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SOLUTIONS TO FUEL PROBLEMS Noadswood Science, 2011 Tuesday, May 23, 2017 Solutions To Fuel Problems To identify possible solutions to the impact of burning fuels Crude Oil Crude oil is a mixture of compounds called hydrocarbons – they only contain hydrogen and carbon atoms, joined together by chemical bonds There are different types of hydrocarbon, but most of the ones in crude oil are alkanes… Crude Oil Why is crude oil so important? Some of the 21st century’s most important chemistry involves chemicals that are made from crude oil – they are used for fuels in cars; warming of homes; making electricity etc… When oil prices rise it affects us all – countries that produce crude oil can have an affect on the world economy by the price charged for oil Crude oil originates as a dark, smelly liquid which is a mixture of lots of different chemical compounds – it is not much use straight out of the ground (there are too many substances in it, all with different boiling points). As such it needs to be refined… Fossil Fuels One impact of burning fossil fuels is that the products of combustion can be very harmful to the environment Sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide are the two biggest gases which cause environmental problems, as well as carbon monoxide and the oxides of nitrogen… Sulfur can be removed from fuels before they are burnt, such as the fuels used for most vehicles Sulfur dioxide can also be removed from the waste gases after combustion, both in factories and vehicles (using a catalytic converter) Catalytic Converter Car exhaust systems have catalytic converters – these convert carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide… Carbon Monoxide + Nitrogen Oxide → Nitrogen + Carbon Dioxide 2CO + 2NO → N2 + 2CO2 Catalytic Converter Catalytic converters also convert nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and oxygen as well as complete the oxidation of un-burnt hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and water Nitrogen Oxides → Nitrogen + Oxygen Hydrocarbon + Oxygen → Carbon Dioxide + Water Environment Versus Economy There are a variety of alternatives to fossil fuels, and one of the most promising is using hydrogen as a fuel Hydrogen and oxygen will react together releasing energy – their only by-product being water The problem at the moment is getting the hydrogen – it can be split from water, but requires energy to do so (currently from burning fossil fuels)! Biofuels such as biodiesels and ethanol are produced from plant material – however is it right to grow crop for fuel when many of the world’s population remain hungry? Research Research the current fuel situation for the entire world, considering the following criteria: Economical Environmental Social Long term future Reliability Storage and convenience / infrastructure already in place Identify the pros and cons of fossil fuels / biofuels / hydrogen fuel and form your own opinion of the way we should go forward…