This question is about combustion of fuels - AQA - GCSE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2019 - Paper 2
Question 5
This question is about combustion of fuels.
Some central heating boilers use wood as a fuel.
Suggest two reasons why wood is more sustainable than natural gas as a... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:This question is about combustion of fuels - AQA - GCSE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2019 - Paper 2
Step 1
Suggest two reasons why wood is more sustainable than natural gas as a fuel for central heating boilers.
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Answer
Wood is renewable, as it can be replanted and sourced sustainably without depleting resources.
The burning of wood is considered carbon-neutral, as it releases the same amount of carbon dioxide that the trees absorbed during their growth, therefore not contributing to global warming.
Step 2
Explain the process by which carbon monoxide can be produced when methane is burned.
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Carbon monoxide is produced during the incomplete combustion of methane ( ext{CH}_4) when there is insufficient oxygen available. Instead of converting all carbon to carbon dioxide ( ext{CO}_2), some carbon is released as carbon monoxide ( ext{CO}) due to inadequate oxygen supply, leading to the reaction:
ightarrow ext{CO} + 2 ext{H}_2 ext{O}$$
Step 3
Balance the equation for the combustion of methane to produce carbon monoxide.
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The balanced equation is:
ightarrow 2 ext{CO}(g) + 4 ext{H}_2 ext{O}(l)$$
Step 4
Calculate the volume of unreacted oxygen.
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From the stoichiometry of the reaction:
The balanced reaction shows that the mole ratio of ext{O}_2 to ext{CO}_2 is 5:3.
Since 3.60 dm³ of ext{CO}_2 is produced, the amount of ext{O}_2} needed is: