Question

Is the use of air as an O2 source greener than using a cylinder of pure O2? Briefly explain.

Answer 1

No, the use of air as an O2 source is not greener than using a cylinder of pure O2 because air is a mixture of gases, in that mixture  78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. So when we use air as an O2 source it will pollute environment.

The advantage of using O2 is that It is more economic to use pure oxygen, or oxygen-enriched air, rather than air as this increases the reaction rates and means that smaller chemical plants can be used.