Fossil fuel usage and the environment

Conference · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:6235845

Klass, D L

The Greenhouse Effect and global warming, ozone formation in the troposphere, ozone destruction in the stratosphere, and acid rain are important environmental issues. The relationship of fossil fuel usage to some of these issues is discussed. Data on fossil fuel consumption and the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrogen and sulfur oxides, and ozone indicate that natural gas provides lower emission of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen and sulfur oxides than other fossil fuels. Global emissions of methane from the gas industry are significantly less than those from other anthropogenic activities and natural sources, and methane plays an important role along with carbon monoxide and nitric oxide in tropospheric ozone formation. Reductions in any or all of these air pollutants would reduce ozone in the lower atmosphere. Several remedial measures have been or are being implemented in certain countries to reduce fossil fuel emissions. These include removal of emissions from the atmosphere by new biomass growth, fuel substitution by use of cleaner burning fuels for stationary and mobile sources, and fossil fuel combustion at higher efficiencies. It is unlikely that concerned environmental action by all governments of the world will occur soon, but much progress has been made to achieve clean air. 35 refs., 3 figs., 12 tabs.

• Research Organization: Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago, IL (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: IGT
• OSTI ID: 6235845
• Report Number(s): CONF-9004281-2; ON: TI91008397
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
200500* -- Fossil-Fueled Power Plants-- Environmental Aspects-- (1990-)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ACID RAIN
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
ALKANES
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CARBON SINKS
CARBON SOURCES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
CONTROL
EMISSION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
FUELS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
HYDROCARBONS
METHANE
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OZONE
POLLUTANTS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL
POLLUTION SOURCES
RAIN
SINKS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES