1.

State the composition of clean, dry air as approximately 78% nitrogen, N2, 21% oxygen, O2, and the
remainder as a mixture of noble gases and carbon dioxide, CO2

2. State the source of each of these air pollutants:

(a) carbon dioxide from the complete combustion of carbon-containing fuels
Human sources come from activities like cement production, deforestation as well as the burning of fossil
fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.

(b) carbon monoxide and particulates from the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas. It results from the incomplete combustion of carbon-
containing fuels such as natural gas, gasoline, or wood, and is emitted by a wide variety of combustion
sources, including motor vehicles, power plants, wildfires, and incinerators.

(c) methane from the decomposition of vegetation and waste gases from digestion in animals
Methane is produced when bacteria decompose organic plant and animal matter in such places at
wetlands (e.g., marshes, mudflats, flooded rice fields), sewage treatment plants, landfills, the guts of cattle
and termites, and leakage from natural gas pipelines and from oil wells.

(d) oxides of nitrogen from car engines

Nitrogen oxides (NOX) are produced when fuel is combusted in the engine in the presence of air. NOX
comprises a mixture of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). NO is not harmful to health at the
concentrations typically found in the atmosphere

(e) sulfur dioxide from the combustion of fossil fuels which contain sulfur compounds
Sulfur dioxide, SO2, is a colorless gas or liquid with a strong, choking odor. It is produced from the
burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil) and the smelting of mineral ores (aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, and
iron) that contain sulfur.

3 State the adverse effects of these air pollutants:

(a) carbon dioxide: higher levels of carbon dioxide leading to increased global warming, which leads to
climate change
By adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, people are supercharging the natural greenhouse
effect, causing global temperature to rise

(b) carbon monoxide: toxic gas

Carbon monoxide is harmful because it binds to hemoglobin in the blood, reducing the ability of blood to
carry oxygen. This interferes with oxygen delivery to the body's organs. The most common effects of
CO exposure are fatigue, headaches, confusion, and dizziness due to inadequate oxygen delivery to the
brain

(c) particulates: increased risk of respiratory problems and cancer

Fine particles in the air (measured as PM2.5) are so small that they can travel deeply into the respiratory
tract, reaching the lungs, causing short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation,
coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of breath.

(d) methane: higher levels of methane leading to increased global warming, which leads to climate
change
Methane is responsible for around 30% of the rise in global temperatures since the industrial revolution,
and rapid and sustained reductions in methane emissions are key to limit near-term warming and improve
air quality

(e) oxides of nitrogen: acid rain, photochemical smog and respiratory problems
Effects of NOx pollution include climate change, ozone depletion, acid rain, photochemical smogs, and
health problems.
(f) sulfur dioxide: acid rain
When sulfur dioxide combines with water and air, it forms sulfuric acid, which is the main component of
acid rain. Acid rain can: cause deforestation. acidify waterways to the detriment of aquatic life.

4 Describe how the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane cause global warming, limited to:
(a) the absorption, reflection and emission of thermal energy
The added greenhouse gases absorb the heat. They then radiate this heat. Some of the heat will head away
from the Earth, some of it will be absorbed by another greenhouse gas molecule, and some of it will wind
up back at the planet's surface again. With more greenhouse gases, heat will stick around, warming the
planet.

(b) reducing thermal energy loss to space

Greenhouse gases act similarly to the glass in a greenhouse: they absorb the sun's heat that radiates from
the Earth's surface, trap it in the atmosphere and prevent it from escaping into space. The greenhouse
effect keeps the Earth's temperature warmer than it would otherwise be, supporting life on Earth.

5 State and explain strategies to reduce the effects of these environmental issues, limited to:
(a) climate change: planting trees, reduction in livestock farming, decreasing use of fossil fuels,
increasing use of hydrogen and renewable energy, e.g. wind, solar
Changing our main energy sources to clean and renewable energy is the best way to stop using fossil
fuels. These include technologies like solar, wind, wave, tidal and geothermal power. Switch to
sustainable transport. Petrol and diesel vehicles, planes and ships use fossil fuels.

(b) acid rain: use of catalytic converters in vehicles, reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide by using
lowsulfur fuels and flue gas desulfurisation with calcium oxide
The catalytic converter uses reduction and oxidation reactions to change carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons,
and nitrogen oxides into carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas and water vapour, which have a much smaller
impact on the atmosphere. Reducing sulphur in fuels reduces direct emissions of both sulphur dioxide and
sulphate particulate matter from all vehicles, old and new.

6 Explain how oxides of nitrogen form in car engines and describe their removal by catalytic converters,
e.g. 2CO + 2NO → 2CO2 + N2
Nitrogen oxides (NOX) are produced when fuel is combusted in the engine in the presence of air. NOX
comprises a mixture of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). NO is not harmful to health at the
concentrations typically found in the atmosphere. A catalytic converter is a simple device that uses basic
redox reactions to reduce the pollutants a car makes. It converts around 98% of the harmful fumes
produced by a car engine into less harmful gases. It is composed of a metal housing with a ceramic
honeycomb-like interior with insulating layers. This honeycomb interior has thin wall channels that are
coated with a "washcoat" of aluminum oxide. This coating is porous and increases the surface area,
allowing more reactions to take place and containing precious metals such as platinum, rhodium, and
palladium. No more than 4-9 grams of these precious metals are used in a single converter

7 Describe photosynthesis as the reaction between carbon dioxide and water to produce glucose and
oxygen in the presence of chlorophyll and using energy from light
The process of photosynthesis is commonly written as: 6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2. This means that
the reactants, six carbon dioxide molecules and six water molecules, are converted by light energy
captured by chlorophyll (implied by the arrow) into a sugar molecule and six oxygen molecules, the
products.

8 State the word equation and symbol equation for photosynthesis

Carbon dioxide + Water → Glucose + Oxygen + Water.
6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2