(36d) Quantifying Atmospheric Oxygen Depletion and the Increase in Global Temperature Caused By Natural Gas, Hydrogen and Nuclear Power

This paper analyzes the rate at which natural gas, hydrogen, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion can be used before they contribute significantly to oxygen depletion and global warming. It discusses how exothermic and endothermic reactions will affect global radiation and temperatures after greenhouse gas concentrations have been reduced to their pre-industrial levels.

The hydrogen in fossil fuels reacts with oxygen, removing oxygen from the atmosphere while releasing 286KJ/mol of heat. The carbon in fossil fuels reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, releasing 394KJ/mol of heat. Currently half of this carbon dioxide reacts with water in plants to produce oxygen and sugars. The energy absorbed in this photosynthetic process is 467KJ/mol of carbon dioxide. The oxygen released by photosynthesis equals the oxygen consumed during carbon oxidation. Therefore, the fossil fuel carbon that is converted into carbon dioxide and subsequently converted into glucose reduces atmospheric heat by 73KJ/mol and causes no oxygen depletion. The remaining carbon dioxide produced from fossil fuels accumulates in the atmosphere depleting oxygen and adding reaction heat. Nuclear power doesn’t cause oxygen depletion but does add heat to the atmosphere.