NCEA Assessment
Carbon Compounds Air Pollution
Carbon compounds are found in CO2, which is released into our atmosphere every day. They are also a significant part of the fuels we commonly use, such as Diesel and LPG. The reason these are great fuels is because they have a short carbon chain length. This allows the fuel to be burnt easier, meaning we can extract all the available energy out of the fuel. This also means we are using complete combustion which doesn't pollute the environment as much because it isn't producing soot and carbon monoxide.
Carbon compounds are used every day by billions of machines, cars, and tools. Diesel is mainly used in cars and machinery used to make items like cars, buildings, crockery, cutlery, etc. On the other hand, LPG is used in items like BBQs, some cars, heaters, lawnmowers & chainsaws. These fuels are used on a day-to-day base because they are very quickly combusted and when burnt, produce a lot of energy.
Complete Combustion
Complete combustion is better for the environment because it releases less carbon monoxide and carbon into the atmosphere. On the other hand, it realizes more carbon dioxide than incomplete combustion. This is because it uses more oxygen to burn meaning more energy is released because fuel reacts with oxygen and when the fuel has a plentiful supply of oxygen, we can obtain all the possible energy out of the fuel. Complete combustion works best when burring carbon compounds with small chain lengths. This is because it's easier to break to bonds between molecules, thus allowing you to gain as much energy out of the fuel as possible.
Incomplete Combustion
Incomplete combustion happens when the air supply to the flame isn't plentiful. This means that we can't burn all the fuel meaning we are unable to get all the possible energy out of the fuel. Incomplete combustion also creates a black soot which pollutes the air with carbon dioxide, carbon, and carbon monoxide. This is bad for our environment because the orange flame caused by lack of oxygen combined with the half-burnt fuel means it creates a black soot, which is pure carbon and, carbon dioxide. Incomplete combustion is a very inefficient process as it uses all your fuel, but doesn't gain all the possible energy out of the fuel.
Balanced Equations
Complete combustion of Diesel 2CH3(CH2)14CH3+49O2 32C02 + 34H20 Incomplete Combustion of Diesel CH3(CH2)14CH3+2O2 C02 + 2H20 + C15H30 Complete Combustion of LPG CH3(CH2)CH3+5O2 3CO2 + 4H2O Incomplete combustion of LPG CH3(CH2)CH3+2O2 CO2 + 2H2O + C2H4 As you can see above, complete combustion of diesel and LPG produces more carbon dioxide (CO2) and H20 (steam) than incomplete combustion. However, incomplete combustion does allow unburnt fuel (CH) into the atmosphere which is bad for the environment because it is heavier then air, meaning humans breathe it in. To make incomplete combustion safe for the environment, you have to vent the unburnt fuel and burn it separat...
