The world is composed of many processes that produce greenhouse gases such as ca
ID: 1837920 • Letter: T
Question
The world is composed of many processes that produce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, e.g., power plants, cars, and people. What do I mean by people ….. we burn coal via a combustion reaction producing carbon dioxide and water. This carbon dioxide is then vented into our surroundings.
problem: How much (grams) carbon dioxide did the world produce in the year 2011 from cars verses coal burning power plants. What might be the implications of this?
Assumptions:
The four forms of glucose are: alpha-D-glucose, alpha-L-glucose, beta-D-glucose, and beta-L-glucose
All food is broken down to glucose to undergo combustion
1000 kg=1 metric ton
Assume each car had 15.00 gallons of gasoline per tank
Gasoline: C8H18
Average global temperature rise in the last decade is 0.951 Celsius
Sahara Desert area: 9.4x106 km2
Each person consumed an average caloric intake of 2000.0 kilocalories per day.
Average temperature for 2014 was 23.89 Celsius at sea level
Total Metric Tonnage of Coal usage by China: 3.8x109
Total Metric Tonnage of Coal usage by NON China countries: 4.3x109
Average pressure 1.20 atmospheres at sea level
Coal: C135H96
2011 was not a leap year.
Density of Coal: 0.892 g/mL
Each car uses 1.000 tank per week
The world population mid-year was: 7,243,784,121
Number Cars worldwide 2011: 1.20 billion
Density of C8H18 : 0.703 g/mL
Explanation / Answer
Assume each car had 15.00 gallons of gasoline per tank
Gasoline: C8H18
Molecular weight of gasolene=114
Molecular weight of CO2=44
8 CO2 molecules produced per molecule of gasolene.
Each car uses 1.000 tank per week
Number Cars worldwide 2011: 1.20 billion
Density of C8H18 : 0.703 g/mL
For each gram of gasoline used, amount of CO2 produced = 44*8/114=3.09g
Thus total yearly consumption of gasoline=365/7*1*15*3785.41(Gallon to ml)*1.2*109*0.703g=2.5*1015g
***Total CO2 production by cars=3.09*2.5*1015g=7.72*1015g
Now for coal,
Total Metric Tonnage of Coal usage by China: 3.8x109
Total Metric Tonnage of Coal usage by NON China countries: 4.3x109
Molecular weight of coal=1716
Amount of carbon dioxide each gram of coal produces=44*135/1716=3.46g
Amount of carbon dioxide produced by coal=(3.8+4.3)*109*106*3.46=2.8*1016g
Thus cars produce 10 times less carbon dioxide than coal consumption.
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