Reducing Acid Rain Or Its Effects

The video explains acid rain as a dilute solution of nitric and sulfuric acids, with a pH around 4. It discusses the sources of nitrogen and sulfur in acid rain, primarily from motor vehicles and power stations. Initial solutions like using tall chimneys and adding limestone to lakes were partly successful. A better method is scrubbing, using alkalis like lime or seawater to trap sulfur dioxide before it reaches the atmosphere. In refineries, sulfur is removed from crude oil through hydrodesulfurisation. To reduce nitric acid, catalytic converters in vehicles convert nitrogen oxides back to nitrogen and oxygen. The best prevention is stopping sulfur and nitrogen oxides from entering the atmosphere.

What are catalytic converters and how do they help in reducing nitric acid in rain?

Summarize the best strategies to prevent the formation of acid rain as discussed in the text.