Glossary
Azeotrope: An azeotrope is a special mixture of two or more solvents in such a ratio that its composition cannot be changed by simple distillation. This is because when an azeotrope is boiled, the resulting vapor has the same ratio of constituents as the original mixture of liquids.
Btu: The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water from 59.5 °F by one 1°F.
CO: Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. It is the product of the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing compounds, notably in internal-combustion engines. It has significant fuel value, burning in air with a characteristic blue flame, producing carbon dioxide. It consists of one carbon atom covalently bonded to one oxygen atom. Carbon monoxide is a gas at room temperature.
CO2: Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. It is often referred to by its formula CO2. It is present in the Earth's atmosphere at a low concentration of approximately 0.04% and is an important greenhouse gas. In its solid state, it is called dry ice.
E1-E100: Different concentrations of gasoline-ethanol blends. E85 has 85 parts ethanol and 15 parts gasoline to make an 85% ethanol mixture, or E85.
Greenhouse gases: Greenhouse gases are components of the atmosphere that contribute to the Greenhouse effect. Some greenhouse gases occur naturally in the atmosphere, while others result from human activities. Greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone.
Greenhouse effect: The greenhouse effect, discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824 and first investigated quantitatively by Svante Arrhenius in 1896, is the process in which the emission of infrared radiation by an atmosphere warms a planet's surface. The name comes from an incorrect analogy with the warming of air inside a greenhouse compared to the air outside the greenhouse. The Earth's average surface temperature is about 25°C warmer than it would be without the greenhouse effect.
Global warming: Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation.
NH3: Ammonia is a compound with the formula NH3. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor. Although ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of the planet, the gas itself is toxic.
Parts per million (ppm): The "parts-per" notations are used to denote low concentrations of chemical elements. Also known as mixing ratios, are often used to denote the relative abundance of trace elements in the Earth's crust, trace elements in forensics or other analyses, dissolved minerals in water, or pollutants in the environment.
Octane rating: The octane rating is a measure of the auto ignition resistance of gasoline and other fuels used in spark-ignition internal combustion engines. It is a measure of anti-detonation of a gasoline or fuel. The more the octane rating, the less the fuel is prematurely wasted, because of pre-combustion.
Standard deviation: In probability and statistics, the standard deviation of a probability distribution, random variable, or population or multi set of values is a measure of the spread of its values. It is usually denoted with the letter σ (lower case sigma). It is defined as the square root of the variance. In other words, the standard deviation is the root mean square (RMS) deviation of values from their arithmetic mean. For example, in the population {4, 8}, the mean is 6 and the standard deviation is 2. In this case 100% of the values in the population are at one standard deviation of the mean. The standard deviation is the most common measure of statistical dispersion, measuring how widely spread the values in a data set are. If the data points are close to the mean, then the standard deviation is small. Conversely, if many data points are far from the mean, then the standard deviation is large. If all the data values are equal, then the standard deviation is zero.
Sustainability: Sustainability is an attempt to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural environments both now and into the indefinite future.
(All definitions are taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)