Environmental Studies 126 Final Exam

An incandescent bulb may release more mercury (Hg) over its lifetime than a fluorescent bulb. The Hg emissions likely to be greater for incandescent bulbs under the conditions of....

...burning coal to produce the electricity, because coal is likely to contain mercury that is released to the environment when burned. (Because incandescent bulbs are so inefficient compared to fluorescents, over their lifetime the electricity they use (if coal-generated) releases more Hg than the small amount in a fluorescent bulb.)

EPA air quality forecast from Friday, April 14, 2017. Name 3 criteria air pollutants that this map from the EPA does NOT report to the public.

1. Nitrogen oxides 2. Carbon monoxide 3. Sulfur dioxide

According to the article, your health would be better; specifically, your risk for 3 diseases would be lower. Name them:

1. coronary heart disease 2. colorectal cancer 3. type 2 diabetes

C8H18 + O2 --> CO2 + H2O Two other criteria air pollutants are not shown in this chemical reaction. Name them.

1.Fine particles PM10 or PM2.5 (Soot) 2.Carbon monoxide

C8H18 + O2 --> CO2 + H2O In words, tell what happens when this chemical equation occurs. What do you observe (see or feel, for example)? Assume that the oxygen is from the air. You do not need to know the chemical name of C8H18, but you do need to describe it in some way.

A fuel - one that is a hydrocarbon - is burning, most likely with flames visible and heat to be felt. The products are carbon dioxide and water but you cannot see them. Energy is released. You are likely to see a flame and feel heat.

What is a protein?

A protein is a polymer (a big molecule) made up of amino acids (= little molecules).

The Watertown Tire Fire did not result in the deaths that the 1948 smog of Donora did, even though both involved sulfur dioxide. Which weather condition in Donora produced the deaths? What happened with this weather condition that produced the deaths?

An air inversion The air stayed in place for several days (6 to be exact), trapping pollutants so that over time, the concentrations of these pollutants increased to become hazardous.

The GWP of N2O is 298. Use this value to describe how N2O compares with CH4 as a GHG, mass N2O for mass CH4.

As GHGs, mass for mass, N2O traps about 12x more more heat than does CH4. 298/25 is about 12. Also correct to say that mass for mass, N2O traps 298 as much heat as CO2. In comparison, CH4 traps 25 times as much heat as CO2.

C8H18 + O2 --> CO2 + H2O One of the products not shown in this chemical reaction is nitrogen monoxide. Why would you expect NO to be produced?

Because of the nitrogen and oxygen present in the air. With a high temperature, such as the flame, they are likely to combine to form a small amount of NO.

Why is it dangerous indoors if a pipe containing a CFC (or other refrigerant gas) springs a leak?

Because the room can quickly fill with the CFC gas, cutting off the oxygen supply.

In 2010, the plant at Charter Street primarily burned coal. Today in 2017, the Charter Street plant burns natural gas. Complete this table that compares the pollutants in the exhaust in 2001 and 2017. Some entries are done for you.

CO- carbon monoxide- 2010 coal- 2017 natural gas NO-nitrogen monoxide- 2010 coal- 2017 natural gas SO2- sulfur dioxide- 2010 coal- 2017 natural gas Hg- mercury- 2010 coal- NOT 2017 natural gas

What does the term "anthropogenic CO2" mean? Give an example.

CO2 generated by humans. For example, the CO2 generated by burning a fossil fuel is anthropogenic.

In contrast, give an example of non-anthropogenic CO2.

CO2 generated in nature (other than humans), such as by a wild fire, a volcano, or by plant respiration.

Proteins are one general class of compounds found in food. Fats are a second. Name a third general class of compounds found in more than trace amounts. Note: water is found in food, but it is a compound, not a class of compounds.

Carbohydrates (sugar and starch)

Which has a higher CO2e, a continuously flooded rice paddy or one that is intermittently flooded?

Continuously flooded.

It matters that CO2 ends up in the oceans What CO2 does in the oceans: Who or what is affected:

Dissolves (to a small extent) forming an acidic solution (weakly acidic). Increased CO2 levels in the oceans means increased ocean acidity. Creatures that live in the ocean, especially those with carbonate shells or skeletons that are affected by increased acidity (carbonates dissolve in acid).

Fats burn, that is, they are a great source of energy for you. Why do fats burn so well?

Fats are largely made up of C and H, that is, they contain hydrocarbon chains.

Now make an argument why these should not be regulated and further reduced.

Finding and repairing the leaks costs money. These costs could be passed to consumers. In essence, a "business unfriendly" regulation.

What characterizes the Anthropocene?

Humans and their activities on Earth.

Provide a possible explanation for why the air quality in the region marked with a red star is Good instead of Moderate, as are the regions that surround it.

It was raining in that region! (if you check the weather map, this was the case.) Note: other explanations accepted on a case-by-case basis. Note: Not an acceptable answer that this area is not in or downwind of any cities or roads.

According to the IPCC report, three human activities primarily are responsible for the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. One is the burning of fossil fuels. Another is cement manufacture. Name the third activity

Land use changes, including deforestation

CFCs are refrigerant gases. Name two ways in which CFCs are similar to argon.

Many answers accepted, including these: Colorless, odorless or tasteless gas generally unreactive does not burn; puts out fires!

Ruminant animals have the highest GHG emissions. Name the GHG emitted by ruminants Tell how this GHG is produced:

Methane Microbes in the rumen produce methane when digesting cellulose (= anaerobic respiration)

As part of your lab, you read an article from Scientific American about small but numerous natural gas leaks from pipelines. Make an argument why natural gas leaks should be regulated and further reduced. Note: Big leaks could cause an explosion or fire, but this is not the point of the article.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas (more so than carbon dioxide!)

All greenhouse gases are not created equal. The term Global Warming Potential (GWP) is a measure of the differences. See chart to right. Which of the 5 greenhouse gases (GHG) have natural sources?

N2O, CH4 and CO2

The overuse of fertilizers leads to the production of a greenhouse gas. Which one?

Nitrous oxide. It's the microbes. Too much nitrogen fertilizer and these microbes will convert it to N2O.

Fine particle levels are hazardous outside. If you exercise indoors in a gym or at home, would the fine particle levels be reduced?

No: The fine particles are too small to be filtered by the air handling systems of a gym or a home. The levels outside and inside are likely to be the Same, assuming that the building has air flow.

At Ginger Root, brown rice contributed less to the carbon footprint in the meal than did the white rice. Explain why.

One would expect the two to be comparable because white rice is just brown rice with the outer brown layer (nutritious!) scrubbed off. At Ginger Root, the white and brown rice were served using the same scoop, so the same volume of each was delivered. The density (mass per volume) of the brown rice was LESS than that of the white rice. So lower mass of brown rice, lower carbon footprint. Brown rice was 70g; White rice was 130g.

The rice (brown or white) had a carbon footprint comparable to chicken, higher than one might expect. Explain why.

Rice (white or brown) comes with a higher C footprint that one might expect because of the methane and nitrous oxide emissions from the rice paddies. The former comes from anaerobic conditions; the latter from nitrogen fertilizer added at the wrong time.

Sulfur dioxide is formed from the process of combustion. Either use words or a chemical equation to show how sulfur dioxide forms.

Sulfur + oxygen (O2) makes sulfur dioxide (SO2) Sulfur burns in oxygen to produce sulfur dioxide

What emits the IR radiation that GHG gases absorb?

The IR comes from the surface of the earth. The earth radiates heat (=IR). Note: the Earth does not "reflect" heat from the Sun. Much of the energy emitted from the Sun is in the form of visible light, not in the form of IR radiation (heat). The Earth absorbs energy from the Sun and re-radiates it in the form of heat (the Earth does not glow, so it is not emitting visible light).

Describe the Triple Bottom Line. Include a sketch, if you like.

The Triple Bottom Line is a metaphor for sustainability. You have to meet not one but three Bottom Lines in a (metaphorical) contract: An economic bottom line (=be profitable), an environmental bottom line (=not harm or deplete natural resources), and a community bottom line (=be equitable/just to the people involved). Without all three, you don't have sustainability.

LED or light-emitting diode: Why wasn't the light bulb that you just named installed on campus 10 years ago?

The bulbs were too expensive to be cost effective. (now they are cheaper!)

Something is listed incorrectly on both Lighting Facts Labels. Circle it on both. How should the label correctly read?

The entry "Energy Used" at the bottom is not listed correctly. The label should be changed to read power rather than energy.

In the plume of smoke shown in the photograph, nitrogen monoxide was detected. Explain why. Although a chemical equation is not required, you may choose to use one.

The heat generated by the fire caused N2 in the air to combine with O2 in the air to produce NO (in small amounts).

The sauces on your meals at Ginger Root contributed little to the carbon footprint. Explain why.

The ingredient amounts (by mass) in the sauces were very small.

The Lighting Facts Labels indicate that fluorescent bulbs contain mercury. The mercury does not produce the light that you see. But it causes visible light to be produced. How?

The mercury atoms are excited by an electric discharge (ZAP, 1 point) and then give off UV light that in turn causes the white coating on the inside of the bulb to glow.

Argue FOR using sensors to turn off lights in order to conserve electricity. Now argue AGAINST these sensors:

The sensors turn off lights that humans may have forgotten to turn off, thereby conserving electricity. Humans may start relying on the sensors and thus fail to turn off the lights when no sensors exist.

The photo to the right shows the Charter Street plant on a cold winter day. You can see a white cloud. What is in the cloud that you are seeing? Which chemical substance produced the white cloud? Name it.

Water vapor (condensed in the cold air) natural gas (or methane) when burned in the boiler

BRACELETS

White to red is not allowable - no pathway exists. Animals cannot take up carbon directly from the atmosphere. Even though we breathe in CO2 with each breath, the gas leaves just as it was taken up. Other pathways are fine: black to white and red to white. Black to green is not allowable. Plants cannot take up carbon from fossil fuels.

Rank chicken (tempura fried), pork (roasted), and beef (marinated) in terms of their carbon footprint per gram served.

_____Beef____ is greater than ______pork ______ is greater than ___chicken____

On the UW-Madison campus, we primarily get our electricity from : a. Madison Gas & Electric b. The Charter Street Plant c. The Walnut Street Plant d. Both b and c

a) Madison Gas and electric

The figure to the right is for N2O. Mark the true statements with an X. __ The N2O molecule absorbs IR light that is not visible to your eyes. __ The N2O molecule stretches and bends when it absorbs IR. __ The N2O molecule only absorbs IR light of some energies.

all marked X

The article references the NAAQS. The first A in in NAAQS stands for _______________ and this word refers to......

ambient______ and this word refers to the air outside that surrounds us.

Words to use in first two questions: water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, glucose, energy It is springtime in Wisconsin! Arrange the words (given above) to form a chemical equation that shows how "carbon" now is moving from the atmosphere to green plants.

carbon dioxide + water + energy--> glucose + oxygen (PHOTOSYNTHESIS)

Mike Berners Lee, in his book How Bad Are Bananas, says that a carbon footprint is a shorthand for...

carbon dioxide together with all greenhouse gas emissions. Mike writes: "I'm using the word carbon as shorthand for all the different global warming greenhouse gases"

The map on the front screen, courtesy of the Central Analytical Lab in Illinois, shows higher sulfate concentrations in the eastern parts of the U.S. The likely cause of these higher concentrations, as discussed in lecture, was

electric power plants that burned sulfur-containing coal.

The kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy power.

energy

The UW campus co-gen (= cogeneration) plant was not a choice in the previous question. For this third campus plant, co-gen means ...

generation of both electricity and high pressure steam (or chilled water)

Words to use in first two questions: water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, glucose, energy It is springtime in Wisconsin! You are outside enjoying the nice weather. Your body needs energy to walk, bike, and job. Arrange the words (given above) to form a chemical equation that shows how your body burns "carbon" and moves it to the atmosphere.

glucose + oxygen --> carbon dioxide + water + energy (CELLULAR RESPIRATION)

Each air pollutant is hazardous for a different reason. How does carbon monoxide affect you? The part of your body CO affects: What CO does to this part of your body:

hemoglobin or red blood cells CO binds to the same site on hemoglobin as oxygen, reducing the oxygen that hemoglobin can carry to your cells. You suffer oxygen deprivation, possibly death.

PM2.5 human source & natural source:

human source: burning coal natural source: forest fires and volcanoes

Sulfur Dioxide human source & natural source:

human source: burning coal natural source: volcanoes or hot springs

Comparing the Lighting Facts Labels, you can see that incandescent bulbs are less efficient than fluorescent bulbs. The reason for the inefficiency...

is that incandescent bulbs generate a lot of heat (= "wasted energy") along with the light. Heat does not illuminate a room.

Each air pollutant is hazardous for a different reason. How does ozone affect you? The part of your body ozone affects: What ozone does to this part of your body:

lungs (eyes = another possible answer) Ozone damages lung tissue, even scarring it, reducing your ability to breathe. For eyes: Ozone stings and burns your eyes.

Account for the difference in continuously flooded rice and intermittently flooded. Which gas accounts for the difference in the carbon footprint? Explain why:

methane The microbes are doing their digestion anaerobically under water. In the absence of oxygen, these microbes make methane.

Switching the fuel from coal to natural gas lowered our campus CO2 emissions because

natural gas has a lower % carbon than the coal that was burned. Not needed but relevant: Methane in natural gas also contains H and this H burns as well, producing energy (and water as a product)

Fertilizers such as ammonia (NH3) are used to grow the corn that feed animals. These fertilizers also contribute to GHG emissions. Name the GHG gas emitted ______ Tell how this GHG is produced

nitrous oxide microbes in the soil convert ammonia to nitrous oxide

Would you expect CO2e for a kilowatt-hour of electricity in Wisconsin to have the same value as a kilowatt-hour of electricity in Illinois?

no : The value of CO2e for a kilowatt-hour depends on how the electricity was generated. Illinois has more nuclear power in the mix, which is lower carbon. Coal is a higher carbon fuel than natural gas, so coal use also affects the CO2e.

Phenology is the study of

seasonal natural phenomena For example, each year in the spring you might study when the trillium bloom (or when the cranes return or when the ice melts).

The current NAAQS for sulfur dioxide is 75 ppb averaged over 1 hour. This value is different from its value 20 years ago because

the NAAQS change when two things happen: (1) new research studies demonstrate the value should be lowered (or raised) and (2) after public hearings, the law is changed to reflect the new information for a different standard. Note: Stating either of these points = full credit

Mike also points out that a carbon footprint is a metaphor for...

the total impact of something. Mike writes: "I'm using the word footprint as a metaphor for the total impact that something has."

After the Montreal Protocol took effect in 1987, CFCs were banned and their production was halted. Nonetheless, some CFCs are still present in the atmosphere because

they have long atmospheric lifetimes, some as long as 100 years.

Lowering the amount of high pressure steam distributed to campus from the Charter Street also helped lower our campus CO2 emissions. One way that campus workers lowered the amount of HP steam needed was

to better insulate the steam tunnels.

Sulfur dioxide (and its cousin, sulfur trioxide) causes harm to your lungs because...

with moisture, such as in lung tissue, sulfur dioxide dissolves to produce an acid.

Ozone levels are hazardous outside. If you exercise indoors, would the ozone levels be reduced?

yes: Ozone is very reactive. The molecule, in transit from outdoors to indoors, most likely would react and thus go away. Ozone levels indoors are much lower as a result.

Each air pollutant is hazardous for a different reason. How do PM2.5 affect you? NOTE: Answer for the smallest particles, those 1 micron or less. The part of your body PM2.5 affects: What PM2.5 does to this part of your body:

your bloodstream or cardio-vascular system Heart disease, irritation of blood vessels. Quoting the EPA: "Exposure to particle pollution may cause people with heart disease to experience chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath and fatigue. Also cardiac arrhythmia and heart attack."