How much pollution and CO2 does a commuter emit in each mile?
“May 10, 2018 – A typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. This assumes the average gasoline vehicle on the road today has a fuel economy of about 22.0 miles per gallon and drives around 11,500 miles per year. “
“Air pollution from cars, trucks and buses is split into primary and secondary pollution. Primary pollution is emitted directly into the atmosphere; secondary pollution results from chemical reactions between pollutants in the atmosphere. Fetuses, newborn children, and people with chronic illnesses are especially susceptible to the effects of air pollutants. ”
“Particulate matter (PM). One type of particulate matter is the soot seen in vehicle exhaust. Fine particles — less than one-tenth the diameter of a human hair — pose a serious threat to human health, as they can penetrate deep into the lungs. PM can be a primary pollutant or a secondary pollutant from hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxides. Diesel exhaust is a major contributor to PM pollution.”
https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-vehicles/vehicles-air-pollution-and-human-health/cars-trucks-air-pollution#bf-toc-3
https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/particulate-matter-pm-basics
“The greatest contributor to air pollution in the Burlington area is the automobile. Each year, motor vehicles in Vermont emit about 1,000 tons of toxic and carcinogen compounds into the air. The average vehicle emits about a half a ton of air pollution each year. ” https://www.uvm.edu/~empact/air/cars.php3
How much Co2 and particulates does a square yard of moss absorb in a year?
The moss acts to filter out particulate matter, absorb CO2 and remove soot, dirt, and other pollutants. … Each CityTree removes 240 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere per year and 250 grams of particulate matter per day.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2018/03/20/this-city-bench-absorbs-more-air-pollution-than-a-grove-of-trees/#6b44e21f6b8d
Mosses also act as:1. buffer against rainwater2. increase humidity3. produce oxygen4. absorb CO25. absorb polluted rainwater through nitrogen compounds6. absorb gaseous air pollution7. provide an ideal environment for bacteria’s that break down organic matter8. “eat” fine particulate matterThe following calculation explains the amount of fine particulate matter absorbed by moss:A = busy thoroughfare = 14 gr/m2 yearly emissions of fine particulate matterB = moss = 20 gr/m2 yearly absorption of fine particulate matterA / B = 0.7 m2 moss is necessary for neutralization of fine particulate matter from 1m2 busy thoroughfare.
https://biotope-city.com/en/2018/09/15/gallery_lr0001-en/
“Actually, we wanted to know which compounds the cryptogamic covers emit into the air“, said Wolfgang Elbert, who initiated the research at the Max Planck Institute of Chemistry. “We found that there are a lot of studies about the ecological role of these life forms, but their contribution to the global nitrogen and carbon balance has been neglected until now.“ To get at the importance of the cryptogamic covers, the chemists analysed the data from hundreds of studies in cooperation with biologists and geologists. Their finding: Algae, mosses, and lichens take up approximately 14 billion tons of carbon dioxide and fix approximately 50 million tons of nitrogen per year
https://phys.org/news/2012-06-algae-lichens-mosses-huge-amounts.html
“We were pleasantly shocked, to say the least. After placing our 4′ x 8′ Verdure Live Moss Wall Eco-System in a room that holds 1,176 cubic feet of air volume, we had air sample tests taken every minute (more than 4,000) over a period of three days.
These tests showed a stunning 225% decrease in CO2 levels and, even more compelling, a dramatic reduction in harmful .5-micron airborne particulate by approximately 4,000% – yes, you read that correctly, four thousand percent. “
https://www.mosswalls.com/air-quality-results
Project Moss 