Effects of Combustion - ScienceGonnaGetYou

While humans have been burning wood and coal to heat our homes and cook our food for millennia, the invention of the Combustion Engine in 1860 changed the energy game for humans and the planet.

HOW DO WE GET ENERGY OUT OF FOSSIL FUELS?

As the molecules in the coal, oil or gas rearrange during a combustion reaction with Oxygen, the chemical potential energy in each fuel is transferred to heat and light energy.

HOW ARE FOSSIL FUELS USED?

All fossil fuels can be burned in a powerplant to heat water that will spin a generator make electricity. In addition:

Coal and natural gas are often burned in furnaces to heat homes.
Petroleum fuels and natural gas can fuel engines for transportation.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WITH COMBUSTION

VISIBLE AIR POLLUTION

Have you ever noticed little speck floating in a beam of light? Well those were visible particles floating in the air.
Sources include:
- A. Soot from forest fires
- B. Ash from volcanoes
- C. Dust and pollen
- D. Coal dust from trains
- E. Soot from engines and factories burning fossil fuels
Effects of visible air pollution:
- Minimal long term impact on environment
- Usually fall to ground due to size
- Can cause respiratory issues to humans

INVISIBLE AIR POLLUTION

GREENHOUSE GASES are too small to see with our eyes, but wildly important the function of our planet!
Sources include:
- A. Forest fires
- B. Volcanoes
- C. Burning biomass
- D. Burning fossil fuels in engines and factories
- E. Fertilizer use
- F. Animal digestion and respiration
- G. Aerosol chemicals

EFFECTS OF GREENHOUSE GASES

Greenhouse gases are lopsided molecules that trap heat. While they are naturally occuring on Earth, fossil fuel use has increased the amount of all of them.

2. They act like a blanket at night keeping the planet warm and a shade during the day, blocking some of the heat that tries to get in.

Too much – planet gets very warm
Too little or none at all – planet gets very cold.

ANALYZING CO₂ EVIDENCE

TEMPERATURE AND CO₂ LEVELS HAVE INCREASED SINCE 1880

This popular graph shows the positive correlation between the average yearly temperature recorded since 1880 and CO₂ levels in the atmosphere. Since the invention of the combustion engine

TEMPERATURE AND CO₂ LEVELS HAVE FLUCTUATED FOR 300,000 YEARS

This graph shows how temperature and CO₂ levels have increased and decreased together for over 300,000 years based on ice core evidence.

CO₂ LEVELS FLUCTUATE THROUGHT THE YEAR

Seasonal human activities emit CO₂ at different times across the globe.

PLANTS REMOVE CO2 FROM ATMOSPHERE

Plants are the biggest modifier of Carbon Dioxide!

In the video above, notice how CO₂ builds during northern hemisphere’s winter while plants are dormant.
CO₂ levels drop drastically when the land plant photosynthesis is active spring – fall.