Carbon Monoxide PollutionCarbon Monoxide pollution occurs primarily from emissions produced by fossil fuel powered engines. The incomplete reaction of air with fuel produces the colourless, odourless and highly toxic gas. Carbon Monoxide Formation For all fossil fuels the standard complete burning reaction can be summarized as follows:
This is a simplified reaction as it does not account for other components of the fuel such as sulfur. We can see from this reaction that the Oxygen gas on the left side is used in the formation of both the Carbon Dioxide and the Water molecules. If there is insufficient Oxygen gas present when the fuel is burned, formation of the products on the right hand side of the arrow is compromised. In this case Carbon Monoxide is formed since even though it is still a reactive gas it represents a lower energy state than the original fuel. Again simplified, the reaction looks like this:
In real life the situation is not as clear cut as these reactions show. It is impossible to perfectly tune any internal combustion engine so that it achieves complete burning of all the fuel into Carbon Dioxide and Water. There will always be a mixture of Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide in the exhaust gases of any engine. The better tuned the engine the less Carbon Monoxide it will produce. This also means the engine will produce more power as more energy is released when fuels burn to CO2 than to CO.
The Problem With Carbon Monoxide Pollution The main issue with Carbon Monoxide is its health effects. It is capable of binding to the chemicals in our blood, called haemoglobin. It does so far more effectively than oxygen and also stays bound to the haemoglobin for far longer than oxygen does. The effect is that the blood is starved of oxygen, which then affects the rest of the body. The ability of CO to bind so strongly to the haemoglobin means that even when CO is in low concentrations it can rapidly build up in the blood. Initial symptoms of mild poisoning include headaches and dizziness due to lack of oxygen in the brain. Reducing Carbon Monoxide Pollution We can contribute to reducing the amount of Carbon Monoxide in the atmosphere by making sure that our vehicles are regularly serviced, ensuring they are running as efficiently as possible. Clearly not using a car whenever possible will further reduce pollution. Lawn mowers and other devices with small petrol engines are also excessive pollutors and avoiding their use will also help cut carbon monoxide levels.
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