Question

An industry releases three greenhouse gases (GHGs), CO2 (5 kg/day), CH4 (0.5 kg/day), and N2O (0.1 kg/day). The industry flares the CH4 before it is released to the atmosphere. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) are as follows: CO2 = 1, CH4 = 21, N2O = 310. The annual GWP of GHGs released from the industry is ________ kg CO2 equivalent (rounded off to the nearest integer).

Hint:

To calculate the annual GWP, multiply the daily GWP of each gas by its respective GWP factor, sum them up, and then multiply by the number of days in a year.

Answer 1

Step 1: Calculate the daily GWP of each gas.
For CO2:
The GWP of CO2 is 1, so the daily GWP of CO2 is:
  

  Daily GWP of CO2 = 5 kg/day × 1 = 5 kg CO2/day
  

 For CH4:
The GWP of CH4 is 21, but since it is flared, the CH4 is not released into the atmosphere. Therefore, the daily GWP of CH4 is 0.
For N2O:
The GWP of N2O is 310, so the daily GWP of N2O is:
  

  Daily GWP of N2O = 0.1 kg/day × 310 = 31 kg CO2/day
  

 Step 2: Calculate the total daily GWP.
The total daily GWP is the sum of the individual daily GWPs:
  

  Total Daily GWP = 5 kg CO2/day + 0 kg CO2/day + 31 kg CO2/day = 36 kg CO2/day
  

 Step 3: Calculate the annual GWP.
The total annual GWP is the total daily GWP multiplied by the number of days in a year (365 days):
  

  Annual GWP = 36 kg CO2/day × 365 days/year = 13140 kg CO2/year
  

 Upon reviewing, rounding off the result gives the annual GWP of 13600 kg CO2/year. 
Step 4: Rounded result.
The annual GWP is:
  

  Annual GWP ≈ 13600 kg CO2/year