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The “Big Five” Air Pollutants

The “Big Five” Air Pollutants. Carbon Monoxide. When fossil fuels and other organic fuels (e.g. wood) burn, they release water vapor and carbon dioxide by a process called “complete combustion”

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The “Big Five” Air Pollutants

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  1. The “Big Five” Air Pollutants

  2. Carbon Monoxide • When fossil fuels and other organic fuels (e.g. wood) burn, they release water vapor and carbon dioxide by a process called “complete combustion” • This reaction is never truly perfect, however, and as a result, we get a fair amount of “incomplete combustion” • Incomplete combustion is the source of several waste products that come from burning fossil fuels • One product of incomplete combustion is carbon monoxide, a very deadly poison

  3. Carbon Monoxide • Carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin which would normally carry oxygen to the body’s organs, but instead carry carbon monoxide

  4. Carbon Monoxide Carbon Monoxide Oxygen

  5. Carbon Monoxide • Sources of carbon monoxide include: • Automobile exhaust • Furnaces • Cigarettes • Fires • Indoor carbon monoxide detectors can be installed to protect residents of the house from over-exposure

  6. Carbon Monoxide • We can minimize (but not eliminate) the amount of carbon monoxide released by a car using a catalytic converter • Catalytic converters cause carbon monoxide (and other waste products) to react and form less harmful substances

  7. Unburned Hydrocarbons • Also called volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) • Sources • Incomplete combustion of gasoline • Evaporation of gasoline or other solvents (paints, cleaning fluids, etc) • Are partly dealt with by catalytic converters

  8. Nitrogen Oxides • Referred to as Nox as it can be several compounds of nitrogen and oxygen (NO2, N2O4, for example) • Sources • Incomplete combustion in car engines • Incomplete combustion in furnaces

  9. VOC and NOx • When VOC’s and NOx’s are combined together in the atmosphere, and exposed to sunlight, the combination produces photochemical smog • Smog contains three components • VOC’s • NOx’s • Ozone

  10. VOC and NOx • Ozone is found in two places: • Stratosphere – protects sun from ultraviolet radiation • Troposphere – acts as key component of smog

  11. VOC and NOx • VOC’s & Nox undergo a chemical reaction in the sun to produce ozone • Ozone in the troposphere • Lung irritant • Eye irritant • Been shown to cause emphysema • NOx • Brown color of smog • Shown to cause numerous breathing disorders, including lung cancer

  12. VOC and NOx

  13. Sulfur Oxides (SOx) • Coal contains sulfur (though the higher quality coals, anthracite, have a very low sulfur content). • When coal burns, this sulfur becomes a sulfur oxide (SOx) released into the air. Sox react with water in the air to become very acidic, forming acid rain • Can be controlled by scrubbing, a process used to remove sulfur from emissions where coal is burned

  14. Sulfur Oxides (SOx)

  15. Particulates • Particulates – small solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in air currents • Most are natural (pollen, fog for example) • Many arise from industrial and combustion processes • Particulates reduce visibility, cause stains, and may play a role in climate change

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