C1 air quality
- Created by: georgieeeee_5
- Created on: 04-04-16 09:37
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- C1 air quality
- 1. The evolution of the atmosphere
- The atmosphere was originally molten for millions of years
- Eventually, the earth cooled down and formed a crust
- Volcanoes gave out gases. And this was how our atmosphere was formed
- Carbon dioxide
- Water vapour
- Nitrogen
- The early atmosphere was probably mostly CO2 and water vapour. With virtually no oxygen
- Photosynthesising organisms had evolved
- A lot of early CO2 had been;
- Dissolved into the oceans
- Removed by photosynthesis
- Plants had been buried under layers of sediment, which formed carbonate fossils
- The build up of oxygen had killed off many early organisms. Allowing more complex organisms to evolve
- There is virtually no CO2 left now
- 2. The atmosphere today
- The earth is surrounded by the air
- Nitrogen=78%
- Oxygen=21%
- Argon=1%
- The atmosphere also contains
- Carbon Dioxide
- Various other gases
- Varying amounts of water vapour
- Human activity is changing the atmosphere. By adding;
- Carbon dioxide
- Carbon monoxide
- Particulates
- Sulfur dioxide
- Nitrogen oxides
- Some gases are naturally produced. E.g volcanoes
- 3. Chemical reactions
- Chemical reactions happen when atoms are rearranged
- The mass is conserved during a chemical reaction
- The reactants and products have very different properties
- 4. Fossil fuels
- Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons
- Hydrogen
- Carbon
- Hydrocarbons are formed from the remains of dead plants and animals over millions of years
- The only difference between fuels is the size of the hydorcarbons
- Combustion is an example of oxidation
- Reactions that result in a loss of oxygen is called reduction
- Hydrocarbons burn more rapidly in pure oxygen
- Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons
- 5. Air pollution - carbon
- Fossil fuels are burnt to release energy
- We burn fossil fuels to power vehicles and to produce electricity
- Carbon dioxide
- CO2 is formed when a fuel is burnt when there is plenty of oxygen available
- CO2 can be removed naturally by photosynthesis or dissolving into oceans
- CO2 is a contributing factor to global warming
- Carbon monoxide
- It is produced when there is not enough oxygen available when a fuel is burnt
- It is a poisonous gas, which can make you drowsy and headachy
- Particulate carbon
- Produced when a fuel is burnt incompletely
- They cause dirty buildings
- 6. Air pollution - sulfur
- Some fuels contain traces of sulfur
- Sulfur pollution casues acid rain
- The sulfur given off reacts with the moisture in the clouds, which makes acid rain
- Acid rain causes lakes to become acidic, killing plants and animals.
- Acid rain indirectly harms humans
- 7. Air pollution - nitrogen
- It is produced when a fossil fuel is burnt at high temperatures
- This usually happens in car engines
- Nitrogen monoxide is formed when the air is exposed to very high temperatures
- Nitrogen dioxide is formed when there is nitrogen monoxide, which goes on to react with more oxygen in the high temperatures
- 8. Reducing pollution
- The simplest way to reduce the pollution is to use less electricity
- Sulfur can be removed by two methods
- Seawater: The sulfur dioxide is dissolved in seawater, producing CO2, water and dissolved sulfate
- An alkaline slurry; The slurry is sprayed onto the gases and the sulfur dioxide reacts with the calcium oxide. A solid waste product (Calcium sulfite) is formed
- Many cars are fitted with catalytic converters
- These convert harmful nitrogen monoxide into harmless nitrogen and oxygen
- MOT tests are used to chck a cars legal limit of polluting emissions.
- If more people used public transport, it could reduce pollution
- Car engines can be run by burning biofuels and using electric engines
- 1. The evolution of the atmosphere
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