Muhoja
Muhoja
COURSE: HDAE II
REG.NO: NIT/BAE/2015/281
Many environmental problems which the world faces today have arisen from using fossil fuel
The ones that have received the most publicity in recent years have been the
Fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas consist largely of carbon and hydrogen. The process
that we call "burning" actually is chemical reactions with oxygen in the air.
The carbon dioxide that is released is the cause of the greenhouse effect as it traps heat in
the earth’s atmosphere thereby increasing the temperature of the Earth.
Prior to the industrial age, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was less
than 280 ppm (parts per million).
By 1958 the carbon dioxide concentration had risen to 315 ppm, and by 1986 it was 350
ppm. The average temperature of the Earth has been about 1 degree warmer in the 20th
century than in the 19th century.
As the rate of burning coal, oil, and gas escalates, so too does the rate of increase of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
If current trends continue the concentration of CO2 will be 700 ppm by 2030 and the
result would be to raise the earth’s temperature by 7 °F.
METHANE EMISSIONS
CH4 is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted in the United States from
human activities
Methane's lifetime in the atmosphere is much shorter than CO2, but CH4 is more
efficient at trapping radiation than CO2
fluorinated gases(HFCs, PFCs, NF3, SF6) have no natural sources and only come from
human-related activities.
fluorinated gases are the most potent and longest lasting type of greenhouse gases
emitted by human activities
Many fluorinated gases, small atmospheric concentrations can have large effects on
global
temperatures
Fluorinated gases are removed from the atmosphere only when they are destroyed by
sunlight in the far upper atmosphere
Each chlorine atom reacts with ozone, repeatedly combining with and breaking apart as many
as
ACID RAIN
Coal and oil contain small amounts of sulfur & nitrogen, typically 0.5% to 3% by weight.
In the combustion process,
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides undergo chemical reactions in the atmosphere to
become sulfuric acid and nitric acid, respectively, dissolved in water droplets that
eventually may fall to the ground as rain
AIR POLLUTION
High SO2 levels causes increased death among people with heart and lung
diseases.
Nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2 etc) can irritate the lungs, cause bronchitis and
pneumonia, and lower resistance to respiratory infections such as influenza.
CO bonds chemically to hemoglobin, and thus reduces the amount of
O2available to the body tissues.
Particulates, when inhaled, can scratch or otherwise damage the respiratory
system, causing acute and/or chronic respiratory illnesses.
Hydrocarbons cause smog and are important in the formation of ozone. Ozone
irritates the eyes and the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.
1.htt://www..phyast.pitt.edu/blc/book/chapter3.html
2.https://www..epa.gov/acidicrain/effects_acidic_rain