9
votes
Is heating with candles economically and/or ecologically worthwhile?
A related question was asked on SE Skeptics - Is this tealight-flowerpot heater more efficient than just tealights?
In the third answer, it is claimed the heat produced by one tea light candle is 0....
- 3,507
8
votes
Propane vs. natural gas stove - indoor air quality?
Combustion of either propane or natural gas can create dangerous conditions for indoor air quality without adequate ventilation.
Propane is a hydrocarbon that ideally consists of length-3 carbon ...
- 2,809
8
votes
Are EVs actually worse for ambient air quality than cars with combustion engines?
This totally depends on what you consider pollution and how you measure it.
If you measure pollution by weight, the vast majority of pollution is carbon dioxide. One liter of fuel produces 2.35 kg of ...
- 4,700
8
votes
Will planting trees around my house save me from pollution?
Pollution
Trees (and plants for that matter) can reduce air pollution by trapping small particles (fine dust) on their leaves and by absorbing gases such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone and sulfur dioxide.
...
- 14.4k
7
votes
Is pellet fuel a sustainable energy source in the way it's used now?
It depends.
It is possible to farm wood sustainably, or unsustainably. Both ways happen now.
It is possible to use wood pellets for energy while trapping particulate matter and other non-GHG ...
- 14.7k
7
votes
Accepted
What measures could be taken to decrease the air pollution in a big city?
To encourage people to not use of purchase cars develop a public transportation system that is easily accessible by the to public and caters to the needs of the public so that people will use it. ...
- 3,507
6
votes
Accepted
Why is Delhi the most air-polluted city of the world?
Several reasons come to mind.
1. Population density
Air pollution is mostly caused by people and the more people live together in a particular area the higher the air pollution generally is. If ...
- 14.4k
5
votes
Do electric cars create more particulate pollution than petrol cars?
Battery Weight
Batteries are heavy
- a Tesla 85kWh battery weighs 540kg.
- VW Golf 55.7kWh battery weight 330kg
you are looking at around 6kg per kWh.
The main part of this argument is based on ...
- 667
5
votes
Is there any way to recycle air-pollution into fertilizer?
You can use scrubbers to remove NO2 (or better NOX) and SO2 from exhaust gas emissions.
Scrubbers are used in large industrial facilities, power plants, and large ships to clean-up the exhaust gas ...
4
votes
What measures could be taken to decrease the air pollution in a big city?
Plant a lot of trees -- assuming you mean partciulate pollution: See for example Estimating the removal of atmospheric particulate pollution by the urban tree canopy of London, under current and ...
- 2,107
4
votes
Why is Delhi the most air-polluted city of the world?
Although this may not be a direct answer to the question "Why is Delhi the most air-polluted city of the world?" I want to go against the statement that Delhi is the most polluted city since ...
- 179
4
votes
What information is lost when converting other air pollution into CO2e?
Time span.
Most of the others are short term. CO2 ultimately depends on the rate biomass increases, and the speed it mixes into the deep ocean. Processes that take very long periods (thousands of ...
- 7,197
4
votes
Accepted
For airlines that have "vowed to offer carbon-neutral flights" how do they say they plan to actually make some flights demonstrably carbon-neutral?
One of the first airlines to initiate sustainability and carbon neutrality in it operations was Qantas.
It has a Carbon Action Plan, which includes things such as:
Establishing carbon offsetting ...
- 3,507
4
votes
Do electric cars create more particulate pollution than petrol cars?
No. Electric cars emit less particulates.
Main sources of particulate emissions from transport are:
brake wear
tyre wear
road wear and resuspension of road dust/soil
exhaust
Exhaust particulate ...
- 1,032
3
votes
Accepted
EU Real Driving Emissions testing (RDE) - does it factor in real driver behaviour and the inefficient driving habits they often exhibit?
Under RDE [Real Driving Emissions test], a car is driven on public roads and over a wide range of different conditions..... Conditions include:
Low and high altitudes
Year-round temperatures
...
- 14.4k
3
votes
Why are new cars being built in the UK / europe without Start-Stop technology when it seems it can lower pollution?
The simple answer is because any feature costs money, so car makers won't include it unless they're forced to. On some models it's available as an option for extra cost - which relies on the purchaser ...
- 2,107
3
votes
Does Start / Stop technology in cars have an impact on air quality and by how much?
Idling is particularly bad for NO2 emissions, which are a major concern for air quality. Here's an old paper showing that an idling engine emits more NO2 than one driving at 40 km/h, despite emitting ...
- 2,107
3
votes
What measures could be taken to decrease the air pollution in a big city?
This brochure of the European Environmental Bureau gives 12 good tips to reduce air pollution in a city. Here a summary and some extra information I added:
Create Low Emission Zones (LEZ): charge or ...
- 179
3
votes
What would be a viable and justifiable policy to handle short-term acute pollution incidents across large urban areas such as Delhi?
Delhi has acute pollution issues once a year during the time farmers around Delhi burn the waste after the crop has been harvested, this combined with adverse wind directions or weather conditions ...
- 106
3
votes
Are EVs actually worse for ambient air quality than cars with combustion engines?
You need to ask are those numbers realistic:
Article says car emitted “5.8 grams per kilometer”.
We assume that car has 4 tyres.
Kwik-fit (A company that wants to sell tyres, so may be an under ...
- 135
2
votes
What impact do CFCs have on ozone?
Yes - CFCs interact with and break down ozone.
It's basic chemistry:
CFCs are lifted by buoyancy into the stratosphere, where they are broken up by the sun's ultraviolet radiation (1), and the ...
- 14.7k
2
votes
Does Start / Stop technology in cars have an impact on air quality and by how much?
A car stationary but left running (idling) will cause pollution in that specific location; start stop technology could avoid the pollution responsible for idling. Here I will concentrate not on the ...
- 667
2
votes
Is there any way to recycle air-pollution into fertilizer?
Just found a patent for this: https://www.google.com/patents/US20070154374
Method for removing sulfur dioxide and other acid gases, mercury, and nitrogen oxides from a gas stream with the optional ...
- 209
2
votes
Why are new cars being built in the UK / europe without Start-Stop technology when it seems it can lower pollution?
There is another possible reason, just a theory mind. Small cars may pass emissions testing without the need for the technology whereas large cars must have it to pass. In other words, it is not ...
- 667
2
votes
My residential colony burns dry grass every year; how can I stop them?
Burning grass is effectively carbon-neutral: the carbon dioxide released will get pulled right back out of the air next year as the grass re-grows. Cutting it and letting it decompose would also be ...
- 598
2
votes
Preventing idling - ideas to keep warm in a car when the engine is off and it is cold outside
It's possible to fit a dedicated heater run off the fuel system. This is a much more efficient way of turning fuel into cabin heat. They're common in motorhomes in a form that directly heats the ...
- 2,107
2
votes
Preventing idling - ideas to keep warm in a car when the engine is off and it is cold outside
Wear a woolen underlayer (woolen socks + woolen long sleeve t-shirt + woolen long pants)
Wear warm clothes (hat, snood, scarf, warm jumpers, warm trousers)
Wear winter driving gloves (or any warm ...
- 667
2
votes
Does a single Euro VI bus really release less NOx than a euro 6 diesel car?
Your calculation is incorrect.
1 gallon contains 36 kWh of heat, but only around 12 kWh of that will be turned into useful motive power in an engine with 33% efficiency. The rest, 24 kWh, are emitted ...
- 4,700
1
vote
Propane vs. natural gas stove - indoor air quality?
The article you say confirms that propane produces the same toxicity and off-gassing as natural gas does not appear to be research related to cooking ranges. The article refers to "jet pools&...
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