Stephanie McCoy

Chemical Engineering Student

The University of Iowa
  Introduction

  Experimental Methods
  Results

  Conclusions and Recommendations

  References

  Questions
 0.5% 0.01% mobile fossil
  Tasteless, 2% 2% 0.003% fuel
odorless gas, 3% combustion
harmful to stationary
humans 8% fossil fuel
  Health effects and combustion
EPA industrial
recommendations processes
  9 ppm for 8 hours,
35 ppm for 1 hour incineration of
85%
  Produced by waste
partial oxidation of
fuel agricultural
burning
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks:
1990–2008. (2010).
 CO2 Sources
  Occurs Fossil fuel
naturally in the 1% combustion
2% 2% 1%
atmosphere Non-energy
  Lifetime in the use of fuels
atmosphere: iron and
50-200 yrs steel
production
cement
94% production
natural gas
systems
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks:
1990–2008. (2010).
  Normally, warm air near
the earth will rise, diluting
pollutants
  Often in valleys, cool air
will drain off slopes and
uplands and into valley
surface below a warm
layer, creating a very
stable situation called a Boundary layer
thermal inversion
  The denser, more cool air
will stay put underneath
the lighter, warmer air
www.sciencelearn.org
  Used a DC-8 airplane to
collect air samples all
over California
  Collected samples from
an ambient air outlet in
stainless steel canisters
every 2-5 minutes
 CO/ CO2 Chromatography and
Flame Ionization Detector
•  Used an Analytical system for
Carbon Monoxide and Carbon
Dioxide, and for non-methane
hydrocarbons with gas
chromatography to quantify the
amounts of CO,CO2, methyl
chloride and ethyne in the
samples

CO chromatograph
 • High levels of CO in the valley possibly due to
San Francisco
inversion effects or population
Region
Al#tude CO

Monterey
Bay San Joaquin
Valley

Al#tude
+
above

sea
level CO
ppb

Los Angeles
Flight 2 low altitudes
 Methyl
chloride
vs.

CO
vs.
CO2
 Ethyne
vs.
CO
 CO

slope
of

Data
considered
 R2
 R2
 correla#on
 R2

all
 0.12
 0.46
 2.04
 0.07

F1
 0.36
 0.36
 1.69
 0.24

F2
 0.05
 0.58
 2.42
 0.01

F1
less
than
2000
9
 0.35
 0.28
 1.39
 0.32

F2
less
than
2000
9
 0.15
 0.74
 3.40
 0.09

F1
greater
than
9000
9
 0.03
 0.06
 0.62
 0.03

F2
greater
than
9000
9
 0.01
 0.74
 1.36
 0.15


Evidence of Ratio decreases with Correlation shows

combustion time; initially at about 4 evidence of
pptv/ppbv biomass burning
Lifetime ethyne: 2.1 wks Flight 2 low altitudes
Lifetime CO: 6.9 wks
 Methyl
chloride
vs.

CO
vs.
CO2
 Ethyne
vs.
CO
 CO

slope
of

Data
considered
 R2
 R2
 correla#on
 R2

all
 0.12
 0.46
 2.04
 0.07

F1
 0.36
 0.36
 1.69
 0.24

F2
 0.05
 0.58
 2.42
 0.01

F1
less
than
2000
9
 0.35
 0.28
 1.39
 0.32

F2
less
than
2000
9
 0.15
 0.74
 3.40
 0.09

F1
greater
than
9000
9
 0.03
 0.06
 0.62
 0.03

F2
greater
than
9000
9
 0.01
 0.74
 1.36
 0.15


Evidence of Ratio decreases with Correlation shows

combustion time; initially at about 4 evidence of
pptv/ppbv biomass burning
 Al#tude CO2

Al#tude
+
above
 CO2
ppm
sea
level
  Shows High
concentration/ high
Europe
altitude points traced China
back for 14 days using
the NOAA Hysplit
model US

  Similar for other points

  Gases could have

come from Asia or
even Europe
  COand CO2 levels are elevated in the valley
and near high population areas
  Increase public transportation systems
  The data does not suggest a large amount of
biomass burning as a source of CO and CO2
  California’s CO levels may be influenced by the
emissions of Eastern Asia and Europe
  Think globally when considering pollution
  Matt Gartner
  Donald Blake Research Group

  Rick Shetter

  NASA, NSERC

  Atmosphere group members

  CO- How Carbon Monoxide Affects the Way We Live and Breathe. (2009, November
4). Retrieved July 25, 2010, from www.epa.gov
  David Archer, M. E. (2009). Atmospheric Lifetime fo Fossil Fuel Carbon Dioxide.
Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci.
  Digno, J., Eddleman, H., & Atherton, C. e. (1998, Dec 2-3). Quantifying Magnitudes
and Distributions of CO Sources. international Conference on Atmospheric Carbon
Monoxide & Its Environmental Effects .
  Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990–2008. (2010).
  R. Atkinson, D. L. (2006). Evaluated kinetic and photochemical data for atmospheric
chemistry: Volume II - gas phase reactions of organic species. Retrieved from Atmos.
Chem. Phys., 6, 3625-4055: http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/6/3625/2006/ and
http://www.iupac-kinetic.ch.cam.ac.uk/
  S.B. Smyth, S. .. (1996, October 30). Factors influencing the upper free tropospheric
distribution of reactive nitrogen over the South Atlantic during the TRACE A
experiment. Journal of Geophysical Research , 24, 165-24, 186.
  Gas used by plants during photosynthesis,
respired by animals, plants, and micro-
organisms
  When in balance, total CO2 emissions and
removals from carbon cycle are roughly equal in
nature; humans disrupt balance
  Primary greenhouse gas (gg) emitted by human
activity (85% of total US gg emissions)
  Releases
  CO
  CO2

  Hundreds of gases harmful to humans

  Regulated in California
  Methyl chloride is released with CO specifically
in biomass burning
San Francisco
Region
Al#tude CO
Observed fire
location
Monterey
Bay San Joaquin
Valley

Large
continuously
Al#tude
+
above

CO
ppb buring forest fires
sea
level

Los Angeles
 High levels of CO in the valley possibly due to
inversion effects or population
CO2
Al#tude

Al#tude
+
above

sea
level CO2
ppm
 Al#tude CO

Observed fire
location on
Flight 2

Al#tude
+
above

sea
level CO
ppb
Popula#on CO2

CO2
ppm
Popula#on CO

CO
ppb
  Plan of attack
  1. If CO and CO2 have a rough correlation (R2 is .5
or greater) evidence of combustion
  2. The coorelation between ethyne and CO will tell
us about the age of combustion
  3. If Methyl chloride is produced in ratio with CO,
proof of biomass burning