Applications of Chemical Kinetics in Environmental Systems - Elements of Environmental Engineering: Thermodynamics and Kinetics - page 420

4. For the same degree of conversion, a plug-flow reactor requires a
larger volume than a CSTR.
6.59 3 A tanker collided with a tugboat and spilled 9000 gallons of diesel fuel into
the Mississippi River at 1:30 a.m. on July 23, 2008, near the mouth of the
river in New Orleans, Louisiana.As a result, residents of communities such
as Algiers, Gretna, and the Plaquemines parish living downstream of the
river were asked to conserve water, as water intakes to these communities
were closed to prevent contamination of the drinking water supply. Con-
sider the most soluble component of diesel (conduct a literature survey)
and determine how fast it will move with the water to the nearest commu-
nity down river.You will have to obtain the relevant flow parameters from
the USGS website.
6.60 3 Heavy duty vehicles (hdv) using diesel fuel emits carcinogenic hydrocar-
bon, benzo[ a ]pyrene (BaP) directly to the air. A detailed investigation of
BaP emissions between 1961 and 2004 was recently reported by Beyea
et al. (2008, Environmental Science Technology ). Consider the Baltimore
Harbor Tunnel that is 2.31 km long, 6.7 m wide, and 4.1 m high. The max-
imum speed of vehicles within the tunnel is 80 km/h. Wind parallel to the
tunnel blows in at 4 m/s. It is estimated that 2500 vehicles per hour with
12% hdv mix, moving at an average speed of 46 km/h transits through the
tunnel. If the estimated emission factor for BaP was 40 μ g/km in 1961
and 5 μ g/km in 2004, what are the corresponding changes in BaP air
concentrations during this period?
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