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Glossary
- Biodegradable
- Material that can be broken down into simpler substances (elements and compounds) by bacteria or other decomposers. Paper and most organic wastes such as animal manure are biodegradable.
- Biofuel
- Gas or liquid fuel made from plant material (biomass). Includes wood, wood waste, wood liquors, peat, railroad ties, wood sludge, spent sulfite liquors, agricultural waste, straw, tires, fish oils, tall oil, sludge waste, waste alcohol, municipal solid waste, landfill gases, other waste, and ethanol blended into motor gasoline.
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
- A colorless, odorless, non-poisonous gas that is a normal part of the ambient air. Carbon dioxide is a product of fossil fuel combustion. Carbon dioxide is also exhaled by animals and used by plants in photosynthesis. Although carbon dioxide does not directly impair human health, it is a greenhouse gas that traps terrestrial (i.e., infrared) radiation and contributes to the potential for global warming.
- Carbon Monoxide (CO)
- A colorless, toxic gas produced by incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels, including: gasoline, oil and wood. Carbon monoxide is also produced from incomplete combustion of many natural and synthetic products. For instance, cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide. When carbon monoxide gets into the body, the carbon monoxide combines with chemicals in the blood and prevents the blood from bringing oxygen to cells, tissues and organs. The human body needs oxygen for energy, so high-level exposures to carbon monoxide can cause serious health effects, with death possible from massive exposures. Symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure include vision problems, reduced alertness, and general reduction in mental and physical functions. Carbon monoxide exposures are especially harmful to people with heart, lung and circulatory system diseases.
- Carcinogen
- Any substance that may cause cancer.
- Catalytic Converter
- A motor vehicle pollution control device designed to reduce emissions such as oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide. Catalytic converters have been required equipment on all new motor motor vehicles sold in California since 1979.
- Emissions
- Materials (gases, particles, vapors, chemical compounds, etc.) that come out of smokestacks, chimneys, and tailpipes. The release of a substance into the atmosphere.
- EPA
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - the federal agency that administers federal environmental regulations and programs.
- Ethanol (C2H5OH)
- Otherwise known as ethyl alcohol, alcohol, or grain spirit. A clear, colorless, flammable oxygenated hydrocarbon with a boiling point of 78.5 degrees Celsius in the anhydrous state. In transportation, ethanol is used as a vehicle fuel by itself (E100), blended with gasoline (E85), or as a gasoline octane enhancer and oxygenate (10 percent concentration).
- Exposure
- The concentration of the pollutant in the air multiplied by the population exposed to that concentration over a specified time period.
- Fossil Fuels
- A general term for buried combustible geologic deposits of organic materials, formed from decayed plants and animals that have been converted to crude oil, coal, natural gas, or heavy oils by exposure to heat and pressure in the earth's crust over hundreds of millions of years.
- Fossil Fuel Combustion
- Burning of coal, oil (including gasoline), or natural gas. This burning, usually to generate energy, releases carbon dioxide, as well as combustion by products that can include unburned hydrocarbons, methane, and carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide, methane, and many of the unburned hydrocarbons slowly oxidize into carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Common sources of fossil fuel combustion include cars and electric utilities.
- Four-stroke engine
- In general, four-stroke engines emit less HC and PM, about the same amount of CO, and more NOx than two-stroke engines.
- Fuel Injection
- A device (injector) that sprays fuel into air to provide a combustible mixture. Fuel injection provides better metering of fuel and air than carburetors. This results in more power, improved fuel economy, and lower emissions. The simplest systems use single or dual injectors in a central chamber to supply all cylinders. More sophisticated systems use an injector at each cylinder to precisely meter fuel.
- Hydrocarbons
- Compounds containing various combinations of hydrogen and carbon atoms. They may be emitted into the air by natural sources (e.g., trees) and as a result of fossil and vegetative fuel combustion, fuel volatilization, and solvent use.
- Internal Combustion Engine
- An engine in which both the heat energy and the ensuing mechanical energy are produced inside the engine. Includes gas turbines, spark ignition gas, and compression ignition diesel engines.
- Methanol (CH3OH)
- A colorless poisonous liquid with essentially no odor and little taste. It is the simplest alcohol with a boiling point of 64.7 degrees Celsius. In transportation, methanol is used as a vehicle fuel by itself (M100), or blended with gasoline (M85).
- Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE)
- An ether compound added to gasoline to provide oxygen and enhance complete combustion. MTBE is a volatile organic compound made as a byproduct of petroleum refinery operations by combining methanol derived from natural gas and isobutylene.
- Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
- Gases consisting of one molecule of nitrogen and varying numbers of oxygen molecules. Nitrogen oxides are produced, for example, by the combustion of fossil fuels in vehicles and electric power plants. In the atmosphere, nitrogen oxides can contribute to formation of photochemical ozone (smog), impair visibility, and have health consequences; they are considered pollutants.
- Ozone
- Ozone is created through chemical reactions of "volatile organic compounds" and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in the presence of heat and sunlight. NOx emissions are generally very low in two-stroke engines, however, and cold winter temperatures are not conducive to ozone formation. So under normal operating conditions snowmobiles do not cause ozone.
- Particulate Matter (PM)
- Solid particles or liquid droplets suspended or carried in the air (e.g., soot, dust, fumes, mist). Any material, except pure water, that exists in the solid or liquid state in the atmosphere. The size of particulate matter can vary from coarse, wind-blown dust particles to fine particle combustion products.
- Pollution
- The contamination of soil, water or air by the discharge of potentially harmful substances.
- Smog
- A combination of smoke and other particulates, ozone, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and other chemically reactive compounds which, under certain conditions of weather and sunlight, may result in a murky brown haze that causes adverse health effects. Under normal operating conditions, snowmobiles do not cause smog.
- Snowcoach
- Most modern snowcoaches are vans that have had their wheels removed and replaced with large rubber treads. They offer a smooth and quiet ride. Snowcoaches are enclosed and heated vehicles that travel on tank treads over the snow.
- Snowmobile
- A motorized vehicle that runs on tracks or skis or a combination thereof, weighs less than 2,000 pounds and is designed to be primarily driven on snow, ice or both.
- Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
- A professional association that among other things establishes industry "standards" for tools and repairs, including A/C service procedures, recovery, recycling and leak detection equipment, refrigerant purity, etc.
- Two-stroke engine
- In contrast to the four-stroke or Otto Cycle engine, which produces a power stroke on every fourth stroke, the two-stroke, or Clerk Cycle, engine provides a power stroke for every other stroke. The two-stroke engine, unlike the four-stroke engine, does not need a camshaft to operate intake and exhaust valves, nor does it require complex, poppet-type valves themselves. In the two-stroke engine, the piston itself, moving past intake and exhaust ports in the cylinder wall, acts as a kind of sleeve valve. Lubrication is provided in vaporized form with the fuel, rather than from an oil reservoir and pump system.
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
- Carbon-containing compounds that evaporate readily into the atmosphere at normal temperatures (with a few exceptions). VOCs often have an odor, and some examples include gasoline, alcohol, and the solvents used in paints. VOCs contribute significantly to photochemical smog production and certain health problems.
