Words in our world..
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Carbon monoxide is a deadly poisonous bi-product of combustion. The gas is odourless and invisible.
Chemical inspection
Classifies substances considered to be flammable, hazardous to health and hazardous if inhaled or with contact to the skin. The substances can be regarded as easily bio-degradable but can also be considered to be harmful to crustaceans and to a certain degree also for fish. (Source: TOX-INFO Handbook).
Commercial petrol
Ordinary commercial petrol is produced by the refining of crude oil. Different fractions are treated separately and then mixed together. Commercial petrol also contains hundreds of different substances, all with different qualities concerning performance, harmful to health and the environment. Many components are very harmful to man and the environment.
Complexing agent
Impurities and hard water contain large amounts of calcium and magnesium, making anion tensides in detergent ineffective, resulting in poorer washing efficiency with the same amount of detergent. Water softeners soften water by binding calcium and magnesium ions in a "complex". This is why water softeners are called complexing agents. Certain complexing agents are non-easily bio-degradable and strong complexing agents are suspected to give increased mobility for heavy metals, by allowing them to pass through water treatment plants and out into nature. The softeners, mainly considered to posses these qualities are EDTA’s and the phosphonates. An alternative to softeners is to soften the water with the aid of an ion exchange filter. Examples of different complexing agents are EDTA’s, Phosphates (Sodium Phosphate, Tetrapotassiumpyro-phosphate, Phosphonates, Phosphonic acids, Carbons, NTA (Nitrilotriacetate), Polycarbons, Zeolites.)
Concentration
There are elements that the body cannot break down due to the fact that they are difficult to metabolize. This is why the concentration of these elements in the body constantly increases. Examples of such products are the heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, and lead as well as impure elements such as PCB’s, DDT and dioxins. The concentration in the food chain means that the higher up the chain you are, the higher the concentration of the long-lasting elements there will be. The food chain begins with biomass, which is eaten by herbivores, which in turn are eaten by carnivores. Highest up the food chain are the tertiary consumers, of which include large carnivores and man. The poisons are concentrated and increase for each step of the chain. Therefore large carnivores such as seals and birds of prey are often the first to feel the effects of environmental pollution. Humans suffer from a build up of environmental pollution in body tissue as early as the foetal stage.
Cracked components
Cracked components cause operating problems in engines and shorten repair times. They are harmful to health and the environment. The highly reactive compounds contribute to locally high concentrations of ground ozone. Cracked components can also react in the body and form carcinogens. See cracking.
Cracking
This is a relatively new process, to be able to get more petrol from the crude oil. Original petrol was a mere fraction of the crude oil, produced by simple distillation, but with motoring ever increasing, the demand for petrol has increased and other alternative processes have been found. Cracking means that the hydrocarbons in the viscous oils (heavy fractions with long carbon chains) are broken down into smaller units, they were quite simply "cracked". The result is small, short carbon chains that can be used as petrol. The disadvantage with this is that it is breakable, they would therefore like very much to repair themselves and are eager to join together with others. They are therefore known as "reactive". There are different cracking processes. Catalytic cracking occurs when a relatively small amount of pressure and heat is applied. The resultant petrol contains large amounts of unsaturated hydrocarbons with a high octane level. Catalytic cracking is a relatively expensive process. Even more expensive is hydro cracking, which occurs at high pressure and in a hydrogen gas atmosphere, to saturate the unsaturated hydrocarbons. Both methods are used when manufacturing commercial petrol and diesel.
Crude oil
The raw material of all petrol products, originating from fossil hydrocarbons. Quality and content vary depending on where the oil is found. Crude oil from Venezuela often has more sulphur content than a crude oil from the North Sea for example. They are then refined to be able to be used in different application areas. The results differ depending on how the oil looks.
Deposits
Deposits often build up because of a combination of cracked aromatic hydrocarbon rich petrol and poor quality lubricants. Deposits block jets and ports in two-stroke engines and interfere with gas exchange in the engine. Four-stroke engines evacuation valves and combustion chambers are under the greatest strain.
Easily biodegradable
Easily bio-degradable
(Reference to KIFS 1999:3)
Compounds considered to be easily bio-degradable are:
(a) if during a 28 day study of biological study of bio-degradability the following bio-degradability levels are reached:-
These levels for bio-degradability must be reached within 10 days after degrading has started, which occurs when 10% of the compound has been broken down;
Or
(b) if the relationship between BOD5/COD is greater than or equal to 0.5 or
(c) if other data gives stronger evidence that the compound can be broken down (biologically or abiologically) in an aqueous environment until > 70% within a 28 day period.
Ecotoxisk
Poison or harmful fore the enviromental on other ways.
Esters
A group of organic compounds arising from a reaction between alcohol and acid when mixed with water. Esters can be used for many purposes and are often present in solvents, oils, plastics softeners and as a raw material in plastics.
4-stroke
Petrol for four-stroke engines.
Ground Ozone
Ozone is a very poisonous gas, causing reduced lung function, caughing, chest pains and dyspnoea (shortness of breath). Ground Ozone attacks plants and is believed to be the cause of irreparable damage to forests. The gas also attacks crops such as spinach, lettuce, wheat and potatoes with a reduction in yield.
Heavy metals
Heavy Metals and especially mercury disturb birds’s and fish’s reproductive cycles and people’s health, mainly through cancers, sterility and reduced intelligence. Heavy metals include the metals that have a density greater than 5g per cm3. A large number of base elements belong to this group, but environmentally speaking are as follows:
Arsenic (As)
Lead (Pb)
Cadmium (Cd)
Cobolt (Co)
Copper (Cu)
Chrome (Cr)
Mercury (Hg)
Nickel (Ni)
Tin (Sn)
Vanadium (V)
Zink (Zn)
Arsenic is usually counted as belonging to the heavy metals even though it’s actually a semi-metal. Everywhere where metals are extracted or processed, metalliferous dust particles are spread into the atmosphere. During combustion of fossil fuels, bio-fuels or waste, metals are released and reach the atmosphere.
Hydrocarbons (HC)
Hydrocarbons are the joint name for the chemical combinations made from the base elements carbon and hydrogen. Hydrocarbons are often treated as a single element, but in actual fact the qualities vary and therefore also the level of danger between the groups. It also varies between individual hydrocarbons within the groups. Hydrocarbons are ingested by humans usually by inhalation. Roughly half of the amount of inhaled hydrocarbons is transmitted via the lungs to the bloodstream and further into body tissue. Because hydrocarbons are fat-soluble, they are stored (collected in stacks) in the body’s fat-rich tissue. They cause everything from headaches to central nervous system damage, cancer and leukemia. There are different types of hydrocarbons:
Alkanes, divided among the isoparaffins, paraffins and naphthalenes (cyclo alkanes).
Unsaturated: Olefins (alkenes) and in aromatic hydrocarbons, are surrounded by six carbon atoms with a special bond to one another.
Knocking
Combustion in an engine normally occurs when a flame caused by a spark plug transmits itself in the combustion chamber with a constant speed of (10-30 m/s) until the fuel/air mixture is completely used. During combustion the non-combusted gases are compressed ahead of the cone of the flame and the temperature increases. The remaining gases then self-ignite or autoignite and are burned so quickly (300-500 m/s) that a pressure wave occurs causing the audible cracking. The normal combustion results in effective power while the uncontrolled combustion causes cracking and counteracts normal combustion. The cracking can also cause engine damage.
Mercaptans
Mercaptans are sulphur compounds with an unpleasant noxious smell.
Nitrous Oxide, Laughing Gas (N2O)
Nitrous Oxide, or Laughing Gas, is formed in small amounts in vehicles’ catalytic converters. The gases contribute strongly to the greenhouse effect. Nitrous Oxide is used as an anaesthetic during childbirth.
NOx (Nitrogen Oxides)
During nearly all combustion processes Nitrogen Oxides form. At high temperatures Nitrogen reacts with oxygen in the air and forms Nitrogen Oxides. NOx is the collective name for Nitrogen Monoxides NO and Nitrogen Dioxides NO2. The largest sector of Nitrogen Oxides comes from traffic, but also some industries and boilers contribute slightly. Exhaust emissions mostly contain Nitrogen Monoxide, but this then reacts with the air and forms Nitrogen Dioxide. Nitrogen Oxide contributes to acidification by gases combining with water vapour in the atmosphere creating Nitric Acid, the acids then fall to the ground as acid rain and lower the pH values in our streams, rivers and lakes.
Nitrogen Oxide also contributes to the formation of ground Ozone. Nitrogen Oxides are hazardous to health by causing tissue damage in the lungs and reduce the lungs’ resistance to viral infections, bacteria and carcinogenous particles.
N-symbol
The danger symbol used for the classification and marking of chemicals where substances are considered to be hazardous to the environment. The danger symbol is made up of dead fish and dead trees.
NTA (Nitrilotriacetate)
A form of water softener (complexing agent) used in different washing and cleaning detergents. Is easily bio-degradable and not dangerous to aquatic environments. It has a low toxicity level and is non-genotoxic. Is not considered to attract heavy metals due to its ability to be easily bio-degradable.
Octane MON
A measurement of fuels’ ability to withstand self-combustion especially at high RPM and pressure.
Octane RON
A measurement of fuels’ ability to withstand self-combustion especially at low RPM and quick pressure changes.
Olefines (alkenes)
Olefines are products of the cracking processes, but olefines also form during combustion. They are insoluble paraffin hydrocarbons and contain twin-bindings. Olefines in petrol and petrol vapours are very reactive in the atmosphere and contribute to locally high concentrates of ground ozone. It is usually classified as highly reactive from an ozone building point of view. Certain, especially hazardous olefines, form as combustion products from other hydrocarbons such as cycloalkanes. The most hazardous are 1.3 butadiene and ethylene, both considered to be carcinogous. Olefines react in the body by forming epoxides, that in turn are also reactive and can cause mutation and cancer. Olefines are reactive and together form oxi-resins. This also reduces the storage qualities of the fuel.
Ozone destroyers
Elements that break down the protective ozone layer of oxygen. The worst of all these are chloroflourocarbons (CFC’s), trichloroethane and other organic chlorine compounds. There are currently environmentally sound alternatives. Though it will take a long time until the ozone layer has repaired itself, because it takes many years before the elements that we have emmitted into the atmosphere to disappear.
Petrol
Petrol consists of a large number of different hydrocarbons, all having different qualities and different health and environmental effects.
Phosphates
A form of water softener (=complexing agent) used in different washing and cleaning agents. One of the more common complexing agents used in Sweden. Phosphor is a necessary nutritive salt for living organisms (plants and animals). The surplus phosphates in watercourses leads to over-fertilization and an overgrowth in our lakes and seas. Non-environmentally dangerous in water apart from it’s fertilization properties.
Phosphonates
A form of water softener (=complexing agent) used in different washing and cleaning agents. Phosphonates are strong complexing agents and not classified as easily bio-degradable and neither are they non-easily bio-degradable. Poisonous to algae. Pose a problem because they can cause increased mobilisation of heavy metals.
R65 - Hazardous to health
A marking warning of the dangers if swallowed and not to induce vomitting because of the risk of the product entering the lungs through aspiration. This is dangerous because it can cause chemical pneumonia. This is the reason Aspen products are marked as hazardous to health.
Resins
Resins are easily soluble golden black substances created during polymerization of instable, often cracked hydrocarbons. Resins can often block filters and jets in fuel systems.
Tensides
Most tensides have degreasing and active cleaning qualities, they make the water able to wet dirty fibres and surfaces easier. They remove dirt and prevent it from re-attaching it to the surface being cleaned. Tensides consist of water repellant (hydrophobic) and water attracting (hydrophilic) parts.
The hydrophobic chain is made up of an uncharged hydrocarbon chain that can be straight, cyclical, aromatic or branched. Depending on the hydrophilial part’s qualities tensides are divided into: anion tensides, nonion tensides, cation tensides and amphoteric tensides. All with different qualities concerning result, health and the environment.
The greenhouse effect
The natural greenhouse effect already occurs, this is something that has been with us ever since the beginning of time, and it is thanks to this that we have a tolerable climate on earth, without which it would be more than 30° colder than it is today. The greenhouse effect consists of gases in the atmosphere that have the ability to absorb solar radiation. The most important greenhouse gases are water vapour and carbon dioxide. They do not prevent sunlight from reaching the earth’s surface and warming it, but they effectively trap part of the solar radiation that is then sent back from earth out into space. What we are doing at the moment is creating an unnatural, strengthened greenhouse effect, by burning fossil hydrocarbons and chopping down trees. During the combustion of 1 kg carbon (or 1.5 l of petrol), forms 3.6 kg of carbondioxide, a gas that cannot be cleaned and because fossil hydrocarbons are not currently a part of the daily cycle, the built up carbondioxide makes up a net contribution in the atmosphere. If one looks at the whole preparation chain of fuels then a normal family sized car releases around 2-2.5 kg of carbon dioxide per 10 km. A Swedish fir tree absorbs around 10-20 kg of carbon dioxide a year, and if we imagine that a family car travels an average of 15,000 km a year then we would need 250 fir trees just to compensate for the carbon dioxide released by each car.
Using fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) results in a drastic increase in the carbondioxide levels in the atmosphere. We speed up the greenhouse effect, meaning an increased temparature on earth. Researchers fear that this will lead to serious climatic changes with floods, heat, drought and crop failures.
Toluene
Toluene is a colourless liquid with a high octane level and is present in commercial petrols. Toluene can damage the central nervous system.
Toxic
Means that the product is poisonous.
Trichloroethene
Trichloroethene is a non-combustable liquid used as a de-greasing agent, fire extinguishing agent and solvent. Trichloroethene is considered to be harmful to the ozone layer and is therefore forbidden in Sweden.
Vapour-pressure
A measurement of how easily petrol evapourates. High evapouration gives off more petrol vapour and operational problems in heat.
WGK 0-3
This is a German classification that explains how the compound reacts in an aqueous environment. 0 is a minor effect while 3 states that an effect should not be ruled out.