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Thursday, March 21, 2019

Real Pollution versus Fake Pollution (CO2)

Critics of fossil fuels 
claim that CO2 
released by 
burning fossil fuels 
is "pollution".

That's complete nonsense.

Anti-science !

Adding CO2 to the air
greens our planet --
which is beneficial 
... if the fossil fuels are 
are burned cleanly 
with modern pollution 
controls.

That too often does not happen
in and around polluted Asian
cities, mainly in India and China.

But "environmentalists" 
don't seem to care 
about that real pollution.




It is puzzling that the most
polluting fossil fuel, coal,
had not been replaced by 
much cleaner and safer
nuclear power, 
many decades ago, 
as in France.

Blame the so-called 
"environmentalists".

There are no inexpensive
substitutes for fossil fuels
that can provide a consistent
levels of electric power.

Nuclear power 
can provide 
a consisent level 
of electric power,
but the very high 
initial investment
is a problem.




Combustion of fossil fuels, 
without air pollution abatement 
technology, releases chemicals 
harmful to humans, 
other animal life, 
and plants.

When burned, 
fossil fuels 
release 
carbon dioxide (CO2), 
water (H2O), 
carbon monoxide (CO), 
sulfur dioxide (SO2), 
nitrogen oxides (NOx), and 
particulate matter (PM). 

Another pollutant, 
ozone (O3), 
is created through a
photochemical reaction 
with the other pollutants. 

Carbon dioxide and water
are the two most essential 
foods for life, so they 
are not pollution and 
can't be health concerns.




Carbon monoxide (CO) 
is a colorless, odorless gas
from incomplete combustion.

Approximately 80% or more of
human outdoor CO emissions 
in the U.S. comes from motor 
vehicle exhaust while the rest 
comes from industrial processes 
and residential wood burning
... and smoking too !




Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is formed 
when fossil fuels containing sulfur, 
such as coal and oil, are burned, 
when gasoline is extracted 
from crude oil, and when 
metals are extracted from ore. 

Sulfur dioxide dissolves in water, 
creating what is popularly 
and inaccurately called “acid rain.”

Actually, all rain is acidic,
even without sulfur dioxide 
( rain is naturally a weak carbonic acid ).




Nitrogen oxides (NOx) 
are a group of gases 
containing nitrogen 
and oxygen, 
most of which 
are colorless 
and odorless. 

Nitrogen oxides form 
when fuel is burned 
at high temperatures, 
as in a combustion 
process. 

Half of NOx emissions 
in the U.S. come from 
motor vehicle exhaust ,
and most of the rest 
from stationery 
generators.




Particulate matter (PM) 
is a mixture of 
solid particles 
and liquid droplets 
found in the air. 

Some PM particles 
are visible
as dust or dirt.

PM2 5 refers to particles 
less than or equal to 2.5 μm 
(micrometer) in diameter. 

PM10 is less than or equal to 
10 μm in diameter 
( 1/7th the width of a human hair ) 

Examples are dust from roads 
and black carbon (soot) from 
burning wood or fossil fuels. 

“Secondary” particles 
are formed 
in the atmosphere 
from gaseous emissions, 
include sulfates 
(formed from SO2), 
nitrates 
(formed from NOx), 
and carbon 
(formed from CO2).

Fossil fuels create soot 
when the supply of oxygen 
during combustion 
is insufficient to 
completely convert 
carbon to carbon oxides. 

This typically occurs 
during the combustion 
of coal and oil, 
but not natural gas. 

PM also is produced by 
plowing, planting, 
and harvesting activities, 
forest fires, wind erosion,
desert dust, volcanoes, 
sea salt aerosols 
and biological aerosols 
(e.g., spores and pollen). 

The EPA estimates 
16% of U.S. 
PM10 emissions 
and 40% 
of PM2 5 emissions 
are man made, 
the rest is 
“fugitive dust” 
( dust from open fields, 
roadways, storage piles, etc. )




Ozone (O3) is a triatomic 
oxygen molecule gas 
that occurs in Earth’s 
upper atmosphere, 
and at ground level. 

Fossil fuel use produces 
precursors to the 
photochemical reaction 
that creates ozone 
at ground level. 

The precursors are 
carbon monoxide, 
nitrogen oxides, and 
particulate matter. 

Trees and other plants 
also produce 
ozone precursors, 
primarily in rural areas.




Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) 
are often attributable 
to the use of fossil fuels. 

Carbon monoxide, gasoline fumes, 
and benzene are three examples.

But nature, primarily plants, 
produces about ten times 
as much VOCs, by weight, 
as all human activities.




A lead (Pb) 
containing compound 
called tetraethyl lead, 
that used to be added 
to petroleum to improve 
engine performance,
used to be responsible 
for lead emissions 
from motor vehicles.

The phase-out 
of leaded gasoline 
in the United States 
and other nations, 
means lead in the air 
is no longer a public 
health hazard in the U.S.
and other developed 
countries.

The main sources of human 
lead emissions today 
are waste incinerators and 
lead-acid battery 
manufacturers.




Other pollutants:
Gasoline spilled underground 
from a leaking gas station tanks
can be a threat to drinking water. 



Carbon monoxide and 
particulate matter from 
incomplete fuel combustion 
by automobile engines 
and NOx can react 
with sunshine 
to create 
a visible haze 
called “smog”
( and ozone too ).