutants from the atmosphere and its correspondence with the existing approach

Abstract

A new approach has been developed using the kinetic theory for the dissolution of gaseous pollutants in cloud droplets. The existing theory, using the diffusion approach, assumes dissolving gas to be a continuous medium. This approach may not always be suitable; especially, as the mean free paths of the pollutant gases at the existing concentrations available at the atmosphere are of the same order as the diameter of the cloud droplets. We develop an equation by considering the mass of the gas molecules striking per unit area of the droplets. Equations are also developed for the rate of dissolution of gaseous air pollutants and an attempt has been made to find out the correspondence with the classical approach and the mass transfer process.