Blackthorn Environmental Ltd products

In an ideal World, we probably wouldn’t burn fossil fuels, but if we continue to do so the best possible outcome would be to get only emissions of water vapour, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. All of these are non-toxic and occur naturally in vast quantities, although unfortunately the first two are known to be ‘greenhouse gases’ and are therefore implicated in climate change.

Carbon monoxide (CO) occurs as a result of combustion taking place in an atmosphere where there is a shortage of oxygen. It is a particular problem with engines which run ‘rich’, but even in engines which run ‘lean’ there will be localised areas of the combustion chamber where oxygen is deficient, especially in older design engines. The main reason that carbon monoxide is considered a problem is because of its effect on people rather than the environment.

Most hydrocarbon emissions are residues of the fuel, although they may change their form whilst they are in the combustion chamber. Engines running ‘rich’ produce more hydrocarbon emissions than engines with a ‘lean’ mixture, but even with a lean engine they can be problematic. In terms of perception a sub-group known as aldehydes is quite significant. Aldehydes are used as preservatives in diesel and propane and have a very unpleasant smell, even at low concentrations.