Combustion of Fuels - Carbon Dioxide Emission
To calculate the Carbon Dioxide - CO 2 - emission from a fuel, the carbon content of the fuel must be multiplied with the ratio of molecular weight of CO 2 (44) to the molecular weight of Carbon (12) -> 44 / 12 = 3.7
Carbon Dioxide emission from burning a fuel can be calculated as
q CO2 = c f / h f M CO2 /M m [1]
where
q CO2 = specific CO 2 emission [kg CO2 /kWh]
c f = specific carbon content in the fuel [kg C /kg fuel ]
h f = specific energy content in the fuel [kWh/kg fuel ]
M C = Molecular weight Carbon [kg/kmol Carbon]
M CO2 = Molecular weight Carbon Dioxide [kg/kmol CO 2 ]
Emission of CO 2 from combustion of some common fuels are indicated in the table below.
Note! Heat loss - 55-75% - in power generation is not included in the numbers.
See also Heat of combustion , Fuels - Higher and Lower Calorific Values and Fossil and alternative fuels - energy content .
For full table with Specific CO2 emission - rotate the screen!
| Fuel | Liquid density | Specific carbon content | Specific Energy content | Specific CO 2 emission (amount of fuel basis) | Specific CO 2 emission (amount of energy basis) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| kg/l | kg C /kg fuel | kWh/kg fuel | Btu/lb fuel | Kg CO2 /kg fuel | Kg CO2 /gal fuel | lb CO2 /gal fuel | kg CO2 /kWh | kg CO2 /GJ | lb CO2 /mill Btu | |
| Methane (natural gas) | 0.75 | 15.4 | 23900 | 2.75 | 0.18 | 50 | 115 | |||
| Propane | 0.510 | 0.82 | 13.8 | 21300 | 2.99 | 5.78 | 12.7 | 0.22 | 60 | 140 |
| Butane | 0.564 | 0.83 | 13.6 | 21100 | 3.03 | 6.47 | 14.3 | 0.22 | 62 | 144 |
| LPG (wt of C3=C4) | 0.537 | 0.82 | 13.7 | 21200 | 3.01 | 6.12 | 13.5 | 0.22 | 61 | 142 |
| Gasoline | 0.737 | 0.90 | 12.9 | 19900 | 3.30 | 9.20 | 20.3 | 0.26 | 71 | 165.3 |
| Kerosene (Jet) | 0.821 | 0.82 | 12.0 | 18500 | 3.00 | 9.33 | 20.6 | 0.25 | 70 | 162.5 |
| Diesel | 0.846 | 0.86 | 12.7 | 19605 | 3.15 | 10.1 | 22.3 | 0.25 | 69 | 160.8 |
| Heavy fuel oil (No.6/Bunker C) | 0.980 | 0.85 | 11.6 | 18000 | 3.11 | 11.6 | 25.5 | 0.27 | 75 | 173.3 |
| Petroleum coke | 0.89 | 9.4 | 14500 | 3.26 | 14.7 | 32.4 | 0.35 | 97 | 225.1 | |
| Coal: | 227.3 | |||||||||
| Anthracite | 0.92 | 9.0 | 14000 | 3.37 | 0.37 | 104 | 229.5 | |||
| Bituminous | 0.65 | 8.4 | 13000 | 2.38 | 0.28 | 79 | 231.7 | |||
| Subbituminous | 0.4 | 6.8 | 10500 | 1.47 | 0.22 | 60 | 233.9 | |||
| Lignite | 0.3 | 3.9 | 6000 | 1.10 | 0.28 | 79 | 236.1 | |||
| Coke | 0.77 | 7.2 | 11200 | 2.82 | 0.39 | 108 | 251.5 | |||
| Peat (dry) 1) | 0.52 | 4.7 | 7300 | 1.91 | 0.40 | 112 | 260.7 | |||
| Ethanol fuel (E100) 2) | 0.789 | 0.52 | 8.3 | 12800 | 1.91 | 5.71 | 12.6 | 0.23 | 64 | 149.6 |
| Methanol fuel (M100) 2) | 0.791 | 0.37 | 5.5 | 8500 | 1.37 | 4.11 | 9.1 | 0.25 | 70 | 162.2 |
| Biodiesel (B100) 2) | 0.880 | 0.78 | 11.3 | 17400 | 2.85 | 9.48 | 20.9 | 0.25 | 70 | 162.8 |
| Wood 1) 2) | 0.50 | 4.5 | 7000 | 1.83 | 0.41 | 113 | 263.1 | |||
| Bio energy 2) | 0 2) | |||||||||
1) Commonly viewed as a Bio fuel.
2) Bio Energy is produced from biomass derived from any renewable organic plant, including
- dedicated energy crops and trees
- agricultural food and feed crops
- agricultural crop wastes and residues
- wood wastes
- aquatic plants
- animal wastes
- municipal wastes and other waste materials
Emissions of CO 2 can contribute to climate change. Combustion of bio energy don't add to the total emission of carbon dioxide as long as the burned bio mass don't exceed the renewed production (within a reasonable time), or it is not transformed in processes requiring CO 2 -forming energy. The recycling of carbon from wood combustion is virtually instantaneous and continuous and it is also common to regard the net supply of CO 2 to the atmosphere from combustion of wood close to zero.
If the time of renewed production of the organic material is long (typically 50 year++), the the positive climate effect can be questioned. The renewed production rate of wood and peat varies with geography and climate.
A variety of bio fuels can be made from bio mass resources, including
- ethanol
- methanol
- biodiesel
- Fischer-Tropsch diesel
- gaseous fuels like hydrogen or methane
Production of all these bio fuels requires energy, and the total CO 2 gain depend on how much CO 2 -releasing energy that is necessary to transform the bio mass to bio fuel. Biodiesel production via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is typically a high energy demanding process, and the CO 2 gain compared to conventional diesel is low if the processing is run with energy with high CO 2 emissions.
Related Topics
• Combustion
Boiler house topics, fuels like oil, gas, coal, wood - chimneys, safety valves, tanks - combustion efficiency.
• Environment
Climate, meteorology, sun, wind and environmental related engineering resources.
• Material Properties
Material properties of gases, fluids and solids - densities, specific heats, viscosities and more.
Related Documents
Alternative Fuels - Properties
Properties of alternative fuels like biodiesel, E85, CNG and more.
Biomasses - Energy Content when Used as Fuel
Biomass fuels and their energy content.
Carbon Dioxide - CO2 - Liquid - Properties, Imperial Units
Properties of saturated liquid Carbon Dioxide - CO2 - density, specific heat, kinematic viscosity, thermal conductivity and Prandtl number.
Carbon dioxide - Density and Specific Weight vs. Temperature and Pressure
Online calculator, figures and tables showing density and specific weight of carbon dioxide, CO2, at temperatures ranging from -50 to 775 °C (-50 to 1400 °F) at atmospheric and higher pressure - Imperial and SI Units.
Carbon Dioxide - Liquid Properties
Properties of saturated liquid Carbon Dioxide - CO2 - density, specific heat, kinematic viscosity, thermal conductivity and Prandtl number.
Carbon dioxide - Prandtl Number vs. Temperature and Pressure
Figures and table with changes in Prandtl number for carbon dioxide with changes in temperature and pressure.
Carbon Dioxide - Thermophysical Properties
Chemical, physical and thermal properties of carbon dioxide. Phase diagram included.
CO2 Calculator - Emissions from Trains
Calculator for CO2 emissions from trains, comparing with alternative forms of transportation (as plane, bus, conventional and electrical cars).
CO2 Calculator - Emissions from Airplanes
Calculator for CO2 emissions from planes, comparing with alternative forms of transportation (as train, bus, conventional and electrical cars).
CO2 Calculator - Emissions from Cars
Calculator for CO2 emissions from different kind of cars (gasoline, diesel, LPG, electrical), comparing with alternative forms of transportation (as airplane, bus and train).
Coal - Classification
Classification of coal based on volatile matter and cooking power of clean material.
Combustion Efficiency and Excess Air
Optimizing boilers efficiency is important to minimize fuel consumption and unwanted excess to the environment.
Concentration of Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere
The atmospheric Carbon Dioxide concentration year 1959 - 2015.
Fossil vs. Alternative Fuels - Energy Content
Net (low) and gross (high) energy content in fossil and alternative fuels.
Fuel Consumption Converter
Convert between fuel consumption units like US MPG, Imperial MPG, litre/nm, litre/100 km and km/litre
Fuels - Combustion Air and Flue Gases
Combustion air and flue gas for common fuels - coke, oil, wood, natural gas and more.
Fuels - Higher and Lower Calorific Values
Higher and lower calorific values (heating values) for fuels like coke, oil, wood, hydrogen and others.
Gas Vent Termination - Clearance vs. Roof Slope
Clearance tolerance for gas vent terminations vs. roof slope.
Gaseous Fuels - Chemical Composition
Chemical composition of gaseous fuels like coal gas, natural gas, propane and more.
Gasoline - Density, Specific Heat, Viscosity and Thermal Conductivity vs. Temperature
Density, specific heat, dynamic and kinematic viscosity and thermal conductivity of gasoline vs. temperature
Heat, Work and Energy
Heat vs. work vs. energy.
Heating Fuels - Cost Comparing
Cost comparison formulas for heating fuels like Natural Gas, Propane LP Gas, Fuel Oil and Electricity.
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) Emission from Fuels
Emission of Nitrogen Oxides - NOx - with combustion of fuels like oil, coal, propane and more.
Optimal Combustion Processes - Fuel vs. Excess Air
Stable and efficient combustion requires correct mixture of fuels and oxygen.
Paraffins and Alkanes - Combustion Properties
Properties like heat values, air/fuel ratios, flame speed, flame temperatures, ignition temperatures, flash points and flammability limits.
Standard Grade Coal - Heat Values
Standard grades coal heat values.
Waste Fuel - Heat Values
Fuel from waste products and their heat values.