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write a note in about six pages on a study of pollution caused by burning of fuel
What Are Burning Fossil Fuels?
             Fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources formed by natural processes over hundreds of millions of years. All fossil fuels contain high percentages of carbon and include coal, petroleum and natural gas. Combined, fossil fuels provide over 85 percent of the world's energy sources, as opposed to less than 14 percent provided by non-fossil fuels such as hydroelectric, nuclear and solar power. In addition to the production of considerable amounts of energy, burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

Coal
    Coal is composed almost entirely of carbon, with a few trace elements present. It is the largest natural energy source for the production of electricity in the world. More than 40 percent of electricity production uses coal. To produce electricity, coal is pulverized into fine grains then burned in a furnace. The heat produced is used to boil water into steam, which is used to spin turbines. These turbines are used to turn generators that produce the electricity. In many countries, coal burning is also used in heat production.

Petroleum
    Petroleum, also called crude oil, is a flammable liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, mostly carbon, found under the earth's crust and collected mostly through oil drilling. About 85 percent of petroleum is used to create fuel oils such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel and others, and liquefied petroleum gas is used to heat cars and household appliances. Burning petroleum produces carbon dioxide and is a large contributor to increased carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere.

Natural Gas
    Natural gas is mostly composed of methane and acts as both a fuel source and a major ingredient in fertilizers. Natural gas is found either in isolated underground gas fields or found in oil fields and harvested along with the oil. Natural gas is used in electricity generation and for heating household appliances. It can also be used as a cleaner alternative to gasoline and in the production of products such as glass, plastics and paint. Natural gas is considered the cleanest fuel because it produces less carbon dioxide than other fossil fuels, though it is still a major contributor of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The Main Environmental Problems Caused by Burning Fossil Fuels

           Fossil fuels such as oil, gas, coal and peat are not only a finite resource, but their consumption also carries severe environmental, social and health costs. The best-known problem associated with burning fossil fuels is climate change, but several other serious environmental problems are caused by the practice, some of which we have been experiencing for decades.

1.Climate Change
    The burning of fossil fuels is the primary source of extra greenhouse gases. These gases help to trap heat from the sun, keeping the earth warm; the "greenhouse effect" is, in fact, a perfectly natural and beneficial phenomenon. The problems arise when extra greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere, trapping more heat, and triggering several vicious cycles. The results of climate change include changes in wind and current patterns, leading to more droughts, more floods, hotter temperatures in some places and, ironically, colder temperatures in others.

2.Ocean Acidification
    One of the major greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, is partially absorbed by the oceans. The problem is that this lowers the pH of the water. In other words, it makes it more acidic. This causes problems for organisms with carbonate shells, including corals, shellfish and many species of plankton. The change in water chemistry would also impact other organisms, which, as any reef tank owner knows, are often extremely sensitive. The results might be unseen but are potentially extremely dangerous, with the entire ecosystem of the oceans changing radically.

3.Air Pollution
    Much more visible to humans than ocean acidification is the problem of air pollution. The burning of fossil fuels releases pollutants, including carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, particulates, ozone and nitrogen oxides. Air pollution, or smog, causes health problems in cities including pneumonia, bronchitis and the exacerbation of existing heart and lung problems. The very young and the elderly are especially vulnerable. Air pollution is also the cause of acid rain, which can kill vegetation and pollutes water bodies sufficiently to kill off fish stocks.

4.Habitat Destruction

    Fossil fuels are not easily accessible. Some of the greatest deposits exist under the deep seas, in delicate Arctic habitats and underneath the rainforest. One of the most recent fossil fuels to be commercially exploited, tar sands, occurs within the forests and wetlands of North America. Extracting fossil fuels inevitably causes habitat destruction and loss of biodiversity. Mining and drilling operations often result in pollution in their own right.


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