Diagnosis of urban carbon monoxide
Introduction
The term vehicular emissions control or in automobiles refers to technologies used to reduce the causes of air pollution produced by automobiles. Emission control systems were required on all models produced for sale in the state of California (United States) beginning in 1966, and were later implemented in the other states for models manufactured from 1968 onwards. Its use intensified in the following decades and today it is a standard category.
Emissions controls have successfully reduced the gases emitted by automobiles in terms of the amount of pollutants per distance traveled. However, the substantial increase in the distances traveled by each vehicle, as well as the increase in the number of vehicles in circulation, means that the total decrease in emissions is increasingly smaller.
The emissions produced by a vehicle are classified into three different categories:.
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- Exhaust pipe emissions: waste from the burning of fossil fuels in the vehicle's engine is emitted through the exhaust system. Among the major polluting elements are:
- Hydrocarbons: are particles that did not react in combustion or did so partially, and are the largest contributor to what is known as smog in cities, recognized as highly toxic to health. They can cause liver damage and problems as well as cancer if you are continually exposed to this element.
- Nitrogen oxide (NOx): They are generated when nitrogen reacts with oxygen in the air under the high temperature and pressure conditions that occur inside the engine. The emissions of these nitrogen oxides also contribute to the creation of smog, as well as the formation of acid rain.
- Carbon monoxide (CO): It is a result of incomplete combustion due to the inefficiency of these technologies. One of the harmful effects is that it decreases the natural ability of the blood to carry oxygen into the cells, which carries dangerous risks of heart disease.
- Carbon dioxide (CO): Carbon dioxide emissions are an aspect of great concern in the context of global warming since it is an increasingly common greenhouse gas.
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- Evaporated emissions. They are produced by the evaporation of fuel and are also another major factor in the creation of urban smog, since their molecules have a high molecular weight and tend to be closer to ground level. Gasoline tends to evaporate in some of these ways.