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• 1 2017-12-01T17:41:17-08:00 Air Pollution 12 By Bailey Klause image_header 2017-12-04T12:43:59-08:00 Image: Negishi oil refinery - panoramio (8). Kaz Ish [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
  
  Petroleum Refineries are a major source of air pollution because of the emissions associated with the refining process. Paul Jaramillo from the Department of Engineering and Public policy at Mellon University and Nicholas Z. Muller from the Department of Economics at Middlebury College discuss refinery emissions in their article “Air Pollution Emissions and Damages from Energy Production in the U.S.: 2002-2011.” The emissions that Jaramillo and Muller reported on included NH3 (ammonia), VOCs (volatile organic compounds), PM2.5-PRI (primary particulate matter), NOx (nitrogen oxides), and SO2 (sulfur dioxide). As the authors found, oil refining is second to electricity generation in terms of pollutant emissions (204). They also found that oil refining, along with oil and gas extraction, is the biggest source of VOC emissions (204).
  But why should you care about some “weird” chemicals and compounds being released into the atmosphere? According to the EPA article, “Volatile Organic Compounds' Impact on Indoor Air Quality,” VOC exposure can result in “conjunctival irritation, nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, dyspnea, declines in serum cholinesterase levels, nausea, emesis, epistaxis, fatigue, dizziness.” The EPA also reports in the article “Sulfur Dioxide Basics” that SO2 can have negative health effects as well as being a contributor to acid rain and smog. Furthermore, Jaramillo and Muller analyzed the external costs of the air emissions from the various energy sectors. They found that in 2011, refining resulted in emission damages of over three billion dollars (205). Though petroleum refining is not the only cause of air pollution around the world, it does have a major contribution.
  Gas flaring is also a huge factor when examining the sustainability of oil refineries. Eman A. Emam from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Petroleum Refinery at Suez University describes gas flaring in the article “Gas Flaring in Industry: An Overview”. According to Emam, gas flaring is “the process of burning-off associated gas from wells, hydrocarbon processing plants or refineries, either as a means of disposal or as a safety measure to relieve pressure” (532). As Emam later goes on to say, burning flare gas results in two major greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) (535). Greenhouse gases contribute to climate change, which NASA concludes in the article “The Consequences of Climate Change” results in rising temperatures, longer growing seasons, changes in precipitation, more frequent droughts and heat waves, stronger hurricanes, rising sea levels, and melting polar ice caps. When we burn flare gas, we are essentially burning large quantities of fossil fuels with no gains or benefits to be had. Greenhouse gas emissions from oil refineries are not the largest contributor to climate change—not even close. As reported in the EPA article “Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions,” electricity production is the worst sector, accounting for “29 percent of 2015 greenhouse gas emissions.” However, cutting back on refinery emissions is a smaller, more manageable way to slow climate change than many of the clean electricity production methods available at the moment. 
  • Earth Science Communications Team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “The Consequences of Climate Change.” Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. NASA, 21 Nov. 2017. Web. 22 Nov. 2017. 
  • Emam, Eman A. “Gas Flaring in Industry: An Overview.” Petroleum & Coal, International Journal for Petroleum Processing, Petrochemistry and Coal Processing 57 (2015): 532-555. Web. 17 Nov. 2017. 
  • Jaramillo, Paulina, and Nicholas Z. Muller. “Air Pollution Emissions and Damages from Energy Production in the U.S.: 2002-2011.” Energy Policy 90 (2016): 202-211. Web. 17 Nov. 2017.
  • United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 14 Apr. 2017. Web. 29 Nov. 2017.
  • United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Sulfur Dioxide Basics.” EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 16 Aug. 2016. Web. 22 Nov. 2017.
  • United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Volatile Organic Compounds' Impact on Indoor Air Quality.” EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 6 Nov. 2017. Web. 22 Nov. 2017.