Some Carbon Dioxide is removed by photosynthesis in plants and by dissolving in water. However, we produce too much carbon dioxide and cut down trees etc. so the levels of it rise each year.

In power stations, emissions are reduced by, simply, using less electricity. Also, sulphur and other toxic chemicals are removed from coal, gas and oil before combustion. Sulphur dioxide can be removed from a chimney of a power station with a process called wet scrubbing with a spray of calcium oxide and water, or seawater. Alternatively, we should start using renewable energy sources more such as solar, wind and hydroelectricity.

Around half of the UK’s carbon monoxide emissions come from road transport. Emissions can be reduced by…

• Using low-sulphur fuel in cars with new, efficient engines

• Legal limits for exhaust emissions, tested for during MOT tests

• Installing catalytic converters in cars to reduce toxic gas emissions

• Using public transport

Catalytic converters replace hazardous gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen monoxide with nitrogen and carbon dioxide by reacting them with oxygen. Electricity is an alternative way to power cars, so long as it is renewable. Biofuels could also be a solution, but it takes up lots of valuable farmland.

Simply though, the only way to reduce emissions is to burn less fossil fuels. This is becoming more difficult as the ever-growing world population demands more electricity.

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An overview of Chemistry Module C1 for UK GCSE.