AboutDavid L. Russell, PE Expertise I`m a Chemical,Civil and Environmental Engineer and have a number of projects in all phases of the environment.
I have worked in the chemical industry and am active in professional societies, and am currently on an industrial wastes committee for the Water Environment Federation, and have taught courses in remediation in the US and abroad.
I have written one book on Remediation of petroleum Contaminated Sites, and have a second book on PRACTICAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT to be published by John Wiley in September, 2006. I've also written over 30 articles on various elements of environmental problems and cleanup. Most Recently, I have addressed a NATO Scientific and Techical Conference on Ecoterrorism, and have worked with the same group on remediation of sites contaminated with Chemical Warfare Agent materials and othe materials as well. . I can answer q`s about Chemical and Environmental Engineering, land development, air pollution, water pollution, soil and water cleanup, combustion, international environmental problems, industrial processes chemical processes. Civil and Environmental and Chemical Engineering. Overall, I have over 35 years of experience in this area. Note: I do not answer homework questions
Experience I love work in the third world and developing areas
because it is challenging and one can get a sense of accomplishment.
Question What makes biogenically-produced hydrocarbons important in relation to tropospheric O3? Can they generate more hydrocarbons? If so, then how?
(I am a new EHS rep and am doing a lot of reading about pollution and the atmosphere. I think some of the books I read do not always spend enough time explaining some statements, so I am left with questions. I have searched online,and asked people. Thank you David.)
Answer Rick:
Almost all hydrocarbons are associated with some type of biological process. Organic chemistry is the study of carbon based life forms at the moleculear level.
Now that we have that out of the way, you have touched on an intersting point. The chlorinated and fluorinated hydrocarbons from various sources, principally SF6, and various air conditioning refrigerant gasses are quite stable. They will ultimately migrate up to the upper atmosphere and react with ozone and degrade it to O2, allowing more UV rays to reach the surface of the earth. In the lower atmosphere VOC's react react with sunlight to form ozone. It's the same ozone, just in different places. Upper atmospheric ozone = good.
Lower atmosphere ozone = bad because it reacts with humans and their breathing, and can degrade certain types of organics such as rubber in tires, and older forms of nylon (ladies nylons).
I'm not sure that I've answered your question, so feel free to write back if I have not.
Good luck
