Modeling the Accumulation and Depletion of Smog in Los Angeles


Smog in Los Angeles
Image courtesy of U.S. EPA

"Chemical Reaction Engineering is in everything... including the air!"

Chemical engineering, particularly reaction engineering, is very broad in scope and can be used to model not only industrial processes but also everyday situations. One daily occurrence that can be modeled with reaction engineering is the accumulation and depletion of air pollutants or smog in urban areas such as Los Angeles. This case is also studied in collaboration with the field of meteorology, and its fundamental understanding plays an important role in policy making and legislation standards of gaseous emissions throughout the United States. Specifically, the air pollutant carbon monoxide will be explored and modeled in the Los Angeles basin.

Modeling the Accumulation and Depletion of Smog in Los Angeles

Alejandra De Obeso, Lauren Floyd, Dr. Nihat M. Gürmen, Prof. H. Scott Fogler