The Issue of Global Warming and the Ways of Human Beings for the Control Measures - Research Paper Example

Higher Colleges of Technology Abu Dhabi Men’s College Global Warming Eng. 307 Chemical CJC ABDEL KADER KHAMIS ID: 1003232 Sequence No: 3I. Introduction Global warming is one of the serious environmental problems that the world is facing in the present times. This means that the world is becoming hotter as the temperatures are rising to a level above the natural tolerability of the earth. This is alarming considering that it might harm and endanger all the living things on earth: human beings, plants and animals. The greenhouse gases that trap the heat, which are unable to escape because of the pollution in the air, cause global warming. It can be realized that human beings are mostly responsible for the increase in the global warming and now the human beings require finding out solutions to control the situation in order to save the earth. The following study focuses on the issue of global warming and study the different ways in which human beings are trying their best for the control measures. II. Discussion Global warming looms ahead of us. The phenomenon is primarily caused by the greenhouse effect which is caused by the accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air emitted by factories and manufacturing industries. This happens when industries use fossil fuels that emit carbon dioxide which in turn builds up in the atmosphere. “Carbon dioxide is released every time man uses his car, an airplane and a coal plant. Deforestation is another cause of global warming. When man converts the forests and grasslands into farmland and cities, there will be the release of carbon dioxide because man will burn the forests and grasses emitting carbon dioxide in the air. All these human activities result to global warming” [1]. This major international issue might threaten international stability. Meanwhile, carbon dioxide as fumes exhausted from the industry’s use of any equipment goes to the atmosphere known as carbon footprints. “The carbon traps the heat of the earth provided by the sun causing the earth to get warmer. This conceptualizes the new environmental issue known as global warming. Eventually, when the earth heats up to the level that it becomes unbearable, it will endanger all living things including human beings, hence immediate solution is required to reduce carbon dioxide as the number one gas that pollutes the air” [2]. [1] N. Smith, Global Warming Early Warning Signs, Earth Times. Online available.http://www.earthtimes.org/climate/global-warming-early-warning-signs/(Accessed23.11.11) 2010 [2] D. Ronca, How Carbon Capture Works, Online available (Accessed 23.11.11) http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/carbon-capture1.htm, 2011 Fortunately, today industries are not only driven by the profit motive but they are now also aware of the threat of global warming. Their inclination is growing towards strategies to reduce global warming. Most industries have come to the idea of capturing carbon dioxide before they are released into the atmosphere. The idea of carbon capture has been in use for several years. For instance, oil and gas industries have been capturing carbon for many years as their ways to recover the wastage of oil and gas during the processing from the raw sources of fossil fuel. However, today most industries think of carbon capture for environmental reasons. Two of the best methods used for carbon capture are post-combustion carbon capture and pre-combustion carbon capture. These methods have been chosen for this particular study because of the many advantages they provide as compared with the other methods of carbon capture. These two methods are cost effective and they produce cleaner environment [3]. a. Post-Combustion Carbon Capture: In this method, the emission of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is prevented by removing the gas from the steam that contains the gas. The steam gets released from the flue gases that are primarily focused in this process to prevent the release of the harmful gas in the air. The process is considered as an “an extension of the flue gas treatment for NOx and SOx removal, made more challenging by the relatively higher quantities of CO2 in the gas stream” [4]. Natural gas treatments are involved in the process. The separation of the natural gases presents several challenges as well. When industries are required to get involved in such processes, they have to focus on their Research and Development and if needed, they would [3] D. J. Weiss, Ten Industry Arguments Against Action on Global Warming ... and Why They Are Wrong, Online available/ http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/05/boxer_myths.html (Accessed 23.11.11), 2008 [4] S.A. Rackley, Carbon Capture and Storage, Oxford: Gulf Professional Publishing, 2010, p.71 require investing on these measures separately. The post-combustion carbon capture tries to separate the CO2 from the mixture of natural gases that include water and nitrogen. The process can be expected to be made use in industries like the coal power plants, being one of the easy processes that can be implemented by the industries. Use of special scrubbing solution is made for the extraction of carbon dioxide and thus its prevention from spreading in the air [5]. Thus the process of post-combustion carbon capture can be realized to be a method intended to serve the atmosphere by lowering the emissions of the carbon dioxide. This method can thus be used by different countries and the respective industries towards performing their motives of decreasing the effects of global warming on earth. b. Pre-Combustion Carbon Capture: The pre-combustion method of carbon capture is considered significant by several associations and organizational departments in comparison like the post-combustion carbon capture. This process has been found to be cheaper than the post-combustion method. Moreover, the recent technologies being adopted by different countries reflect that the use of the pre-combustion would be more appropriate for the lowering of the level of carbon dioxide in the air and prevent the increase of the global warming [6]. The process of pre-combustion carbon capture primarily involves removing the carbons that are present in different hydrocarbons such that hydrogen may be produced from the process. This hydrogen would be capable of getting combusted in the process and produce “pure stream of water vapour” [7]. This technology has been found to prove to be more advanced and reliable and tends to perform on a large scale basis that can enhance the functioning of the process. The ratio between the hydrogen and the carbon as can be estimated within the fuel is essential in the determination of the success of this process. Thus the pre-combustion method of carbon capture can be realized to be another method intended for the purpose of efficiently lowering the emissions of carbon dioxide and thus decrease the global warming and its impacts on the earth. [5] H. Leimkühler, Managing CO2 Emissions in the Chemical Industry, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2010, p.395 [6] J. Meadowcroft and O. Langhelle, Catching the Carbon: The Politics and Policy of Carbon Capture and Storage, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011, p. 175 [7] J. Herold, Microeconomic Analysis of Investment Incentives Under Emission Control: The Case of Carbon Capture and Storage, Munich: GRIN Verlag, 2009, p.8 III. Benefits of the Methods: The above mentioned methods of carbon capture have been considered for the study since they both involve technologically advanced measures towards the carbon capture for the purpose of the decreasing the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Although the pre-combustion technique is significant in the carbon capture process, the mostly used technique is the post-combustion process as used by different countries and industries. This process has been found to have worked effectively in the control of the global warming that is a primary concern of the industries across the world in the present times [8]. The carbon capture methods as mentioned in this study prove to be economically beneficial as well since the processes look after the costs of the coal that are spent through the power plants, and the consequent impacts that occur in the atmosphere. The costs incurred through these processes are comparatively less and ensure that these would be able to lessen the effects of global warming on earth [9]. Both the methods prove to be essential and thus are capable of being part of this study. These methods look after the measures and the separation of the gases such that the earth can experience a much cleaner environment. IV. Conclusion: Global warming being a serious issue in the present times, it has become the concern of every individual on earth to consider measures to control the situation. The industries across different countries are more concerned since the main component affecting the level of global warming, the carbon dioxide, are mostly released from the industries. The study has focused on how different countries and the industries are taking measures and incorporating the processes of carbon capture for the purpose. These include the post-combustion and pre-combustion capture processes that have benefits for the society as a whole and are also cost effective. Thus it can be concluded that every human being need to take the responsibility and different industries need to take the initiatives through these technologies towards the control of global warming by decreasing the levels of carbon dioxide in the air. [8] T.Yeo, Carbon Capture and Storage: ninth report of session 2007-08: report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence, London: The Stationery Office, 2009, p.16 [9] R. Mills, Capturing Carbon: The New Weapon in the War Against Climate Change, Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2010, pp.52-55 Bibliography: [1] N. Smith, Global Warming Early Warning Signs, Earth Times. Online available/ (accessed23.11.11)http://www.earthtimes.org/climate/global-warming-early-warning-signs/2010 [2] D. Ronca, How Carbon Capture Works, Online available (accessed 23.11.11) http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/carbon-capture1.htm, 2011 [3] D. J. Weiss, Ten Industry Arguments Against Action on Global Warming ... and Why They Are Wrong, Online available/ http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/05/boxer_myths.html (Accessed 23.11.11), 2008 [4] S.A. Rackley, Carbon Capture and Storage, Oxford: Gulf Professional Publishing, 2010 [5] H. Leimkühler, Managing CO2 Emissions in the Chemical Industry, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2010 [6] J. Meadowcroft and O. Langhelle, Catching the Carbon: The Politics and Policy of Carbon Capture and Storage, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011 [7] J. Herold, Microeconomic Analysis of Investment Incentives Under Emission Control: The Case of Carbon Capture and Storage, Munich: GRIN Verlag, 2009 [8] T.Yeo, Carbon Capture and Storage: ninth report of session 2007-08: report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence, London: The Stationery Office, 2009 [9] R. Mills, Capturing Carbon: The New Weapon in the War Against Climate Change, Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2010, pp.52-55 Read More