Difference between revisions of "Team:METU HS Ankara/Demonstrate"

Introduction

Humans, as a species rely on energy greatly since the industrial revolution; whether it is for lighting, heating; or much more advanced systems of contemporary life. Thus, it's fair to say that security in electric energy supply is essential to us which made us rely heavily on fossil fuels (McDaniel et al., 2002).

Problem Statement

Typical energy sources of now; which are petroleum, coal and natural gas have proven to bring tremendous economic progress where they are abundant (Abu-Rub et al., 2014). Worldwide primary energy consumption has grown by 1,8% in 2012 alone (Abu-Rub et al., 2014). In the same year; coal, natural gas, and oil accounted for 87% of the global primary energy consumption (Cusick, 2013). With this data, it’s fair to conclude that we are actually growing more dependent to fossil fuels by the day.

A dependency like this is very unhealthy; since such fuels' combustion produce plenty of air pollutants, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, also the resources are very limited (Radovič, 2006; Frost, 2015). Furthermore, they cause a plethora of political and socio-economical problems; which can reach catastrophic levels, even in regions prospering from them (Radovič, 2006). They are like a poisonous band-aid to a larger problem.

Among fossil fuels, oil starts hurting us even before getting a chance to be used; when they are being transferred (Nikiforuk, 2016). Oil spills happen more than one would think; just in 2016, 11 oil spills happened just near the lake in Saskatchewan (Suzuki, 2016).

Cleaning an oil spill comes at a hefty price; costs can snowball up to $21.47 per liter oil (Etkin, 2000). A big spill is next to impossible to deal with; since it is impossible to mobilize the body of labor needed and the technologies to clean up soon enough (Suzuki, 2016). Available "technologies" consist of burning the oil or using chemical dispersants (Suzuki, 2016). Such techniques are crippled; they can't get rid of large spills, nor they work in icy waters, or where waves run amok (Nikiforuk, 2016).

Figure 2: Efforts to clean an oil spill. Retrieved from: https://www.wired.com/2015/05/oil-spill-off-santa-barbara-going-kill/

Oil spills are disastrous, they kill all the aquatic birds they come in contact with by sticking to birds' feathers, making them heavier which limit their movements, causing either their inability to catch prey or reducing their mobility in water leading to their death (Nikiforuk, 2016). They also wreck the marine organisms' habitat (Moore, 1974).

Fossil fuels and their combustions in energy conversion devices are the primary causes of the pollution of the atmosphere (Radovič, 2006). This pollution can be divided into two; primary and secondary (Radovič,2006). Primary air pollutants, which are COx, SOx, NOx, and particulates of very fine soot and ash particles, are all harmful to the environment (Radovič, 2006). Whether it's the potentially fatal CO or SO2's strong acidity causing acid rains, these pollutants are immensely harmful (Radovič, 2006).

Carbon emissions are so harmful that, in 2010, 4,5 million people died from it (Rathi, 2015). This makes air pollution related to carbon emissions more deadly than wars, murders and traffic accidents combined (Rathi, 2015).

Carbon monoxide; the most poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of any fuel (Radovič, 2006). Urban cars and vehicles are the culprit, since fossil fuel combustion vehicles are incapable of burning fuel fully when cold, which make up the majority of their use scenarios, they incompletely burn fuels the most (Radovič, 2006). It's estimated that some 100 million tons of CO are emitted every year in the U.S. (Radovič, 2006).

Primary pollutants can further damage by interacting with the environment, such as acid rains and smog, the greenhouse effect and the high ozone levels in the air we breathe (Radovič, 2006).

Figure 3: The amount of toxicity factories and such buildings, using fossil fuels cause. Retrieved from: http://www.eqmagpro.com/china-seen-reaching-peak-carbon-emissions-by-2030-study/

Acid rains introduce plentiful problems for humans, nature and artifacts (EPA). In humans, the NOx and SO2x gases cause or exacerbate respiratory diseases such asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia all of which can be deadly (EPA, 2016). Its harm to nature is through it seeping into the soil to dissolve its nutrients, eroding it (EPA, 2016). Furthermore, it can release aluminum, which prevents trees from getting water (EPA, 2016). Such weakening conditions for trees make them vulnerable to various infections and infestations of insects, damaging forests which compensate some of the harm made by fossil fuels (EPA; EIA, 2016).

Greenhouse gas emissions accelerate global warming by releasing a gas covering the atmosphere are mostly sourced by fossil fuels' combustion in the U.S. (US EPA, 2016). All but agricultural greenhouse gases (which accounted for just 9% of it) were caused by fossil fuels (US EPA, 2016).

Lakes and streams get their share of damage from fossil fuels too (EPA, 2016). Conventionally at a pH of near 6.5, such bodies of water house a colorful variety of aquatic wildlife including phytoplankton, mayflies, rainbow trout, frogs, crayfish and many more (EPA, 2016).

Buildings and objects also get harmed by acidic rains too (EPA, 2016). Acidity in rain water corrode the paint and stone on them; wearing them out, vanishing their value and beauty (EPA, 2016).