burning of fossil fuels

During combustion, the carbon in fossil fuels is converted to carbon dioxide and released into the atmosphere, increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As a greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide has the functions of heat absorption and heat insulation. The result of its increase in the atmosphere is an invisible glass cover, which prevents the heat radiated by the sun from the earth from radiating to outer space. As a result, the surface of the earth becomes hotter, which aggravates the greenhouse effect. Since the industrial revolution, although the productivity of human society has been greatly improved due to the use of fossil fuels, it has caused a series of serious problems such as global warming, which has gradually attracted the attention of countries all over the world.
Fossil fuels are also called fossil fuels or fossil fuels. Refers to a class of combustible minerals formed by the remains of animals and plants in different geological ages in the buried strata after long-term changes in geological conditions, as well as the effects of temperature, pressure and microorganisms. All fossil fuels are composed of hydrocarbons, so when burned they release carbon dioxide. The main source of anthropogenic CO2 emissions is the burning of fossil fuels for energy production and transportation. Due to the large-scale exploitation and utilization of fossil fuels, the impact on the environment is also of concern.
Fossil fuels can be divided into gaseous fuels (such as natural gas), liquid fuels (such as petroleum), and solid fuels (such as coal, oil shale, oil sands, etc.). Among them, coal, oil, and natural gas are the most widely used, and they are also the main sources of carbon dioxide. Coal is a mixture, the organic matter element is mainly carbon, followed by hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur. Due to the high carbon content, the combustion of coal emits a large amount of carbon dioxide. For example, according to the calculations of relevant units, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by coal fuel in my country accounts for more than 80% of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by fossil fuels and more than half of China's total greenhouse gas emissions, which fully demonstrates the prominent position of coal combustion in greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions.
Petroleum, also called crude oil, is a hydrocarbon formed from microbial debris accumulated in water under high pressure. Petroleum is a flammable viscous liquid that often coexists with natural gas and is a very complex mixture. Petroleum can be refined to obtain gasoline, kerosene, diesel and heavy oil. The nature of its oil varies from place to place, and the density, viscosity, and freezing point vary greatly. For example, some freezing points are as high as 30°C, and some are as low as -66°C. The main element in petroleum is carbon, which accounts for 83% to 87%, resulting in large-scale emissions of carbon dioxide. In addition, petroleum also contains 11% to 14% hydrogen, and a small amount of sulfur (0.06% to 8%), nitrogen (0.02% to 1.7%), oxygen (0.08% to 1.8%) and trace metal elements (nickel, vanadium, iron, copper) etc.
Many oil extraction companies are using a technique that injects carbon dioxide into reservoirs to enhance oil recovery. This technology is to store the collected carbon dioxide in abandoned oil fields and natural gas fields, deep underground salt water and coal seams through pumping after compression. When the carbon dioxide is mixed with crude oil, the crude oil becomes less viscous and can flow more easily to the ground. In this way, not only the emission of carbon dioxide is reduced, but also the output of oil is increased.
Natural gas, in a broad sense, refers to the general term for naturally formed gas buried in formations. But the natural gas usually referred to only refers to the flammable gas (gaseous fossil fuel) stored in the deep part of the formation and the gas that coexists with oil (often called oilfield associated gas). The main component of natural gas is methane. In addition, according to different geological conditions. Some gas fields also contain helium. Compared with coal and oil, natural gas is a clean and environmentally friendly high-quality energy source. When natural gas is burned, it produces 60% less carbon dioxide.
The use of natural gas as fuel can reduce the consumption of coal and oil, thus greatly improving environmental pollution. In addition, since natural gas contains almost no sulfur, dust and other harmful substances, it can reduce the emission of sulfur dioxide and dust by nearly 100%, and reduce the emission of nitrogen oxides by 50%, which helps to reduce the formation of acid rain and relieve the global warming effect. Natural gas is also one of the safer gases. It does not contain carbon monoxide and is lighter than air. Once leaked, it will spread upward immediately, and it is not easy to accumulate to form explosive gas, which is relatively safe.
In September 2022, British scientists submitted a paper at the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology stating that they have determined the mechanism by which air pollution triggers lung cancer in non-smokers, and that tiny particles produced by fossil fuel combustion pose health risks.