Car Emissions - The first auto alternatives for the 21-st century

Author: Collin Dunn

You’ve almost certainly heard the phrase “carbon emissions”, “global warming”, and “climate change” in the same breath, and most everybody has at least a pretty basic idea about where they come from.

And now let us give a little time at this ubiquitous term for these ubiquitous emissions.

Carbon emissions: The basic

Carbon emissions is come from burning fossil fuels which contributes to global warming. Each time when you turn on your car, watching television, travel to work or shopping, clothes washing or board an airplane, you are producing carbon emissions.

Technically, carbon emissions should be called carbon dioxide emissions or you shortened it, carbon emissions = carbon dioxide emissions = contribution to global warming.

Carbon emissions: Who cares?

Who cares about carbon emissions? Carbon dioxide creates the largest contribution to the greenhouse effect, which is what is slowly, yet persistenly, warming our globe. That makes it the most important greenhouse gas out there; it’s currently responsible for about 10 – 25 percent of the greenhouse effect. The next two on the list is methane and ozone, incidentally, do not crack the double digits, so carbon emissions are in the lead, in a bad way, when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions.

All this is to say, really, that we live not only in a carbon-based world, but a carbon emission-based society and economy, and the scope of activities that produce carbon emissions is just huge. Anything involving coal, natural gas, petroleum has a carbon emission ticket attached; that includes all transportation and a whole lot of home heating systems and even barbeques, just as a small snapshot.

Carbon emissions: The science

Here’s a quick tour of the science of carbon emissions. Fossil fuels have ultimately been created of fossil aged feedstocks (think dinosaurs) have been throughout millions of years of Earth’s cycles, and now discover themselves under oceans, in the ground, and other places not often directly in our backyards.They’ve had a long time to “stew,” for lack of a better word, and have a high concentration of energy, which is why someone a few hundred years ago had the idea to use them for fuel.

So, these super-old, carbon-based, previous dinosaurs are dug up and, in one way or another, lit on fire. They have high concentrations of carbon, which, when mixed with oxygen through combustion, create carbon dioxide (or CO2). So, what was formerly interred in the Earth’s crust is now out, and the carbon that was sequestered with it comes, too.

Carbon emissions: Beyond fossil fuels

So carbon emissions are created when we burn fossil fuels, but that’s not the whole story. Activities that are often less prescient to many of us on a day-to-day basis have huge emissions, too. Land use changes – mainly deforestation in the Amazon, Borneo and many other tropic areas – account for almost 10 percent of global greenhouse gases. It’s sort of a matter of addition by subtraction; more carbon emissions stay in the atmosphere as deforestation occurs, since trees and other plant life absorb carbon dioxide as they grow.

Livestock are also becoming a larger player in greenhouse gas consideration; though they tend to supply more methane than anything, they still merit mention here. How do cows play in to this, you ask? Two words: Enteric fermentation. This is the process like cows that takes place in the digestive systems of ruminants; without getting too deep into the microbiology behind it (you can learn more from Wikipedia), basically, it results in an excess of methane being debarred from the animal. That’s right: Cow burps and farts, as well as the decomposition of their poo, are serious contributors to greenhouse gases. Agricultural by products essentially account for more than 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions — and that’s more than results from residential sources.

Carbon emissions: Reducing

Finally, how to reduce your carbon emissions? As an Americans your carbon footprint – the measurement used to estimate your personal carbon emissions – is about 20 tons. If you want to cut that number in half, follow my next posting about how to reduce carbon emissions and you will have lost 10 tons in what seems like no time flat.

Another articles by Johan Young you may interest in reading: Volkswagen Hybrid, Hybrid Automobiles, Electric Hybrid Car, and Saturn Vue Hybrid.

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By: Johan Young

Emissions from diesel and gas engines contribute to serious public health problems not just in the U.S. but of the world. These problems include premature mortality, aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, aggravation of existing asthma, acute respiratory symptoms, chronic bronchitis, and decreased lung function. Numerous studies also link diesel exhaust to increased incidence of lung cancer.

gas emissions's effect

For example, on-road diesel-fueled vehicles contribute approximately 27 percent of the NOx emission inventory and 62.5 percent of the PM emissions. An older, dirtier diesel vehicle can emit almost 8 tons of pollution per year. This amounts to 160 to 240 tons of pollution over the life of the engine. A heavy-duty truck can create the same amount of air pollution as 150 passenger cars.

For these reason, each State has its own set of emissions standards. The European Union has its own set of emissions standards that all new vehicles must meet. Currently, standards are set for all road vehicles, trains, barges and ‘nonroad mobile machinery’ (such as tractors). No standards apply to seagoing ships or airplanes. The emissions standards change based on the test cycle used: ECE R49 (old) and ESC (European Steady Cycle, since 2000).

In the United States, emissions standards are managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The state of California has special dispensation to promulgate more stringent vehicle emissions standards, and other states may choose to follow either the national or California standards.

In the Japan, The amended rule is called the “Law Concerning Special Measures to Reduce the Total Amount of Nitrogen Oxides and Particulate Matter Emitted from Motor Vehicles in Specified Areas”, or in short the Automotive NOx and PM Law

The Solutions

Vehicles are very important tools for transportation, but they have harmful effects on the environment and health. Fortunately other power sources and fuels are being developed to serve as an alternative.

And now, more and more people are becoming aware of how much mankind has affected the planet. The need for solutions is recognized more than ever to address environmental issues. Due to this hybrid cars are becoming increasingly popular to consumers.

Hybrid vehicles work by using an internal combustion engine which uses fuel and a rechargeable energy storage system. By using the combination of these two power source the vehicle will be able decrease fuel consumption, reduce pollution and leads to lesser emissions.

Check out my other pages on hybrid car tax, best hybrid cars, hybrid car battery, how hybrid cars work, hybrid electric cars, cars hybrid, and hybrid SUV.

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By: Johan Young

Hybrid Emissions

The engines in vehicles is a rather broad but interesting subject. People may be amazed to know that the ones currently in use today were drawn on several hundreds of blueprints before they were distributed to the market. The present models are the result of over a century worth of brainstorming and experience and will further influence the models of the future.

What is the ICE?

ICE stands for Internal Combustion Engine wherein the combustion of fuel and an oxidizer occurs. The combustion chamber is the space where everything happens causing an exothermic reaction that produces gas at a high pressure and temperature. The expanding hot gases will directly put pressure on solid engine parts causing them to move. Pistons, rotors or the engine itself then begins movement which propels the entire vehicle.

The very first models of the ICE ran on an air/fuel mixture rather than compression. The initial part of the intake stroke sucks or blows in the mixture. Modern ICEs already incorporates in-cylinder compression. The engines were used in a variety of methods and industries like generators, boats, aircrafts and most particularly, automobiles.

The Operation

The internal combustion engine operates using a four-stroke cycle or the Otto cycle. The cycle involves four phases namely: induction, compression, power and exhaust. All of these aim to create an exothermic chemical process to start vehicle propulsion. During induction, oxygen or other oxidizers are introduced into the cylinder to act with the fuel. Compression then begins as the gases start a reaction that continuously increase temperature and pressure within the cylinder.

When enough pressure is applied on the corresponding engine parts, the engine begins to gain power through movement coming from direct force application. The aftermath of the entire compression process will lead to exhaustion of by products like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen wastes. These gases are freely emitted into the atmosphere. The combustion process is started through engine ignition using the spark ignition method or the compression ignition system.

Where Does Gasoline Come In?

There are electric/gasoline-type systems that use a combination of lead-acid battery plus an induction coil to create a high-voltage electrical spark. The spark will then ignite the mix of air and fuel within the cylinder. The battery is rechargeable even during operation through an alternator or generator driven by the engine itself. Gasoline engines get an air and gasoline mixture to be compressed to less than 185 psi. The spark plug ignites the mixture during compression within the cylinder.

As for diesel engines, these require only heat and pressure produced by the engine during the compression process for ignition. Diesel compression is approximately three times higher compared to a gasoline engine. Diesel engines use air only. Some diesel fuel is sprayed into the cylinder with the use of a fuel injector just before peak compression to start ignition immediately. HCCI engines also require only heat and pressure but take in air and fuel. This process makes diesel and HCCI engines more prone to cold starts.

The Polluting Effects

Combustion products or the hot gases ignited and burnt inside the engine will have higher amounts of energy compared to the compressed fuel and air mixture. After available energy are used up to drive the engine pistons, remaining combustion products will be vented or exhausted through a valve or the exhaust outlet to bring back the piston in its original state also called TDC. Any heat which is not used up will become a waste product due to be removed from the engine via a liquid or air cooling system.

Air pollution emissions then result from incomplete combustion of carbonaceous fuel. Examples of engine byproducts are carbon monoxide, soot, nitrogen wastes, sulfur and uncombusted hydrocarbons. These also result if the products did not operate near the stoichiometric ratio required for effective combustion. The fuel would not have burnt very well due to factors like cool cylinder walls or lack of air. This is also known as quenching of the flame.

Both gasoline and diesel engines emit harmful gases that can be dangerous to humans as well as the environment. The greenhouse gases start trapping hot air within the atmosphere instead of allowing them to exit to space leading to global warming. The rise of the ICE or internal combustion engine finally showed its major flaw which is pollution.

Check out my other pages on future car, used automobiles, hybrid suv, electric auto for more information about hybrid cars.

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