Reducing Pollution in the Energy, Power, and
Transportation Industries
Much pollution is directly attributable to the power generation and
transportation industries. It makes sense to focus on what these industries
are doing to reduce pollution. The worldwide motor vehicle fleet is now
estimated to be over 700 million vehicles. These vehicles produce signifi-
cant pollution, particularly in urban areas. The automobile is now respon-
sible for about 33% of all crude oil consumption worldwide. Driving auto-
mobiles is now widely regarded as the single most polluting human
activity on earth. As a result, North America, Europe, and Japan have
developed significant pollution control standards for automotive vehicles.
These standards have resulted in tremendous advancements in pollution
control for gasoline-powered automobiles. Some of these advancements
are beginning to make their way into the small gas engine industry as
well. Similar technologies are under development for diesel-powered
vehicles. This is important because diesel fuel emits 30–70 times more
particulate waste than gasoline fuel. Diesel is a popular fuel in the
trucking industry in North America and in many third world nations.
Automobile Emissions
A strong relationship between automobile emissions and air quality
was suggested as long ago as the 1940s. Eye and throat irritation and
decreased visibility as the result of smog were detected in Los Angeles as
early as 1943. By 1948, the California legislature established air pollution
control districts that had the authority to curb emissions sources. Of
course, the technology available to reduce pollution in the 1940s was very
limited, in comparison to that of today. The initial efforts generally
focused around reducing particle emissions flowing from industrial
smokestacks, not automobiles. As a result of these efforts, visibility
improved. Eye irritation and smog, however, remained. The particulate
matter was not the primary cause of these effects. Further research
showed that, when in the presence of sunlight, nitrogen dioxide and
hydrocarbon compounds (by-products of burning fossil fuels) react to
form ozone and other irritants. This discovery led to a series of emission
control requirements for automobiles.
A catalytic converter is part of the exhaust system of an automotive
engine. It contains a chemical that acts as a catalyst to reduce polluting
emissions. The catalytic converter is one of the most effective pollution
control devices for reducing internal combustion engine exhaust gases
that has been invented to date.
Studies have shown that lowering the peak temperature of combustion
within an engine will lower the amount of nitrous oxides emissions
produced during combustion. An exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system
performs this task by routing some of the exhaust gas from the engine
into the air intake of the engine. The system will reduce nitrous oxide
pollutants as long as it is functioning properly.
Energy, Power, Transportation, and the Environment 621