Air Quality + Fossil Fuels
Air Quality and the Impact of Fossil Fuels (8/22)
p424 on photos
generating energy: fuel source (burn it) --> heat h20 --> steam (pressure) --> turbine --> generator --> electricity
wind
hydro
natural gas
nuclear
geothermal
coal
biofuel
oil
inverter: turns alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) (ie charging block)
power plant: DC
DC doesn't travel over long distances well :: put DC plants thru inverter --> AC
plug in: AC
battery: DC
solar power doesn't use the above process (energy of photon causes electrons to move, making electricity )
burning things ^^ leaves things in the air and pollutes it
Put on sticky note…
GASSES FOUND IN CLEAN AIR: nitrogen (70%), oxygen (21%), small amts of trace gasses (1% argon, 0.044% CO2)
POLLUTANTS FROM BURNING FOSSIL FUELS: carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, mercury, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCS)
HOW POLLUTANTS AFFECT ENVIRONMENT/HUMAN HEALTH: acid rain, smog day, tropospheric level ozone (asthma)
Layers of the atmosphere:
Troposphere: weather, humans
Cold as go up
Stratosphere: ozone layer, gas
Warms up as go up
Mesosphere:
Thermosphere:
Thermal Inversion Layers
Warm air rises and mixes w cool air = pollution dissipates
Valleys: Warm air gets stuck in and can’t mix w cool air and can’t dissipate pollution
Warm inversion layer above the valley
Valley below is cool
Air Pollution
Most is manmade
Natural air pollution: volcanic ash, dust, pollen/spores
– Anthropogenic pollution –
Primary pollutant: manmade (gasoline combustion)
Secondary pollutant: primary + smth else = another pollutant (man made sulfur dioxide + water = acid rain) (ie. troposphere ozone)
Burning Fossil Fuels Releases Specific Air Pollutants
All fossil fuels are carbon based
Complete combustion: carbon dioxide → greenhouse gasses
Incomplete combustion: (o2 limited) carbon monoxide →interference w red blood cells (CO poisoning), indoor pollutants
CO binds to hemoglobin, blood cells think that CO is O2
Mercury: burning coal
Particulate Matter: dust (particles that fall to ground)
Volatile Organic Compounds: can form tropospheric ozone
In house – paints, air fresheners etc (headaches, eye/throat irritation)
Burning fossil fuels creates acid rain
Sulfur dioxide
Nitrogen oxides
Impacts of acidic rain
Mainly affects communities downwind of coal burning power plants
Leaches metals from soil, toxic metal build-up → plants cant grow, disrupts bugs
Metals in soil go to waterways →affects aquatic life
Industrial smog
Burning coal → pollutants/co2 nitrogen and sulfur dioxides
Industrialization
Photochemical Smog
Sunlight catalyzes reaction w pollution →brown air smog
Tropospheric ozone
Health Effects of Ground Level Ozone
Burns when you breathe it in
Asthma
The Clean Air Act (1970)
EPA limits emissions and requires gradual elimination of lead from gasoline
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Criteria Air Polutants
Carbon monoxide
Nitrogen dioxide
Sulfur dioxide
Particulate matter
Troposphere ozone (secondary pollutant) (by limiting nitrogen and sulfur dioxide)
lead
Reducing Air Pollution Through Regulations
Scrubbers/filters on smokestacks (where gas goes out): remove air pollutants
Catalytic converters on vehicles: convert air pollutants to less harmful CO2, N2, O2, and H2O
Vapor recovery nozzles at gas stations: trap harmful vapors from being released from pump
Reducing Air Pollution Through Conservation
Reduce use of resources: drive less, turn off lights, energy efficient appliances/vehicles, etc
Support: Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency standards (vehicles), improving product efficiency, etc
Reducing Air Pollution Through Alternative Fuels
Electric vehicles
Hydrogen fuelled vehicles
Biofuels: liquid fuels from biomass/plants (ie ethanol)