Effects of Automobiles on the Environment - Research Paper Example

 Automobiles and the Environment Abstract Automobiles are considered a big threat for environment since they cause a lot of pollution & damage in terms of air & water pollution. From the initial manufacturing stage of the automobile, the time span of the working automobile, to the last stage of being scrapped, the impact of the chemicals that are used during all these various stages on our environment. The dangerous compounds released from the exhaust of automobiles contribute a lot to the environmental pollution, water as well as air pollution. Humans are playing as an active participant or contributor towards the environmental pollution as they are simply in favors of their comfort & leisure & do not bother the environment at all. However, many organizations are participating in developing awareness & making standards that are environment friendly. Automobiles and the Environment With the advancement of the science & technology, everything else progresses as well. Man has come out of Stone Age & has reached the skies only because of the development in technology. The first simple machine the man of the Stone Age ever invented was of the utmost importance, the wheel. With this very first invention, man gradually devised ways & methods to make his life comfortable & to resolve the various mysteries that the nature enfolds. With this insightfulness & thorough hard work, man was finally able to achieve today’s heights. Even so, the experiments are carried out continuously for achieving best results and eradicating the previous flaws. In the older times when the wheel was not yet invented, man used animals as means of transportation & carrying load from one place to another. After the advent of the wheel, man invented bicycle which ran by the mechanical force of its bearer & also carts & wagons which were pulled by animals. More time passed & man came to know about the metals, its properties & molding methods. Thus, the era of automobiles came into existence. In the initial stages of evolution, automobiles were run by a steam powered engine. Most of these were lacking a roof. The steam powered automobiles kept on developing till the 20th century but the majority was inclined towards the petrol engines in the late 19th century, so the steam powered engines were only left as curiosity. (When was the First Car Invented. 2011) Like every coin have two faces, so does every invention. Everything has a positive or negative aspect associated with it, one way or the other. Automobiles are a very convenient & rapid source of transportation & More than half of the world population uses automobiles but what they are unaware of is that they are the major contributors in polluting the environment around them, thus it can be concluded that steam engines were more environment friendly than fuel engines. In the past, the automobiles were very expensive & there were only a few people who could enjoy such a luxury known as a car, due to which those who were not financially well to afford an automobile, they relied on horses. But now days, the automobile manufacturers are putting their efforts in constructing an economical, small yet spacious interior, & providing the general public more luxury & entertainment in an automobile. As the demand of automobiles has increased, so has the consumption of gasoline. The trend was shaky in the 60s & 70s due to the increase in the prices of gasoline but leveled off with the increase in automobiles per household. (Changing Trends: A Brief History of the US Household Consumption of Energy, Water, Food, Beverages and Tobacco) Pollution Pollution is termed as the introduction of unwanted or undesirable substances in the environment. These unwanted substances can be in the form of chemicals, gases or energy, which directly or indirectly have a harmful effect on the living & non-living systems on the earth. These substances not only are dangerous for health of living beings but also disturb the natural biogeochemical cycles of the ecosystem. There are a number of compounds that are used in the manufacturing of automobile & its parts. The parts are made up of metal & plastics which are molded by the machinery installed in the factories & certain amount of chemicals is added to obtain desirable results. Most parts are made up metal of different kind like iron, copper & aluminum & can be recycled. Cars also have batteries of lead & acids which are dangerous for health & can only be recycled at a proper municipal hazardous recycling facility. Plastic is a non-degradable product & thus are more difficult to recycle. The slurry or the extra material that is left behind contains impurities & also traces of chemicals. This slurry cannot be recycled therefore it is dumped into landfills or drainage. This either way removal of the slurry is a source of land as well water pollution as the groundwater comes in contact with the landfills & absorbs some of those compounds. Like so, the contaminated drainage system in the end empties into rivers or sea & thus pollutes the aquatic ecosystem. Other Chemical compounds The chemical substances that are used include both that are used by the automobile for proper functioning along with those that are related to the safety & safeguarding of the automobiles. Some of the chemicals used are engine antifreeze coolant like Manganese and its compounds, Molybdenum and its compounds, ethylene glycol, tributyl phosphate: some brake fluids like Bisphenol A, Boron & its compounds: & some waxes like Alkyl benzene sulfonic acid and its salt, 2-methoxyethanol/ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, Xylene (exist in petroleum products), 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, toluene, Bis-dimethyl ammonium chloride, benzene & ethyl benzene. Others include particulate from brake dust and cast iron brakes components, tire dust, used motor oil etc. Evaporative Emissions & Exhaust Pollutants in air The automobile derive the power for running by burning the fuels in its engine. The evaporation of fuel itself & the by-products that are released due to burning through the exhaust are major air pollutants. The evaporation of fuel takes places at increased temperatures, due to running loss, during refueling & hot soak. In a perfect combustion, the fuel should be entirely converted into water, carbon dioxide & neutral nitrogen gas. These components are a natural part of our atmospheric environment. But, unfortunately, inside an automobile engine, fuel undergoes incomplete combustion & as a result unburned hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide & carbon dioxide & water are released. In some countries, lead is added to gasoline for smooth running, though leaded gasoline has been banned in the United States. Likewise diesel has sulphur compounds in it & the combustion of diesel releases sulphur dioxide gas in the air. (Automobile Emissions: An Overview, 2011) Oxides of nitrogen The atmosphere is a thick layer of air that completely surrounds the earth & it is composed of a mixture of gases. Oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, water vapors constitute the major part of the atmosphere. At normal atmospheric temperature, these exist independently in the form of molecules & generally do not react with other in the air. But when the fuel is burned in the engine, its incomplete combustion gives rise to many volatile compounds. The nitrogen in the fuel burns at high temperature & pressure in the presence of oxygen from air and turns into various oxides of nitrogen which are collectively designated as NOx. These oxides of nitrogen are very strong irritants for lungs & also play role in weakening the immune system against respiratory infections. Nitrogen oxide gases also participate in acid rain formation & also play role in nitrification i.e. increase in the amount of nitrates in the soil & water thus causing eutrophication or algal blooms in the aquatic ecosystems & kills the fish. Hydrocarbons Incomplete combustion of fuel gives rise to unburnt hydrocarbons which are very volatile & they escape into the air. Some of these are highly toxic & carcinogenic. These low molecular mass hydrocarbons react vigorously with the nitrogen oxides in sunlight & contribute to the formation of ozone at the ground level which is also known as photochemical smog or simply smog. Smog has a whitish or brownish haze like appearance. Although ozone at the higher levels of atmosphere (stratosphere) protects the earth & its living systems by acting as a filter & does not allow the ultraviolet rays to reach the earth. However, the ozone that is produced at the ground level is entirely a different matter & it is a major component of smog. Ozone in the ground level causes coughing, choking, irritation in the respiratory system & reduced lung capacity. Carbon monoxide Another hazardous product that is released in the exhaust by the automobiles is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a potentially lethal colorless & odorless gas & it takes over the transport of oxygen in the body thus reducing the flow of oxygen to the vital organs of the body. It has a strong affinity for hemoglobin found in the blood & readily reacts with it, thus preventing the oxygen to bind with hemoglobin (Rao, 1989). Carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide which is a natural component of the earth’s ecosystem & although it is an end product of complete combustion, it is being regarded as an air pollutant. Being a natural part of atmosphere, carbon dioxide does not impart any health hazardous effects, but its accumulation causes the green house effect. It traps the energy from the sun & does not allow the excess energy to dissipate, thereby increasing the temperature of the earth & causing global warming. Accumulation of the green house gas results in the overall increase in the temperature of the earth which effects all equally. Global warming is the increase in the temperature than normal. Due to this global warming, life is effected by the severe climate changes, increase in the sea level s & storms, or flooding at the coastal areas, inundating rains, some other places might experience just the opposite like droughts. (World carbon dioxide emissions by country, 1990-2025, 2011) As it is obvious from the above graph, more developed countries like China & the United States have more number of vehicles per household & thus the more amount of carbon dioxide is released from the exhaust pipes of the automobiles. The energy related emission of carbon dioxide in the United States is majorly caused by the cars & light trucks, & these release more carbon dioxide than all other countries except India, Japan, China & Russia. Although the population of India is thrice the population in the United States, still the amount of CO2 released in the United States is the same as in India. Along with the increase in the population of the world, the rate of energy consumption has increased as well. Most of the energy is derived from the natural fossil fuels & in the last century, as compared to the population, the amount of fossil fuels utilized has been at a five times faster rate. The amount of CO2 in the year 1890 was over 290 parts per million & the world population was 1.5 billion. Now, the world population has risen to 6 billion & consequently, the level of atmospheric CO2 has crossed 360 parts per million. (Automobiles and the Environment, 2011) Sulphur dioxide Some fuels which contain sulphur compounds in them, like diesel produce sulphur dioxide gas during combustion. Sulphur dioxide SO2 is a strong lung irritant & also is a major contributor to the acid rain formation & falls down on earth in the form of sulphuric acid wh9ch greatly damages animals, crops, & buildings & causes skin diseases. Sulphur dioxide also causes some blockage & interference in the catalytic convertors. Cars & SUV’s are not the largest source of the sulphur dioxide emission in the air but owing to the presence of large number; they are a major contributor, after the factories, industrial facilities & power plants. Lead Leaded gasoline is used still in many countries. It has been banned from the United States. Lead is a cumulative toxin that affects the nervous system, brain impairment; it causes hypertension, & premature death in adults. Leaded gasoline is the leading cause of lead exposure in most densely populated areas. Lead & chromium are also used during the manufacturing processes of automobiles & the personnel that are exposed to it are in very danger. Particulate matters Particulate matters are released from the grinding of brakes due to friction & these give the color to the smog. Particulate matters are of various sizes & they are so small that they can be inhaled. Once inhaled, these particulate matters can cause obstruction of the air passage inside lungs. Thus these airborne particles are the cause of breath shortness, cardiovascular & respiratory diseases & cancer. Certain people who already have weakened immune system or other respiratory disease like asthma, or heart diseases, as well as the elderly & the children are particularly susceptible. The sources of these particulate matters are soot & smoke & it gives the haziness & imparts color to the smog. EPA has made the size of 2.5 microns of the particulate matter a standard because it is the most damaging particle size which has an easy access to the lungs. (Automobiles and the Environment, 2011) Water Pollution Water pollution is indirectly caused by the automobiles. Water pollution takes place with the introduction of biological, chemical & particulate matter in the water bodies that plays role in degradation of the quality of the aquatic ecosystem. Water pollution is caused by multiple factors like factories, refineries, Soap from car washing, Oil and antifreeze leaking from cars, Waste treatment facilities, Mining, Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, Human sewage, Oil spills, Failing septic systems, Household chemicals & Animal waste. The water that is running off from the ground absorbs various chemicals on its way & carries it to the river & seas. If the water is standing, then it slowly percolates down & become a part of the groundwater. The contaminated ground water is used for drinking & irrigational purposes thus, when consumed. It causes diseases & damages the crops & fields. Also the acid rain & eutrophication are cause huge damage in the aquatic ecosystems. Prevention To prevent air & water pollution, the government should try & eradicate the factors that are the cause of such potential damage. If eradication is not possible, than at least try & reduce the use of chemicals to such a level which may not be hazardous to the health & environment. The fuel should be tested to check the level of harmful materials regularly. The car manufacturers should try to introduce newer versions with appropriate emission control systems. A small car contributes less in pollution as compared to a heavy car & is fuel efficient as well. Although Environmental Protection Agency has declared a set of standards for the automobile emissions, but both the Environmental Protection Agency & the automobile manufacturers have failed because in real world driving, the amount of gram per mile emissions are higher than the standards. (Vesilind and D DiStefano. 2006) Thus automobile manufacturers are designing such cars which are called as environment friendly cars with better emission control systems & which make use of alternative fuels like using blends of biodiesel and ethanol fuel or gasohol, compressed-air, neat ethanol vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, battery electric vehicles, flexible-fuel vehicles, natural gas vehicles, clean diesel vehicles, and some sources also include hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicles (Eco Friendly And Sustainable Transportation, 2011) Bibliography Rao, M N, and H V. N. Rao. Air Pollution. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Pub, 1989. Print. Vesilind, P A, and D DiStefano,Thomas. Controlling Environmental Pollution: An Introduction to the Technologies, History and Ethics. Lancaster: DEStech, 2006. Print. Automobile Emissions: An Overview retrieved on 6/12/2011. When was the First Car Invented retrieved on 6/12/2011 Trends in vehicle and fuel technologies 2003. (Retrieved on 6/12/2011) Changing Trends: A Brief History of the US Household Consumption of Energy, Water, Food, Beverages and Tobacco< http://epb.lbl.gov/homepages/rick_diamond/LBNL55011-trends.pdf> retrieved on 6/12/2011. World carbon dioxide emissions by country, 1990-2025 retrieved on 6/12/2011. Automobiles and the Environment< http://www.greenercars.org/guide_environment.htm> retrieved on 6/12/2011 Read More