[paul cotter (OP)]

Not that the pope has any relevance to my life but I noticed a cloud of vile pollution emanating from the Vatican, on the gogglebox. That sort of black smoke is like what one gets with a welding torch before the oxygen is switched on. Or maybe an aromatic like styrene or polystyrene. Whatever it is the environmental agencies need to put a stop to such deliberate pollution.

[Bored chemist]

The smoke is "traditionally" from burning the ballot papers.

But
"For black smoke, a mix of potassium perchlorate, anthracene, and sulfur is burned - producing thick, dark smoke.

"For white smoke, a combination of potassium chlorate, lactose, and pine rosin, is used, which burns clean and pale.

"In the past they tried to burn damp straw to create a darker smoke and dry straw to make lighter smoke - but this caused some confusion because sometimes it appeared grey."

From
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp31gnn93kvo

And I suspect  smoke from anthracene is full of nasty PAH compounds.

[paul cotter (OP)]

A well mixed concoction of anhydrous lactose and potassium chlorate could send one to the promised land, regardless of who has been elected. Second thoughts, does lactose form a hydrate?, maybe it's glucose i'm thinking of- one of them does and it's mix with chlorate is quite lame. Burning anthracene, even with a perchlorate is obviously an environmental sin of grievous magnitude.

[Bored chemist]

A well mixed concoction of anhydrous lactose and potassium chlorate could send one to the promised land, regardless of who has been elected. Second thoughts, does lactose form a hydrate?, maybe it's glucose i'm thinking of- one of them does and it's mix with chlorate is quite lame.

Further discussion on that topic might get people into trouble.

[paul cotter (OP)]

Point taken, BC. It was just an observation and I have no intention of elaborating or taking it further.

[alancalverd]

I recently visited an airfield where "They" scrapped the old diesel crew bus "because of Emissions" and replaced it with a smaller and unreliable electric vehicle to take folks out to the apron where various passenger jets and precious warbirds were burning umpteen liters of oil products per minute just warming up and taxying to the runway before departing in a veil of smoke.   

[paul cotter (OP)]

If I was tasked with the environmentally safe production of a black effluent I would rig a powerful centrifugal blower to the chimney and feed carbon black into the inlet, with the motor running. White smoke could similarly produced with titanium dioxide, maybe flour if they are financially challenged.

[alancalverd]

Aagh! Particulates! And flour is wonderfully explosive if sufficiently aerated - like by blowing it up a chimney.

Whatever you do is bound to upset somebody. But it won't kill nearly as many people as christianity has. 

[paul cotter (OP)]

Yep, flour mill explosions have been devastating. Okay, i'll go with titanium dioxide then, it is certainly better than the old style white pigment lead carbonate.

[Petrochemicals]

Tyres and crack.

[Petrochemicals]

Yep, flour mill explosions have been devastating. Okay, i'll go with titanium dioxide then, it is certainly better than the old style white pigment lead carbonate.

any combustible areated, if fine enough to cause the reaction to be self sustaining.

Iron burns in air if fine enough.

[paul cotter (OP)]

"Tyres and crack", hmm, that's an odd choice. Tyres certainly would deliver the black smoke but crack for the white?? I am assuming here you are referring to crack cocaine: I have never seen crack being vapourised and I would beat a hasty retreat from any location where this practice was occurring. However I would imagine cocaine vapour, if pure, would be slightly misty at most and certainly not up to the description of white smoke. As regards iron it is actually pyrophoric if pure and finely divided.

[alancalverd]

Time was, of course, that they burned heretics for the greater glory of a loving and merciful god, but AFAIK the color of the smoke was independent of the color of the victim. 

[paul cotter (OP)]

I have a solution for that. Burn the heretics and infidels with an excess of oxygen for a light coloured smoke and incinerate with insufficient oxygen for a darker smoke. Ok, not quite black and white but it should do. I think I will trying selling my invention to the new pope. I am quite sure they would like to resurrect the inquisition.

[alancalverd]

incinerate with insufficient oxygen

and incite the wrath of the carbon monoxide police.....