2a2 Science Blog: A Harmful Compound by Ryan Ong

The harmful compound that I have identified is Sulfur dioxide.

Harmless constituent elements: Oxygen(O) and Sulfur(S)

How is Sulfur dioxide formed?

Sulfur dioxide is the product of the burning of sulfur:

S8 + 8 O2 → 8 SO2

Sulfur dioxide is a noticeable component in the atmosphere, especially following volcanic eruptions.According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the following amount of sulfur dioxide was released in the U.S. per year.

How harmful is Sulfur dioxide?

Sulfur dioxide is a major air pollutant and has significant impacts upon human health. In addition the concentration of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere can influence the habitat suitability for plant communities as well as animal life.[10] Sulfur dioxide emissions are a precursor to acid rain and atmospheric particulates. Due largely to the US EPA’s Acid Rain Program, the U.S. has witnessed a 33 percent decrease in emissions between 1983 and 2002. This improvement resulted in part from flue gas desulfurization, a technology that enables SO2to be chemically bound in power plants burning sulfur-containing coal or oil. In particular,calcium oxide (lime) reacts with sulfur dioxide to form calcium sulfite:

CaO + SO2 → CaSO3

Aerobic oxidation of the CaSO3 gives CaSO4, anhydrite. Most gypsum sold in Europe comes from flue gas desulfurization.

This is my dot and cross diagram: