Atmospheric pollutants from fuels (AQA GCSE Chemistry: Combined Science)

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Combustion of Fossil Fuels

  • The combustion of fossil fuels is the major source of atmospheric pollution
  • Fossil fuels include: coal, oil, natural gas, oil shales and tar sands
  • Non-renewable fossil fuels are obtained from crude oil by fractional distillation
  • Petrol is used as a fuel in cars, kerosene is used to fuel aircraft and diesel oil is used as a fuel in some cars, trucks and heavy vehicles such as tanks and trains
  • Coal is used in power stations and also steel production
  • Natural gas consists mainly of methane, CH4
  • There are finite amounts of fossil fuels and they all contribute to pollution and global warming
  • All these fuels contain carbon, hydrogen and small quantities of sulfur

Combustion Products

Complete versus Incomplete Combustion

  • fuel is a substance which releases energy in an exothermic reaction
  • When the fuel is a hydrocarbon then water and carbon dioxide are the products formed
  • Hydrocarbon compounds undergo complete and incomplete combustion
  • Complete combustion occurs when there is excess oxygen
  • For example, the combustion equation for propane is:

C3H+ 5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O

Incomplete Combustion

  • Incomplete combustion occurs when there is insufficient oxygen to burn
  • Some of the fuel does not undergo combustion and unburned hydrocarbons are released into the atmosphere
  • Fuels such as diesel contain larger hydrocarbon molecules which do not always burn completely in the engine
  • It occurs in some appliances such as boilers and stoves as well as in internal combustion engines
  • In addition to water, carbon particles (soot) and carbon monoxide may be produced during incomplete combustion 
  • Methane for example undergoes incomplete combustion in an oxygen-poor environment:

2CH4 + 3O2→ 2CO + 4H2O

CH4 + O2→ C + 2H2O

How are oxides of nitrogen produced in a car engine?

  • Although nitrogen is not present in fossil fuels, nitrogen oxides are a product of the combustion of fuels in car engines
  • The oxides are mostly a mixture of nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide
  • Nitrogen is normally an unreactive gas, but high temperatures inside combustion engines can make nitrogen in the air react with oxygen to produce oxides of nitrogen: 

N2 (g) + O2 (g) → 2NO (g)

2NO (g) + O2 (g) → 2NO2 (g)

How is sulfur dioxide produced in a car engine?

  • Fossil fuels are often contaminated with small amounts of sulfur impurities
  • When these contaminated fossil fuels are combusted, the sulfur in the fuels get oxidised to sulfur dioxide

S (s) + O(g) → SO(g)

  • Sulfur dioxide is a major atmospheric pollutant

Examiner Tip

You don't need to learn these equations, but you do need to be able to predict the products of combustion given the composition of the fuel and the conditions.

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Stewart

Author: Stewart

Expertise: Chemistry Lead

Stewart has been an enthusiastic GCSE, IGCSE, A Level and IB teacher for more than 30 years in the UK as well as overseas, and has also been an examiner for IB and A Level. As a long-standing Head of Science, Stewart brings a wealth of experience to creating Exam Questions and revision materials for Save My Exams. Stewart specialises in Chemistry, but has also taught Physics and Environmental Systems and Societies.