Uses of Oxygen

In industrial use, oxygen ranks behind only sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitrogen (N2). 

About 3 X 10 ° kg (30 million tons) of O2 is used annually in the United States. It is shipped and stored either as a liquid or in steel containers as a compressed gas. About 70% of the O2 output, however, is generated where it is needed. 

Oxygen is by far the most widely used oxidizing agent in industry. Over half of the O2 produced is used in the steel industry, mainly to remove impurities from steel. 

Ozone is a pale blue, poisonous gas with a sharp, irritating odor. Many people can detect 

The O3 molecule possesses tt electrons that are delocalized over the three oxygen atoms, oeo (Section 8.6) The molecule dissociates readily, forming reactive oxygen atoms  

Ozone is a pale blue, poisonous gas with a sharp, irritating odor. Most people can detect about 0.01 ppm in air. Exposure to 0.1 to 1 ppm produces headaches, burning eyes, and irritation to the respiratory passages. 

What wavelength of light is needed to break an O—O bond in ozone  

Ozone is a stronger oxidizing agent than dioxygen. Ozone forms oxides with many elements under conditions where O2 will not react indeed, it oxidizes all the common metals except gold and platinum. 

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The Energy PoHcy Act of 1992 (H.R. 776) has Hberalized the rules concerning biofuels and provides tax incentives for increased usage. Many states also have gasohol fuel tax exemptions in place, and some have enacted legislation that requites use of oxygenated fuels under certain conditions. Most of these laws impact favorably on biofuels usage. 

In the former USSR, there reportedly are two technologies in use one is old anthrahydroquinone autoxidation technology and the other is closed-loop isopropyl alcohol oxidation technology. Production faciUties include several smaller, 100-150-t/yr isopropyl alcohol oxidation plants and a larger, 15,000-t/yr plant, which reportedly is being expanded to 30,000-t/yr. Differences in this technology as compared to the Shell Chemical Co. process are the use of oxygen-enriched air in the oxidation step and, catalytic reduction of the coproduct acetone back to isopropyl alcohol per equation 21. 

Chemical Processing. The use of oxygen in large-volume chemical and petrochemical manufacture is weU-estabHshed as a result of advantages 3) and 4). Most oxidation reactions are catalytic many begin with a feedstock initially made catalyticaHy from methane or natural gas. 

Partial oxidation of coal to form either synthetic fuel, syngas, or synthetic natural gas represents a potential use of oxygen (see Fuels, synthetic). 

The use of oxygen in pediatric incubators is an important factor in increasing the survival rate of premature infants who develop cyanosis. However, the use of oxygen is associated with risk of developing the visual defect known as retrolental fibroplasia (38). A careflil monitoring of arterial blood oxygen partial pressure is important. 

The use of oxygen compounds, eg, gaseous oxygen, ozone (qv), and hydrogen peroxide (qv), is becoming more important. 

Oxygen-enriched air is sometimes used in spent acid decomposition furnaces to increase furnace capacity. Use of oxygen-enriched air reduces the amount of inerts in the gas stream in the furnace and gas purification equipment. This permits higher SO2 throughput and helps both the heat and water... 

Respiration, or biological oxidation, is the use of oxygen as an electron receptor in the cataboHc degradation of an organic and can occur either aerobically or anaerobically. Aerobic respiration uses free oxygen as an electron receptor whereas anaerobic respiration uses inorganic oxygen. In both cases, however, water and carbon dioxide are the principal end products. 

Use of oxygen and an inert gas enables the heat of combustion and the heat of decomposition to be evaluated respectively. 

The use of oxygen-free (pyrrogaVlol-washed) nitrogen seems essential private communication from Dr. M. E. Wolff, University of California, San Francisco. 

Demand for gasoline is 125 billion gals (473 billion 1) per year according to 1998 estimates. The Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 mandates the use of oxygenated fuels such as ethanol blends with up to 3.5 percent oxygen by weight in gasoline (E-10 or... 

In the particular case of oxygen, valves shall be resistant to exposure for up to 12 h at all pressures up to 2 bar at 20° C. Requirements for non-return valves for oxygen are also discussed in the British Gas publication Guidance Notes on the Use of Oxygen in Industrial Gas Fired Plant and Working Flame Burners (lM/1). 

Close control of the amount of excess air is possible by the use of oxygen trim control equipment. Such equipment will control the flue gas oxygen content within the range of 2.0-3.0 per cent as compared to the normal 3.0-5.0 per cent. The improvement in boiler plant efficiency is of the order of 1.0-2.0 per cent. 

As stated in section 5.1.1, some bacteria derive energy from food sources without the use of oxygen, whereas others are able to use this gas. The pathway of oxygen utilization itself is also a stepwise series of reactions and thus the overall picture emerges of cellular metabolism characterized by multistep reactions. 

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