Fuels Emission of Carbon Dioxide - CO2
Carbon dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas vital to plant life on earth.
Its presence in the atmosphere comes primarily from three sources: it is a byproduct of animal respiration,
it is a product of the combustion of materials with carbon in them, and it is a byproduct of natural
decomposition done by microorganisms like bacteria and fungi.
Since carbon dioxide is soluble in water, it is found naturally in the oceans; it is also a major
component of carbonated beverages and some types of wine and beer. The frozen solid form of CO2
is available as a commodity in many Western supermarkets, where it goes by the name of dry ice.
As part of the carbon cycle, plants, algae, and cyanobacteria use light energy to photosynthesize
carbohydrate from carbon dioxide and water, with oxygen produced as a waste product. However, photosynthesis
cannot occur in darkness and at night some carbon dioxide is produced by plants during respiration.
It is produced during the respiration of all other aerobic organisms and
is exhaled in the breath of air-breathing land animals, including humans.
Carbon dioxide is produced during the processes of decay of organic materials
and the fermentation of sugars in beer and winemaking.
It is produced by combustion of wood, carbohydrates and major carbon- and hydrocarbon-rich fossil fuels
such as coal, peat, petroleum and natural gas. It is emitted from volcanoes, hot springs and geysers
and is freed from carbonate rocks by dissolution in water and acids.
CO2 is found in lakes, at depth under the sea and commingled with oil and gas deposits.
The environmental effects of carbon dioxide are of significant interest.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide is the primary source of carbon in life on Earth and its concentration in Earth's
pre-industrial atmosphere since late in the Precambrian eon was regulated by photosynthetic organisms.
Carbon dioxide is an important greenhouse gas and burning of carbon-based fuels since the industrial
revolution has rapidly increased its concentration in the atmosphere, leading to global warming.
It is also a major source of ocean acidification since it dissolves in water to form carbonic acid.
| Fuel | Specific Carbon Content (kgC/kgfuel) |
Specific Energy Content (kWh/kgfuel) |
Specific CO2 Emission (kgCO2 /kgfuel) |
Specific CO2 Emission (kgCO2/kWh) |
| Coal (bituminous/anthracite) | 0.75 | 7.5 | 2.3 | 0.37 |
| Gasoline | 0.9 | 12.5 | 3.3 | 0.27 |
| Light Oil | 0.7 | 11.7 | 2.6 | 0.26 |
| Diesel | 0.86 | 11.8 | 3.2 | 0.24 |
| LPG - Liquid Petroleum Gas | 0.82 | 12.3 | 3.0 | 0.24 |
| Natural Gas, Methane | 0.75 | 12 | 2.8 | 0.23 |
Carbon dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas vital to plant life on earth.
Its presence in the atmosphere comes primarily from three sources: it is a byproduct of animal respiration,
it is a product of the combustion of materials with carbon in them, and it is a byproduct of natural
decomposition done by microorganisms like bacteria and fungi.
Since carbon dioxide is soluble in water, it is found naturally in the oceans; it is also a major
component of carbonated beverages and some types of wine and beer. The frozen solid form of CO2
is available as a commodity in many Western supermarkets, where it goes by the name of dry ice.
As part of the carbon cycle, plants, algae, and cyanobacteria use light energy to photosynthesize
carbohydrate from carbon dioxide and water, with oxygen produced as a waste product. However, photosynthesis
cannot occur in darkness and at night some carbon dioxide is produced by plants during respiration.
It is produced during the respiration of all other aerobic organisms and
is exhaled in the breath of air-breathing land animals, including humans.
Carbon dioxide is produced during the processes of decay of organic materials
and the fermentation of sugars in beer and winemaking.
It is produced by combustion of wood, carbohydrates and major carbon- and hydrocarbon-rich fossil fuels
such as coal, peat, petroleum and natural gas. It is emitted from volcanoes, hot springs and geysers
and is freed from carbonate rocks by dissolution in water and acids.
CO2 is found in lakes, at depth under the sea and commingled with oil and gas deposits.
The environmental effects of carbon dioxide are of significant interest.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide is the primary source of carbon in life on Earth and its concentration in Earth's
pre-industrial atmosphere since late in the Precambrian eon was regulated by photosynthetic organisms.
Carbon dioxide is an important greenhouse gas and burning of carbon-based fuels since the industrial
revolution has rapidly increased its concentration in the atmosphere, leading to global warming.
It is also a major source of ocean acidification since it dissolves in water to form carbonic acid.
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Last modified: 10/19/24