How should i measure Emissions of Carbon dioxide from car exhausts?

Question

Im doing a science experiment where im measuring emmisions of Carbon Dioxide from Different types of Cars like a Toureg, avalanche and other types, any ideas... links would really be helpful

Answer 1

make a way so the exhaust can be run through a tube and bubbled through distilled water with lime in it. the CO2 dissolved in the water, will cause the pH to drop, as it creates carbonic acid. the water will become cloudy.
record the amount of time it takes for each to become cloudy. the longer it takes the less CO2 there is in the exhaust.
must make each lime solution exactly identical though to be accurate.

there are slightly more tedious way to do it, but require more knowledge of KH and pH, how they relate, and how they are measured. but that is only if you need actual measurements of the CO2 levels rather than being able to rank the exhaust systems.

Answer 2

If your school uses computerized data collection systems (like PASCO or Vernier), they have CO2 sensors available. They are a little expensive to buy yourself (~$250), but perhaps your school already has one, or would be willing to buy one for future use. You would also need either a laptop computer or a portable datalogger so you could take the experiment to the various vehicles.

Also, many state require exhaust testing for all cars. You might be able to get them to test a few vehicles for free. Perhaps you could just get photocopies of the reports they are doing anyway and record the type of car. You couldn't choose the types of cars for your experiments, but you might get a lot more data, AND you know the equipment is well-calibrated and used by well-trained people.

Answer 3

Why are u worried about CO2 ? CO2 is not a pollutant ,it supplies CO2 to the Plants ,which needs CO2 as much as u need oxygen . The plants have recycled the CO2 for millions of years . Measure the CO2 in the atmosphere and it will measure 1 to 2 parts per million,which is nothing. The environmentalist want u to believe that the CO2 has increased 30% . It has not because the plants have taken care of it.