Air Pollution

Question 1

What are primary pollutants and list one?

Answer 1

Directly released into the atmosphere

Nox’s

Question 2

How are primary pollutants created?

Answer 2

 Combustion: Burning of a fuel - #1 Source of primary pollutants
 Evaporation: When volatiles such as gasoline or paint evaporate into atmosphere
 Grinding and Abrasion: Dust from ploughing, flaking of paint or asbestos

Question 3

How are secondary pollutants created?

Answer 3

 Created due to physical processes and chemical reactions

 i.e. Ozone

Question 4

How are anthropogenic emissions created?

Answer 4

man-made

Question 5

What are the Mobile Sources responsible for most of CO and almost half of NOx’s?

Answer 5

 Highway Vehicles (Cars and Trucks)
 Railroads
 Aircraft
 Farm Vehicles
 Boats and Ships

Question 6

What are the Stationary Sources responsible for most of the SOx, Hg, PMs VOCs and the
other half of the NOx’s?

Answer 6

 Fuel combustion from electrical power plants
 Fuel combustion from industrial energy systems
 Industrial processes (refining, chemical production etc.)

Question 7

What are some properties of CO?

Answer 7

 CO is an Asphyxiant
 Colourless
 Odourless
 Tasteless
 Less than perfect combustion – Carbon Monoxide

Question 8

When is CO formed?

Answer 8

 Insufficient O2
 Combustion temp too low
 Gas residence time at ++T
 Combustion Chamber Turbulence

Question 9

Which sector produces 80% of all CO emissions?

Answer 9

Transport Sector

Question 10

What are CO reductions at the expense of?

Answer 10

NOx

i.e. as CO levels drop in transport emissions, NOx‘s increase

Question 11

What are 95% of man-made emissions?

Answer 11

NO

Question 12

What are VOC’s?

Answer 12

Volatile Organic Compounds

Question 13

How do VOS’s enter the atmosphere?

Answer 13

Evaporation

Question 14

List a secondary pollutant

Answer 14

O3

Question 15

Define PM’s:

Answer 15

Complex mixture of solid and liquid particles of organic and inorganic substances suspended in the air

Question 16

What is the size range of PM?

Answer 16

Size ranges from 0.005μm to 100μm

Question 17

Which pollutants affect people the most?

Answer 17

PM

Question 18

How is Acid Rain formed?

Answer 18

When SOx’s react in air

Question 19

What are the differences between a rich mixture and a lean mixture?

Answer 19

Rich Mixture: More Petrol

Lean Mixture: More Air

Question 20

What type of mixture does a diesel engine use and why?

Answer 20

Very lean mixture as it does not rely on spark

Question 21

What are Two sources of emissions from automobiles?

Answer 21

 Exhaust Pipe

 VOC’s from the fuel tank

Question 22

Which pollutants does a three way catalytic converter handle?

Answer 22

 CO
 HC
 NOx‘s

Question 23

List the three alternative fuels:

Answer 23

Ethanol
Methanol
Biodiesel

Question 24

What type of alcohol is ethanol?

Answer 24

Grain alcohol

Question 25

What type of alcohol is methanol?

Answer 25

Wood alcohol

Question 26

How much less CO2 emissions does biodiesel produce when compared to standard diesel?

Answer 26

1/4

Question 27

What increases with Biodiesel?

Answer 27

NOx’s

Question 28

What is a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)?

Answer 28

 IC Engine and Electric Power (Generator, Electric Motor and Battery Storage)
 Uses the battery for bursts of power (buffer, not energy source)
 Regenerative braking to charge batteries

Question 29

What is a Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)?

Answer 29

 Similar to a HEV
 Larger battery storage
 Drive on battery power alone
 Charge using national grid
 Charge at night?
 Shift in emission types

Question 30

What is an electric vehicle (EV)?

Answer 30

 Pure battery power, no IC engine
 Electric motor, battery bank,
transmission and power electronics
 Ballast
 90% efficient
 Very low driving range

Question 31

What is a fuel cell vehicle (FCV)?

Answer 31

 Electrochemical process

 Convert hydrogen carrying fuel to electricity using a catalyst

Question 32

What are stationary sources?

Answer 32

Coal Fired Power Plants