Gasoline
Gasoline has gone through many changes in the last couple of decades, both for efficiency and for environmental considerations. During the early 20th Century, the oil companies were producing gasoline as a simple distillate from petroleum, but the automotive engine was rapidly being improved and required a suitable fuel. Engines were modified to run on kerosene, however kerosene-fueled engines would "knock" and crack the cylinder head and pistons. This then led to the long search for antiknock agents, culminating in tetra ethyl lead. Typical mid-1920's gasoline was 40-60 octane. The 1950s saw the start of the increase of the compression ratio, requiring higher octane fuels. Octane ratings, lead levels, and vapor pressure increased, whereas sulfur content decreased. Minor improvements were made to gasoline formulations to improve yields and octane until the 1970s -- when unleaded fuels were introduced to protect the exhaust catalysts that were also being introduced for environmental reasons. From 1970 until 1990, gasoline was slowly changed as lead was phased out, lead levels plummeted, and octane initially decreased. With the passage of the US Clean Air Act of 1990, significant compositional changes in gasoline began to be forced on the industry to minimize this major pollution source, and these comprehensive changes are expected to continue well into the 21st Century.
Oxygenates, which are actually pre-used hydrocarbons, have been sparingly used in gasoline since the 1970's for their anti-knock value. Today they are increasingly added to gasoline because research seems to indicate that they help reduce the smog-forming tendencies of exhaust gases by reducing the reactivity of the emissions; therefore maki...
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...ng sulfur oxides, which damage lungs and contribute to the formation of acid rain.
The personal automobile is still considered to be the single greatest air polluter in the world today, but provisions of the 1990 Clean Air Act are continuously and systematically reducing vehicle emissions. The petroleum industry and automobile manufacturers are being mandated to "clean up their acts" and the world will hopefully be a healthier, less polluted place to live in the future for all of this! We aren't burning kerosene or lead in our automobiles any more, but we still have not found the ideal combustible fuel that we need. Emission control systems are becoming increasingly effective and thorough at what they do. This is just a stopgap solution and not the final answer, however. Perfect combustion is a realistic and attainable goal for this new century, I believe.
MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is an oxygenate commonly used in gasoline in America, Europe, and other countries throughout the world. It is a compound created by the chemical reaction of methanol and isobutylene that is added to gasoline because of its high octane level, allowing gasoline to reach the required octane levels and still include a gasoline component. In addition, because it is an oxygenate, MTBE helps gasoline more fully combust, which increases performance and reduces the amount of harmful pollutants such as CO, VOCs, NOx, and particulates released into the atmosphere from automobile exhaust [EFOA]. However, opposition has recently arisen against the use of MTBE in gasoline.
Increasing environmental awareness, coupled with a responsible American government and improved technology, have all contributed to the comeback of low-and zero-emissions vehicles in the US. It remains to be seen whether the automakers and oil companies will once again work to halt this progress, or embrace it as the technology of a more responsible future.
Fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, are Carbon rich compounds, the combustion of which produces Carbon Dioxide, a pollutant and a greenhouse gas. A large amount of energy is released during this process, which is why the pollutants off products are tolerated. This process occurs constantly throughout the world, in power stations, vehicles and cooking ovens, leading to an immense volume of CO2 being released every second, 50% of which is absorbed by oceans (Oce...
chain. The use of lead in gasoline was phased out in '73 which caused lead
I am a husband and a father of four lovely children. We need a large vehicle to haul all of us around town. And of course I would do anything to keep them safe and I always want to provide them with the best. Therefore, after the birth of our fourth child two and a half years ago, my wife and I decided to upgrade our Ford Explorer to a Ford Expedition. We got everything from the side-curtain airbags to the TV and DVD player. What we did not know was we also purchased a rather large unleaded gas bill. The first time we filled the tank it cost us roughly $35; today it costs us right around $75 to fill the tank. Obviously the price of gas has increased significantly in the last two years. The price increase is due to a fluctuation in the supply and demand of not only gasoline but also crude oil, which is needed to manufacture gasoline. In addition, several other factors are influencing a change in the price of gasoline.
Since the birth of automobiles in 1866, the majority of mankind has relied heavily on this mode of transportation, especially in the United States. According to the California DMV there are 24,290,288 licensed drivers in California (DMV, 2013), which is approximately 63.3% of the population. Ever since the invention of automobiles, gas emission into the atmosphere has become one of the biggest issues for mankind. In Garret Hardin’s essay, The Tragedy of the Commons, Hardin defines a common as a resource that is accessible for everyone in society. Clean air became a modern commons in this sense. The quality of air is especially bad in California where there are 31,388,901 registered vehicles for a population of 37,826,160. In 2012, the quality of air hit a record low in California’s Central Valley. If we continue to dismiss the issue of air pollution, we will gravely endanger our health as current air pollution related health effects already include lung diseases and cancer. The solutions to the smog pollution problem are to develop cleaner emission engines, as part of a technical solution, as well as raise awareness among the residents of the Central Valley.
The tradeoffs of using gasoline for cars are large emission of carbon dioxide and required large amount of chemical t...
Gasoline fueled cars produce a number of pollutants. The most damaging pollutants that come from gasoline fueled cars are particulate matter. Particulate matter is a sequence of organic materials and inorganic substances. It includes ingredients such as lint and minerals. Nitrogen dioxide, produced when fuel is burned at high temperatures, can cause damage to the lungs and cause chest pains. One might ask, “Why are Americans still driving gasoline cars?” knowing the damage that they are subject to cause. I personally maintain that the government should push people to p...
In the mid-seventies basic steps were taken to reduce the pollution caused by cars, which of course at their heart is an internal combustion engine. The first and most obvious source of pollution from cars is the Exhaust pipe. Exhaust emissions contain carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen. Also a small amount of solid matter, or particulates, is emitted in the form of lead from the tetraethyl lead used in fuel to increase its octane rating. It was found that these pollutants were having an adverse effect on the environment and in extreme cases were actually causing visible ‘smog.’ But exhaust emissions in pre-70’s cars were only accounting for 55% of automotive air pollutants. Another major source was emissions of hydrocarbons from the engine’s crankcase. They occurred because during combustion there is a small amount ...
Today, people use their own personal vehicles to travel more than ever before. Personal transportation is no longer considered a luxury; it is now considered a necessity. The number of cars in the United States has been growing steadily since the 1970s. The number of miles traveled by cars has risen nearly 150 percent, yet the United States population has only grown roughly 40 percent during that time (hybridcars.com, Driving Trends). Although it may seem like we are advancing into the future, in reality, we are moving backwards from the effects these vehicles have on our bodies and the environment. The pollution produced by these vehicles has brought us to the day where we must find other modes of transportation that cause less harm to the world in which we live. Advances in technology have developed hybrid vehicles to try and slow down the amount of pollution. Driving a hybrid vehicle, instead of a conventional gas powered vehicle, can reduce the amount of pollution that affects our lives and the environment around us.
The general petrol, more commonly known as gasoline, is the most readily available source of power for one's car today. This is because gasoline is generally cheap and readily available. Gasoline is defined by Poltcor as a "petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting mostly of aliphatic hydrocarbons and enhanced with aromatic hydrocarbons toluene, benzene or iso-octane to increase octane ratings, primarily used as fuel in internal combustion engines" (Poltcor 3). Most automobiles rely on this type of gasoline today. At gas stations, the general grades available are 87, 89, and 93. Each of the numbers represents the quality of the gasoline, 87 being the lowest, usually named Regular and 93 being the highest, usually named Supreme. Generally, the gas prices in the U.S. are cheaper than overseas. However, the gas price has been rising over past few years because of some issues with the Middle East. Even with this problem in the Middle East increasing the gas price regularly, the U.S. maintains its ranking as one of the cheapest places to get petrol, or gasoline. Although gasoline is cheap, it is demanded of every person to have an automobile and since automobiles rely on gasoline, the gasoline distributors have the advantage that the public is willing to pay high prices for gasoline, if it's the cheapest around.
...al combustion vehicle emissions. Sustainable practices, technology, collaborations are producing a new breed of vehicles aiming for a greener future for the world. These efficient vehicles seek to forge a green future.
In conclusion I have to say that it will be a long way for us to go to have a "clean" world. Almost all of the countries are trying hard to prevent and control air pollution. There seems to be no end to tasks that environmentalists will be required to do. But it is never too late for success. People will continually find new and new ways to control pollution. And Success belongs to the persevering. I believe in the future, there are only green trees, red flowers, singing birds and all the beauties in our campus. Someday when I wake up, I will walk to class with all of my pleasures, because there will be no more cans, no more wine bottles, and no more colorful plastic bags on my school way.
Electric cars help lower emissions because they have completely clean motors. As time progresses, emission standards rise and will become harder to meet for automakers. Electric motors will always have zero emissions and auto makers won't have to spend extra money to make their engines cleaner and more fuel efficient. Originally, when the internal combustion engine was invented, pollution wasn't a problem. After hundreds of years and the many combustion engines created, all the exhaust has built up. Today, pollution is one of the largest problems in our environment. Every year the average miles driven rises for everyone. When this rises, the pollution rises as well. Toni Marzotto, in "The Evolution of Public Policy: and the Environment," explains how air pollution will continue to keep on increasing:
Hybrid cars and trucks are beginning to become very popular in our day of time. The inventor and the founder of the hybrid car was Robert Anderson. Anderson was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He invented the vehicle in 1839. The hybrid vehicles get better gas mileage than most of the older cars and trucks. Most of the new vehicles that are being made today are some sort of hybrid or ecoboost vehicle. Almost all of your car manufacturers today are trying to create new vehicles that conserve gas which is green to the environment. Gas efficient cars are now taking over diesel car and trucks. Diesel cars and trucks usually get pretty bad gas mileage. Most of the big older trucks have a diesel engine in them. Most of the owners of a diesel vehicle usually don’t drive the vehicle much anymore because of horrible gas and diesel prices this day in time.