Automobile Exhausts

If you thought that smoking is harmful then take a break from your personal automobile as your favorite set of wheels could be harming the environment and your health more.

In tune with the rest of the world the concept of personal cars is catching on in this country. The days of having a car for the entire family will soon become a thing of the past as each bread winner of the family wants his or her personal set of wheels.

Hence it is not surprising that the pollution levels in several metros of the country like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore are on the increase.
Pollution in the cars comes from the process of the evaporation of the fuel and from the by-products of the combustion process.

Petrol and Diesel are a mixture of Hydrocarbons and compounds which usually contain Hydrogen and carbon items. In a typical case Oxygen in the air would convert all the Hydrogen in the fuel to water and Carbon in the fuel would be converted to Carbon Dioxide. Nitrogen is supposed to remain unaffected in this whole process.

However things are not as rosy as they look and engines are not that perfect either. Several types of harmful gases are emitted in the whole process of combustion which doesn't leave the air pollution free.

The government has taken steps to introduce catalytic converters in the country a few years back to reduce air pollution. It has to be remembered that India has some of the toughest emission standards which is pRevalent anywhere in the world.

A catalytic converter treats the automobile exhaust before it is emitted from the car thus reducing pollution. In addition to this petrol with lead has been phased out from several parts of the country to cut down on lead particles in the exhaust.

In addition to this several car and two wheeler companies are taking it on themselves to provide a pollution free environment. Companies like Tata Motors and Mahindra fine tuning their Diesel engines for optimum performance and reduced emission. In the two-wheelers category companies like hero honda are taking the lead in providing pollution free vehicles.

The Government has to take a proactive role to reduce the pollution levels in the country; they should try phasing out old vehicles and impose heavy fines on cars and heavy vehicles that pollute the environment. They should provide tax benefits to car like Reva as they don't pollute the environment and take up very little space on the already congested Indian roads.

A brief look into the several Automobile exhaust pollutants are as follows

• Hydrocarbons - these emissions are caused by partially burnt fuel molecules and they react in the presence of nitrogen oxides and sunlight to from ground level ozone which is a major component of smog. Ozone causes irritation of eyes, lung problems and enhances respiratory problems. The toxicity of some hydrocarbon exhausts is a potential cause of cancer.
• Nitrogen Oxides- These gases are the precursors to the formation of ozone and also contribute in the formation of acid rain. Ironically the catalytic converters which are designed to break down nitrogen gases are generally forming nitrous oxide which is more potent as a pollutant than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
• Carbon Monoxide is emitted when a vehicle starts without proper air supply, when the tuning of the vehicle is not proper and when a vehicle is driven at high altitudes where the oxygen content is lesser than in the plains. A greater share of the carbon monoxide emissions comes from the commercial vehicles especially the heavier ones.
• Carbon Dioxide in greater quantities traps the earth's heat and contributes to global warming.

Several new trends are emerging in the country to tackle the problem of pollution; people are opting for car pools while a small number are cycling their way to work.