Improving air quality

Question 1

How can we reduce pollution caused by power stations that burn fossil fuels?

Answer 1

Use less electricity
Removing sulfur from natural gas and fuel oil
Removing sulfur dioxide and particulates from emitted gases of coal-burners

Question 2

What is wet scrubbing and how is it done?

Answer 2

It is the removal of acidic gas sulfur dioxide from flue gases.
Using sea water
Using an alkaline slurry (calcium oxide and water)

Question 3

How can we reduce pollution from exhaust emissions caused by cars?

Answer 3

Burning less fuel (more efficient engines), using low sulfur fuels, using catalytic converters, increasing use of public transport, having legal limits on exhaust.

Question 4

What does a catalytic converter do?

Answer 4

Reduces nitrogen monoxide to nitrogen and oxidises carbon dioxide to carbon dioxide

Question 5

What alternatives are there to cars using fossil fuels and polluting fuels?

Answer 5

Electric cars do not give out pollutant gasses when being used, but do when charging
Biofuels are made from plants and are ‘carbon neutral’

Question 6

What does carbon neutral fuel mean?

Answer 6

When they are burned they release the same amount of carbon dioxide that the plant originally took from the air to grow.