(7.6-7.8) APES Vocab

(7.6) Clean Air Act

creates & enforces national air quality standards (NAAQS) to protect ppl./enviro. health

(7.6) Alternative fuels

reduce # of pollu. in emissions

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* ex. (primarily) __ethanol__, natural gas, propane, electricity, biofuels

(7.6) National Renewable Fuel (RF) program

est. in CAA; calls for increase in vol. of renewable fuels in gas

(7.6) No-idle-zones

no letting ur car engine run

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* ex. in winter, u wouldn't be able to let ur car warm up before going to it

(7.6) Vapor recovery system

(of nozzle) gas pump nozzle recovers vapors that escape when u fill up ur car; sends them to underground storage tank

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* NO longer EPA required since 2013 (cuz of ORVR success).

(7.6) Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery System (ORVR)

(of cars) vehicles themselves capture vapors & burn them in the car's combustion chamber

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* EPA required since 2006. VERY succesful

(7.6) Catalytic converter

via high temp. & chem. reactions, reduces toxicity of emissions

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* CO2, NOx, VOCs r released in combustion. CC undergoes chem. reaction, turning that into O2, H2O, N2. also N2O & CO2 (greenhouse gases).

(7.6) Catalyst

smnth. that speeds up a chem. reaction w/o being changed itself

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* for CC, is a precious metal

(7.6) Oxidation

done via catalyst; turns unburned VOCs (in exhaust) into CO2 & H2)

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* oxygen added; CO turns to CO2

(7.6) Scrubbers

remove pollu. like SOx, NOx, PM

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* mandated to do this in CAA

(7.6) Wet scrubbers

use liquid (mist, spray, ...) to capture pollu.

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* remove pollu. de exhaust stream of coal-fired power plants

(7.6) Gypsum

soft sulfate material; made when SOx interact w/ wet scrubbers

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* can be used as drywall (tho not everyone likes using it)

(7.6) Dry scrubbers

use dry substances to capture pollu.

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* push away dry particles. r collected at bottom of container and treated by chems. exhaust stream of coal-fired power plants

(7.6) Electrostatic precipitators

use electric charge attractions to remove particles (pollu.) de exhaust stream of coal-fired power plants

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* forced gas thru chamber, changing charge of pollu. soot particles move past metal filter w/ opp. charge; get stuck to them. clean air leaves chamber. 1st step in cleaning pollu.

(7.7) Acid deposition

the falling of acid rain/snow onto Earth

(7.7) Acid rain

pH of 4.3 of lower

(7.7) Normal rian

pH of 5.6

(7.8) Noise pollution

sound at levels high enough to cause physiological stress and hearing loss

(7.8) Noise

measured in decibels (dB) on logarithmic scale

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* J-scale; small increase is actually HUGE

(7.8) U.S Noise Control Act of 1972

enabled EPA to regulate noise; set emission standards for transport, machinery, construction, ...

(7.8) Quiet Communities Act

provides funding; helps communities reduce noise pollu. de airports

(7.8) Echolocation

determining the location of objects by reflected sound

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* noise pollu. messes w/ marine organi. that use this