Pollution by CO2 - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages Therefore, concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is being monitored closely in order to prevent effects of global warming (Ramseur & Parker2008, p.27). The need to curb the effects of global warming due to increased greenhouse gases has led to the development of novel devices, which can monitor air pollution by CO2. However, it is worth to mention that some of the methods in use for the monitoring of CO2 tend to be highly sophisticated, and can only be used under exceptional circumstances. Today, majority of the devices that are in use for monitoring of atmospheric CO2 are constructed using Non-Dispersive Infrared gas analyzers. However, there are several other techniques, which use chromatographic and spectrum techniques. It is necessary to note that there is an internationally accepted calibration system that helps in giving a global standard for CO2 measurements (Nowakb & King 2002, p.246). Devices for measuring CO2 pollution Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) This is one of the methods widely used for monitoring atmospheric pollution by CO2. This technique has been in use for decades, and its working principle is based on the identification of the absorption spectrum for different gases. Therefore, FTIR operates by monitoring the whole infrared spectrum in order to identify the different absorption spectrums for gases present. Infrared spectrums produce absorption spectrums for samples that have absorption peaks that correspond to frequencies of bond vibrations within an atom. Every material has a unique combination of atoms, hence the uniqueness in the infrared spectrum produced. Therefore, the use of infrared spectroscopy can help in the quantitative analysis of a material (Xinyi 2012, p. 225). The size of peaks produced by infrared spectrums provides a direct measurement for the quantity of substance present within the test sample, which goes to extents of 10% of CO2 concentrations in the sample. The use of software algorithms has made use of the infrared spectrum a vital tool for quantitative analysis. The use of FTIR has a number of advantages over other techniques that were in use earlier. These advantages include its nondestructive nature; it also gives precise measurements that do not need any external calibration, has a high operating speed and is of a high sensitivity. Other advantages include its high optical throughput, and its mechanical simplicity.With the help of an interferometer, FTIR measures different infrared frequencies simultaneously. Therefore, this technique is reliable for the identification of air pollution by CO2 based on its unique absorption spectrum (Griffith &Stephen 2000, p.218). Advantages FTIR provides the advantage of measuring up to 50 determinants. The other advantagesincludethe reduced number of interferences, lack of frequent calibration, and a typical range of 2.5-25µm. Disadvantages The main disadvantage associated with the use of FTIR is its potential to generate a large amount of data from inferograms, which makes data analysis process cumbersome. The other disadvantage relates to difficulties in obtaining a representative background. Gas chromatography This is an analytic technique that is used in the analysis of a number of gaseous substances. Analysis of gases using gas chromatography requires the gaseous compounds under analysis to have thermal stability and sufficiently ...Download file to see next pagesRead More