Black Carbon

Black Carbon is a component of fine particulate air pollution with size of Particulate Matter 2.5 or PM2.5. In this article, you will learn black carbon definition, black carbon health effects, sources, solutions, providing key insights for GS Paper-III Environment and Recology section of UPSC IAS Exam.

Table of Content

• What is Black Carbon?   
• Primary sources of Black Carbon emissions
• Impacts of Black Carbon emissions          
• How to reduce black carbon emissions?
• Conclusion         
• Frequently Asked Questions       
• Reference           

What is Black Carbon?

• Black carbon is a component of fine particulate air pollution with size of Particulate Matter2.5 or PM 2.5.
  • These particles have a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or smaller.
• Black carbon plays a vital role in climate change.
• Black carbon composition: pure elemental carbon with presence of some oxygen and hydrogen.
• It is also known as Soot or Black Carbon Aerosol.

Primary sources of Black Carbon emissions:

• The formation of black carbon occurs when fossil fuels, wood, and other fuels undergoes incomplete combustion.
• Incomplete combustion produces various by products such as CO2 (carbon dioxide), carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, organic carbon, and black carbon particles.
  • The resulting mixture of these particles from incomplete combustion is known as soot.
  • The complete combustion generally converts all carbon in the fuel into CO2.
• Black carbon is a short-lived pollutant that persists in the atmosphere for as short as a week after being released.
• Despite its short lifespan, black carbon has considerable impacts on the climate, cryosphere (snow and ice), agriculture, and human health.
• Preventing black carbon emissions may immediately reduce climate warming, enhance crop yields, and prevent premature deaths.

Impacts of Black Carbon emissions:

Climate Impacts:

• Black carbon can lead to global warming as it has higher capacity to absorb heat and raise the temperature of its surroundings.
• In terms of mass, the warming impact of black carbon on the climate is 460-1,500 times stronger than the warming impact of CO2.
• Black carbon present in the atmosphere converts incoming solar radiation into heat.
• It also influences the formation of clouds, affects regional air movements and patterns of rainfall.
• When black carbon and other emitted particles gets deposited on ice and snow, this diminishes the albedo of snow (surface’s ability to reflect sunlight) and raises the temperature of snow region.
  • This poses a particular threat to the Arctic and glaciated regions like the Himalayas, leading to increased melting and global sea level rising.

Black Carbon Aerosol effects on Human Health:

• Black carbon is a key component that forms PM2.5 air pollution, which is the primary cause of health problems and deaths.
• They can infiltrate the deepest part of the lungs and assist in the transportation of toxic substances into the bloodstream.
• The PM2.5 based particles has various health effects such as premature mortality among adults, heart and lung diseases, stroke and heart attacks, chronic respiratory diseases such as bronchitis, asthma, and other symptoms of cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
• It may also lead to untimely demise of children due to acute lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia.

Impacts on vegetation and ecosystems:

• Black carbon can settle on plant leaves and reduce their level of photosynthesis and elevate their temperature.
• It can diminish the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth, leading to reduced insolation.
• It can also alter rainfall patterns, which may affect agriculture sector.

How to reduce black carbon emissions?

Household based Energy:

• Transition from traditional cooking to modern, clean-burning fuel cookstoves.
• Eliminate the use of kerosene lamps.
• Substitute lump coal with coal briquettes for cooking and heating purposes.
• Replace wood stoves and burners with pellet stoves and boilers.

Industrial Production:

• Modernize traditional brick kilns with vertical shaft brick kilns.
• Upgrade from coke ovens to recovery ovens.

Transport:

• Utilize diesel particulate filters for road and off-road vehicles.
• Swiftly transition to Euro VI vehicles and prefer soot-free buses and trucks.
• Phase out high-emitting diesel vehicles.

Agriculture:

• Prohibit open-field burning of agricultural waste.

Fossil Fuels:

• Enhance oil flaring and capture and utilization of gas-based production of black carbon.

Waste Management:

• Prohibit open burning of municipal wastes.

Conclusion

Black carbon pollution must be dealt with correct policy and on multi stake holder basis. The difference between black carbon and brown carbon is that Black carbon is released by high-temperature combustion whereas brown carbon is emitted mainly by biomass combustion. Black Carbon concentration for long run in a region may increase the temperature of that region harming the productivity of residents of that region

Black Carbon is a component of fine particulate air pollution with size of Particulate Matter 2.5 or PM2.5. In this article, you will learn black carbon definition, black carbon health effects, sources, solutions, providing key insights for GS Paper-III Environment and Re cology section of UPSC IAS Exam.

What is Black Carbon?

• Black carbon is a component of fine particulate air pollution with size of Particulate Matter2.5 or PM 2.5.
  • These particles have a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or smaller.
• Black carbon plays a vital role in climate change.
• Black carbon composition: pure elemental carbon with presence of some oxygen and hydrogen.
• It is also known as Soot or Black Carbon Aerosol.

Primary sources of Black Carbon emissions:

• The formation of black carbon occurs when fossil fuels, wood, and other fuels undergoes incomplete combustion.
• Incomplete combustion produces various by products such as CO2 (carbon dioxide), carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, organic carbon, and black carbon particles.
  • The resulting mixture of these particles from incomplete combustion is known as soot.
  • The complete combustion generally converts all carbon in the fuel into CO2.
• Black carbon is a short-lived pollutant that persists in the atmosphere for as short as a week after being released.
• Despite its short lifespan, black carbon has considerable impacts on the climate, cryosphere (snow and ice), agriculture, and human health.
• Preventing black carbon emissions may immediately reduce climate warming, enhance crop yields, and prevent premature deaths.

Impacts of Black Carbon emissions:

Climate Impacts:

• Black carbon can lead to global warming as it has higher capacity to absorb heat and raise the temperature of its surroundings.
• In terms of mass, the warming impact of black carbon on the climate is 460-1,500 times stronger than the warming impact of CO2.
• Black carbon present in the atmosphere converts incoming solar radiation into heat.
• It also influences the formation of clouds, affects regional air movements and patterns of rainfall.
• When black carbon and other emitted particles gets deposited on ice and snow, this diminishes the albedo of snow (surface’s ability to reflect sunlight) and raises the temperature of snow region.
  • This poses a particular threat to the Arctic and glaciated regions like the Himalayas, leading to increased melting and global sea level rising.

Black Carbon Aerosol effects on Human Health:

• Black carbon is a key component that forms PM2.5 air pollution, which is the primary cause of health problems and deaths.
• They can infiltrate the deepest part of the lungs and assist in the transportation of toxic substances into the bloodstream.
• The PM2.5 based particles has various health effects such as premature mortality among adults, heart and lung diseases, stroke and heart attacks, chronic respiratory diseases such as bronchitis, asthma, and other symptoms of cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
• It may also lead to untimely demise of children due to acute lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia.

Impacts on vegetation and ecosystems:

• Black carbon can settle on plant leaves and reduce their level of photosynthesis and elevate their temperature.
• It can diminish the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth, leading to reduced insolation.
• It can also alter rainfall patterns, which may affect agriculture sector.

How to reduce black carbon emissions?

Household based Energy:

• Transition from traditional cooking to modern, clean-burning fuel cookstoves.
• Eliminate the use of kerosene lamps.
• Substitute lump coal with coal briquettes for cooking and heating purposes.
• Replace wood stoves and burners with pellet stoves and boilers.

Industrial Production:

• Modernize traditional brick kilns with vertical shaft brick kilns.
• Upgrade from coke ovens to recovery ovens.

Transport:

• Utilize diesel particulate filters for road and off-road vehicles.
• Swiftly transition to Euro VI vehicles and prefer soot-free buses and trucks.
• Phase out high-emitting diesel vehicles.

Agriculture:

• Prohibit open-field burning of agricultural waste.

Fossil Fuels:

• Enhance oil flaring and capture and utilization of gas-based production of black carbon.

Waste Management:

• Prohibit open burning of municipal wastes.

Conclusion

Black carbon pollution must be dealt with correct policy and on multi stake holder basis. The difference between black carbon and brown carbon is that Black carbon is released by high-temperature combustion whereas brown carbon is emitted mainly by biomass combustion. Black Carbon concentration for long run in a region may increase the temperature of that region harming the productivity of residents of that region

• Source-1

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)