Impacts and protection of the air
Energy is an indispensable element to guarantee the well-being and development of the planet. Without a regular supply of energy, cities, industries, transportation and infrastructures would come to a halt. Moreover, the growth of the world economy and consumption in the 20th century, has been based mainly on exploiting fossil fuels: first coal, then petroleum and natural gas. These sources of energy, however, are not renewable and are destined, in the future, to become depleted. Furthermore, these sources of energy emit polluting substances during combustion, even if the amounts vary greatly, depending on which fuel is used.
Among the most important substances are: carbon oxides (COx), sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOC) and total particulate solids (TPS). These pollutants can be harmful for human health and for the environment if they exceed determined concentrations in the air. Among these are: the greenhouse effect, acid rain, air pollution caused by traffic in the cities and all the serious problems that experts and communication media discuss extensively for which, very often, a solution still has not been found.
The desire to protect the environment, the oil crisis of the Seventies and Eighties, and the current increase in the price of petroleum, have led the Governments of a number of industrialized countries to incentivize the development of sources of energy that are alternative to the ones that are dominant today. Notwithstanding these incentives and the rapidity of scientific and technological progress, it is estimated that these sources will cover a significant share of energy consumption only in many years’ time. And therefore, in the short and medium period, most of the energy required by man will probably still be provided by the traditional fossil fuels (specially petroleum and natural gas). However man must learn to use the energy produced by fossil fuels in an increasingly efficient manner, (with a decrease in the amount of waste and an increase in the energy yield of different production processes) and must search for and make use of technological applications which will lead to a decrease in the emissions of pollutants in the air provoked by their combustion.
Special reports
-
13 May 2013
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
18 May 2011
Artificial photosynthesis
The history of science and technology is packed with discoveries and inventions inspired by nature...
-
18 January 2016
Ten years of oil demand
Eni has recently published the 14th edition of the 2015 World Oil and Gas Review...
-
27 September 2012
Over 7 billion people on Earth
Demographers have estimated that on 31 October 2011 world population...
10 September 2020
A simple and ingenious invention
There are objects so simple and ordinary that we forget their existence when we don't need them. Their presence is…
17 March 2020
Energy and renewable sources: what is the current status?
The unstoppable growth of renewable sources continues…
-
13 May 2013
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
-
18 May 2011
Artificial photosynthesis
The history of science and technology is packed with discoveries and inventions inspired by nature...
18 January 2016
Ten years of oil demand
Eni has recently published the 14th edition of the 2015 World Oil and Gas Review...
-
13 May 2013
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
-
18 May 2011
Artificial photosynthesis
The history of science and technology is packed with discoveries and inventions inspired by nature...
From the Multimedia section
Facts
-
Where does energy come from?
Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need...
Electricity and electrons
In all electric plants, excluding photovoltaic solar plants, mechanic energy is transformed into electric energy through the same basic procedure...
Peat and peat-bogs
The age of coal starts towards the mid 1600s, stimulated by the need for finding an alternative energy source to…
-
Geographical distribution of energy
Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need. Unfortunately we cannot exploit all this…
Orimulsion
In order to improve supply security, and therefore the diversification of sources to produce electric energy...
Cracking operations
At the end of the fractional distillation, long hydrocarbon molecules can be transformed into lighter molecules by means of more…
-
Hydrogen from biomass
Hydrogen is an energy carrier that allows to generate energy in an environmentally sustainable way...
ITER fusion reactor
The reactor that will be able to produce electronuclear energy without risk of explosion or radioactive waste...
-
2 March 2011
Where does energy come from?
Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need...
Electricity and electrons
In all electric plants, excluding photovoltaic solar plants, mechanic energy is transformed into electric energy through the same basic procedure...
-
Peat and peat-bogs
The age of coal starts towards the mid 1600s, stimulated by the need for finding an alternative energy source to…
Geographical distribution of energy
Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need. Unfortunately we cannot exploit all this…
-
Orimulsion
In order to improve supply security, and therefore the diversification of sources to produce electric energy...
Cracking operations
At the end of the fractional distillation, long hydrocarbon molecules can be transformed into lighter molecules by means of more…
-
Where does energy come from?
Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need...
-
Electricity and electrons
In all electric plants, excluding photovoltaic solar plants, mechanic energy is transformed into electric energy through the same basic procedure...
-
Peat and peat-bogs
The age of coal starts towards the mid 1600s, stimulated by the need for finding an alternative energy source to…