ENVR 1301- Haley Gallagher

                                                               Air Pollution Basics Sulfur Pollutants: Sulfur pollutants occur from the activity of oil and gas production, volcanic activity, and the combination of fossil fuels. Two important gaseous pollutants are sulfur dioxide (SO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Both of these gases are toxic to the environment including plants and animals, especially if they are highly concentrated. Once they are emitted into the air, they become oxidized to other compounds and form sulfate (SO4). Since these emissions cause human-health and environmental damages, most nations have acted upon reducing the emissions. This is possible by reducing or eliminating no sulfur fuels, especially for electricity generation or installing scrubbers to remove SO2 from post-combustion before they are emitted i...

 Alternative energy is the energy that does not come from fossil fuels, which produces less greenhouse gasses. Alternative energy is not relied upon as the main energy source.  Alternative energy sources can be sunlight, wind, geothermal heat, and water. Some of these sources can be inexhaustible, such as the sun. The sun is the main source in alternative energy because almost all of these sources relate back to the sun in some way. Using these sources will help decrease the amount of greenhouse gasses in the air and decrease pollution. Also, using one of the sources, you do not have to be in an area near a power plant. "Homes, businesses, and isolated communities can use sources such as solar to produce electricity without being near a power plant or being connected to an electrical grid" (Mutiti, 2018).  Wind power is a renewable energy source that uses the movement of air to generate electricity. Wind is a great, clean source of energy, but the differences in wind pres...

  Is clean coal a myth or reality? There have been quite a few conversations involving the term "clean coal". Many questions have been developed from this statement and I have an argument about whether there is such a thing as clean coal or not. There is no such thing as clean coal, it is impossible. That term has been used out of context for years and has been very confusing to many people. Clean coal is most definitely a myth.  According to the New York Times, "Confusingly, administration officials have sometimes used "clean coal" to refer to highly efficient coal plants that do not use carbon capture but emit somewhat less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than older coal plants"(Plumer, 2017). This term has developed a trail of many lies about coal plants. Just because some coal emits less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, does not mean that it is completely clean. With that being said, coal is never completely clean. Coal can be washed, but there w...