C1 - topic 5 - environmental problems Flashcards
what do power stations burn to make electricity?
huge amounts of fossil fuels
when fossil fuels are burnt what is always released into the atmosphere?
Carbon dioxide and water vapour
what is the equation for a fossil fuel being burnt?
hydrocarbon + oxygen > Carbon dioxide + water vapour
what fuels are sulfur impurities found in?
diesel and petrol
what is put into the air when sulfur impurities ate released?
sulfur dioxide
what does sulfur dioxide cause?
acid rain
when sulfur dioxide mixes with clouds what is formed?
sulfuric acid
what are the cons of acid rain?
1) causes lakes to become acidic and many plants and animal for as a result
2) kills trees and damages limestone buildings and ruins stone statues
3) there has also been links with human health
have international agreements been put in place to reduce emissions of air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide?
yes
can sulfur be removed from fuels before they’re burned?
yes
what is a disadvantage of removing sulfur from fuels before they’re burned?
it costs more to do it and takes more energy which involves burning fuels so more of the green house gas Carbon dioxide is released
how is acid rain prevented?
cleaning up emissions
what do power stations have to take the harmful gases out before they release their fumes into the atmosphere?
acid gas scrubbers that use limestone
what are cats now fitted with to clean up their exhaust gases?
catalytic converter
what is a way of reducing acid rain?
reduce our usage of fossil fuels
when you burn fuels what is real eased?
gases and particles
what kind of gas in carbon dioxide?
green house gas
the temperature of the earth is a balance between what?
the heat it gets from the sun and the heat it radiates back out into space
what 3 gases act as an insulating layer?
Carbon dioxide
methane
water vapour
what do green house gases do?
act as an insulating layer and absorb most of the heat that would normally be radiated out into space and re radiate it in all directions
what affects the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
human activity
what is an example of human activity that affects the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
deforestation, burning fossil fuels
what is the affect of the world facially heating called?
global warming
is the atmosphere heating up or cooling down?
heating up
is human activity affecting climate change?
yes
why is deforestation occurring and how does it affect the atmosphere?
people are cutting down large areas of forests for timber and to clear land for farming which increases Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
why does deforestation increase Carbon dioxide levels?
Carbon dioxide is real eased when trees are burnt to clear land
micro organisms feeding on bits of dead wood release Carbon dioxide as a water product of respiration
trees use Carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, removing trees means less carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere
how does burning fossil contribute to global warming?
they release Carbon dioxide
what are two ways that scientist are trying to limit the increase in Carbon dioxide?
iron seeding
converting Carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons
what is the element iron needed by plants for?
photosynthesis
how does iron allow plants to photosynthesis?
iron is injected into the upper ocean promoting the growth of phytoplankton
How does iron seeding prevent the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
blooms of phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for photosynthesis
what is a disadvantage of iron seeding?
we have no way of controlling what plankton grows and some are toxic
can you convert carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons?
yes
what different methods are being tested to convert Carbon dioxide waste into hydrocarbons?
using:
high pressure
high temperature
metal catalyst
