processes in the chemical industry are being
reinvented to make them more sustainable
(‘greener’) by: •changing to renewable resources
•finding alternatives to very hazardous chemicals
•discovering catalysts for reactions with higher atom
economies, eg the development of methods used to
produce ethanoic acid based on catalysts of cobalt,
rhodium and iridium •making more efficient use of
energy, eg the use of microwave energy to heat
reactions in the pharmaceutical industry •reducing
waste and preventing pollution of the environment.
relative effects of different
greenhouse gases as
absorbers of IR and hence on
global warming
difference between
anthropogenic and
natural climate change
over the years
terms ‘carbon
neutrality’ and
‘carbon footprint’
CARBON NEUTRALITY:having achieved a state in which the net
amount of carbon dioxide or other carbon compounds emitted into
the atmosphere is reduced to zero because it is balanced by
actions to reduce these emissions. CARBON FOOTPRINT: the
amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due
to the consumption of fossil fuels
apply the concept of carbon neutrality to
different fuels, such as petrol, bio-ethanol
and hydrogen
discuss and explain, including the
mechanisms for the reactions, the science
community’s reasons for recommending that
CFCs are no longer used due to their
damaging effect on the ozone layer.