Power plants light up the world that we live in today, and without them the luxury of electricity would not be possible. However, power plants also cause considerable damage to the environment that unfortunately may be irreversible. To fight this, the government has set laws in place, such as the Clean Air Act (CAA, n.d.), to help dramatically reduce the risk of devastating environmental harm as much as possible. This regulates hazardous carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions released into the Earth’s atmosphere (EPA, 2017). Carbon capture technologies assist in fulfilling the legal requirements of the Clean Air Act. By the use of three different methods, oxy-fuel combustion, post-combustion capture, and pre-combustion capture, power plants can
The issue presented in this paper is how one can aim to reduce the amounts released, and what the best ways to solve this problem are. This has been long debated amongst scientists, businessmen, Industry-owners, and politicians amongst many other eminent figures in society. The four major approaches to reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere include: subsidies of alternative energy, cap and trade, carbon taxes, and command and control regulation. We will examine and compare the effectiveness of two of these methods: The carb...
Fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, are Carbon rich compounds, the combustion of which produces Carbon Dioxide, a pollutant and a greenhouse gas. A large amount of energy is released during this process, which is why the pollutants off products are tolerated. This process occurs constantly throughout the world, in power stations, vehicles and cooking ovens, leading to an immense volume of CO2 being released every second, 50% of which is absorbed by oceans (Oce...
Catalytic converters have become a major importance in our world’s fight for global warming. Why? Because these catalytic converters are greatly reducing the amount of air pollution coming from the exhausts of our automobiles. “Two components of automobile exhausts that help form photochemical smog are nitrogen oxides and unburned hydrocarbons. In addition, automobile exhaust may contain considerable quantities of carbon monoxide” (Brown, LeMay, Bursten, Murphy, & Woodward, 2012). However, adding catalytic converters to the exhaust of automobiles will cause a chemical reaction to occur and help somewhat prevent the amount of pollution that exits the exhaust.
Nuclear power, or nuclear energy, is the use of exothermic nuclear processes,[1] to generate useful heat and electricity. The term includes nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion. Presently the nuclear fission of elements in the actinide series of the periodic table produce the vast majority of nuclear energy in the direct service of humankind, with nuclear decay processes, primarily in the form of geothermal energy, and radioisotope thermoelectric generators, in niche uses making up the rest. Nuclear (fission) power stations, excluding the contribution from naval nuclear fission reactors, provided about 5.7% of the world's energy and 13% of the world's electricity in 2012.[2] In 2013, the IAEA report that there are 437 operational nuclear power reactors,[3] in 31 countries,[4] although not every reactor is producing electricity.[5] In addition, there are approximately 140 naval vessels using nuclear propulsion in operation, powered by some 180 reactors.[6][7][8] As of 2013, attaining a net energy gain from sustained nuclear fusion reactions, excluding natural fusion power...
This pdf file states both the problem of Carbon Dioxide emissions as well as some future methods to capture and store these emissions. It also states the harmful effects Carbon Dioxide can have on the environment and how these effects can be reduced through methods used in the future such as using carbon negative or more energy efficient and conservation practices. It can therefore not be considered as to being bias in either the for or against direction. The coordinating author and leading authors who were responsible for this source are simply stating the facts, which are well referenced by other professionals in the field, in order for the reader to receive the best and most honest information. By stating both the reality of the problems that Carbon Dioxide can have on the environment as well as a variety of future solution methods, makes this source neither ...
Many believe that nuclear power plants are a hazard to the people that live around them and the environment in which they are built. However, these assumptions are based mostly on the fact that the nuclear reactors and nuclear power plants of today are built to the same standards that the old nuclear plants from many years ago. Nuclear power today is designed to be much safer than outdated nuclear power plants and have a very minimal chance of causing a nuclear catastrophe. Nuclear power plants are a safe and viable option for generating electricity for the foreseeable future.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a key global warming gas that is proposed to have direct linkage to global climate changes [1, 2]. Therefore, there is a growing interest in developing technologies for efficient capture and sequestration of large quantities of CO2. An efficient and economical capture material is needed to capture and separate the CO2 produced during various industrial processes. There are four potential sources of carbon dioxide emission; industrial processes, fossil fueled power plants, de-carbonization (production of hydrogen from carbon rich feed stock), and transportation [3]. Among the carbon dioxide emission sources, fossil fueled power plants are ranked the number one potential source. Fossil fuels provide 81 percent of the world’s commercial energy supply [4]. Consumption of fossil fuels produces nearly 30 Pg (petagram) of carbon dioxide annually. About three-fourths of the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is attributed to burning of fossil fuels [5].
Nearly 75 years ago, man split the atom and ushered in an entirely new future for humans. Globally, nuclear power has had a positive and negative impact on society. As the demand for electricity increased during the 20th century into the 21st century nuclear energy provided a cleaner and cheaper resource as well as resulting in a positive impact on society by reducing dependence on fossil fuels and reducing air pollution related deaths.
Over the last two centuries, humanity has become increasingly reliant on fossil fuels. Over that time, the consequences of constantly burning fossil fuels have accumulated into a threat to industrialized cities. The burning of fossil fuels causes acid rain to shower on cities and ecosystems around the world, tormenting their inhabitants. The increasingly deadly pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels has caused the deaths of many people around the world by causing respiratory problems. Not only has the pollution worsened, but the supply of fossil fuels is not limitless – as humanity’s reliance increases the supply decreases, and that is all the more reason to break humanity’s reliance on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels should be replaced with cleaner alternatives because fossil fuels cause environmental hazards, are non-renewable, and are detrimental to human health.
In addition to the fact that solar, wind, and hydro power are local resources, they are also emission free resources. Emissions and pollution are a key concern with traditional power sources. The coal-fired plants that dominate U.S. energy production also produce more emissions than any other energy source. “Em...
Alternative energy sources are renewable, and is most commonly referred to as free energy sources. There are many alternative energy sources such as hydro power, solar power, wind, biomass, and geothermal. Using alternative sources is more expensive in the long run, but it is the much safer option for our environment compared to fossil fuels. Although everything used is completely free, such as water and wind, the equipment used to generate these things are expensive. There are several pros and cons that come with the utilization of alternative energy sources.
The emission of green house gasses due to human activity contributes the most in increasing global warming. Today, fossil fuels are used as a source of energy for transportation, electricity, industrial process and to increase human comfort in this era. Over the last decade humans have created mass amount of industries. These industries have been burning fossil fuels such as coal, which release carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide; carbon dioxide absorbs heat that raises the temperature of the earth. More than 80% of carbon dioxide comes from tr...
Environmentally Friendly Electric vehicles are today’s zero-emission vehicles. They have no tailpipes and emit no pollutants. Instead of gasoline from oil refineries, electric vehicles get their “fuel” from electric power stations. Although power plants using fossil fuels do have emissions, power plant emissions generated for electric vehicle use are typically much lower than emissions from the comparable use of gasoline-powered cars. For power plants using renewable energy sources like wind, solar and hydropower, no air pollution is created.
Global warming is an extremely important and troubling aspect of the world’s current situation. This is due to the fact that the majority of the world’s energy production is from non-renewable energy sources, which are energy sources that either can not be naturally replenished or require thousands of years to be restored. Based on our current energy usage growth rates, there are an estimated 100 years left before our natural resource reserves are exhausted. (Non Renewable Natural Resources: How Much Is Left, Environmental Thinker) China alone consumes nearly as much coal as the combined usage of coal from the rest of the world. (US Energy Information Administration, China Consumes Nearly as Much Coal as the Rest of the World Combined) There is visible evidence of this happening with the increasing pollution levels. Carbon Dioxide and Methane pollution levels in the world reached a record high in 2012 and are 260% higher than the pre-industrial levels. (UN: CO2 Pollution Levels at a Record High, John Heilprin) Converting our world into a more renewable energy dependent society is the most advantageous and likely method for preserving our dwindling fossil fuel supply while also protecting the world that we call home.
Nuclear energy is generated by a process called fission. Fission occurs within the reactor of a nuclear power plant when a neutron is fired at an atom of uranium causing it to split and release subsequent neutrons.1 These are able to crash into other uranium atoms causing a chain reaction and releasing a great deal of heat energy.