| Ozone:
Ground-Level Ozone
Capstone
Activity
Nitrogen
Oxide Calculator
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You
have already analyzed your emissions of smog-forming compounds
from your vehicle, but it's important to realize that this
is not your only contribution of these pollutants. Nitrogen
oxides and hydrocarbons are also released by coal-fired power
plants, natural gas combustion, gas-powered lawnmowers, and
other sources. In the Capstone Activity for this module, you
will be analyzing your nitrogen oxide emissions from these
sources, combining them with your vehicle's emissions, and
estimating your total emissions of smog-forming NOx.
We
will begin by having you determine the nitrogen oxide emissions
from electricity. We will do this with an Online
Electricity Pollution Calculator from the Environmental
Law and Policy Center of the Midwest.
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Electricity
Pollution Calculator:
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1.
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Enter
the average monthly cost of your electric bill during
the year.
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2.
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Select
Nebraska Average from the pull-down menu of electricity
companies. The reason for this choice is explained below.
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3.
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Hit
the Calculate button. |
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4.
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The
pie chart that appears shows the energy sources used to generate
electricity in Nebraska, and the percentage of total electricity
generated by each. These proportions, and the cost of electricity
per KWH, are extremely similar to Georgia's, making this category
a good representation of local conditions. |
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5.
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Scroll
down the page to the section on Nitrogen Oxide to view
your results. |
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6.
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Enter
your results on the Capstone Activity Sheet and answer the associated
questions. |
Total
Emissions of Nitrogen Oxide
DO
NOT COMPLETE THIS SECTION UNTIL YOU'VE COMPLETED THE ACTIVITY ABOVE.
You
now know your NOx emissions from the two major sources - driving
and electricity. Let's now fill in a few details and look at your
overall emissions. To do this, we will use our Online
Nitrogen Oxide Calculator.
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Online
Nitrogen Oxide Calculator:
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1.
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Enter
the emissions from driving (Tailpipe Tally).
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2.
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Enter
your values for the listed factors, and obtain your total
emissions.
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3.
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Print
the Calculator page and complete the related questions on the
Capstone Activity Sheet. |
Internet
Addresses of Linked Sites:
Online
Electricity Pollution Calculator: http://www.elpc.org/polCalc/index.htm
Online
Nitrogen Oxide Calculator: http://science.kennesaw.edu/~jpratte/sci1101lab/noxcalculator.htm
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