Co2 Emission Fuels

Reference data and engineering information about co2 emission fuels for combustion applications.

co2emissionfuels

Overview

When a carbon-based fuel burns, each kilogram of carbon in the fuel produces 3.67 kg of carbon dioxide (CO₂). This ratio comes from the molecular weights: CO₂ is 44 g/mol and carbon is 12 g/mol, giving 44 ÷ 12 = 3.67. Knowing the carbon content of any fuel lets you estimate its direct CO₂ emissions without complex combustion analysis.

The values below cover well-to-exhaust emissions only—upstream extraction, processing, and transport are excluded.

Key Formulas

CO₂ Emission per Kilogram of Fuel

E_{\text{CO}_2} = c_f \times \frac{44}{12}

where $c_f$ is the specific carbon content of the fuel (kg C / kg fuel).

CO₂ Emission per Unit Energy

e_{\text{CO}_2} = \frac{E_{\text{CO}_2}}{HV}

where $HV$ is the net heating value of the fuel (MJ / kg).

CO₂ Mass from Fuel Consumed

m_{\text{CO}_2} = m_{\text{fuel}} \times c_f \times \frac{44}{12}

Variables

Symbol	Description	Unit
$E_{\text{CO}_2}$	Specific CO₂ emission per unit fuel mass	kg CO₂ / kg fuel
$e_{\text{CO}_2}$	Specific CO₂ emission per unit energy	kg CO₂ / MJ
$c_f$	Specific carbon content of the fuel	kg C / kg fuel
$m_{\text{fuel}}$	Mass of fuel consumed	kg
$m_{\text{CO}_2}$	Mass of CO₂ produced	kg
$HV$	Net heating value (lower calorific value)	MJ / kg

CO₂ Emission Calculator

Fuel CO₂ Emission

Fuel mass(kg)

Carbon content(kg C / kg fuel)

Unit Converter

Fuel CO₂ Emission Unit Converter

CO₂ mass(kg)

Fuel mass(kg)

Energy(kWh)

Specific emission(kg/kWh)

Fuel Emission Reference Data

16 rows

Approximate carbon content, net heating value, and direct CO₂ emission factors for common fuels
Fuel	Carbon content(kg C / kg)	Heating value(MJ / kg)	CO₂ per kg fuel(kg CO₂ / kg)
Natural gas (methane)	0.75	55.4	2.75
Propane (LPG)	0.82	49.7	3.01
Butane	0.83	49	3.03
Gasoline	0.9	46.4	3.3
Kerosene / jet fuel	0.82	43.2	3
Diesel	0.86	45.7	3.15
Heavy fuel oil (No. 6)	0.85	41.8	3.11
Anthracite coal	0.9	32.4	3.3
Bituminous coal	0.65	30.2	2.38
Sub-bituminous coal	0.4	24.5	1.47
Lignite	0.3	14	1.1
Petroleum coke	0.94	33.8	3.45
Ethanol (E100)	0.52	29.9	1.91
Methanol (M100)	0.37	19.8	1.37
Biodiesel (B100)	0.78	40.7	2.86
Wood (dry)	0.5	16.2	1.83

Source: engineeringtoolbox.com

Restored Original Source Tables

The following tables are restored from the original source page to preserve the complete reference data.

The original HTML table has 23 rows: 2 multi-row header lines and 21 fuel data rows. The restored table below preserves all 21 data rows from Methane through Bio energy.

Original Source Header Rows

2 rows

Combustion of Fuels - Carbon Dioxide Emission original multi-row headers
Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4	Column 5	Column 6	Column 7	Column 8	Column 9	Column 10	Column 11
Fuel	Liquid density	Specific carbon content	Specific Energy content	Specific CO2 emission (amount of fuel basis)	Specific CO2 emission (amount of fuel basis)	Specific CO2 emission (amount of fuel basis)	Specific CO2 emission (amount of energy basis)	Specific CO2 emission (amount of energy basis)	Specific CO2 emission (amount of energy basis)	Specific CO2 emission (amount of energy basis)
	kg/l	kgC /kgfuel	kWh/kgfuel	Btu/lbfuel	KgCO2 /kgfuel	KgCO2 /galfuel	lbCO2 /galfuel	kgCO2 /kWh	kgCO2 /GJ	lbCO2 /mill Btu

Source: engineeringtoolbox.com

Combustion of Fuels - Carbon Dioxide Emission

21 rows

Combustion of Fuels - Carbon Dioxide Emission
kg/l	kgC /kgfuel	kWh/kgfuel	Btu/lbfuel	KgCO2 /kgfuel	KgCO2 /galfuel	lbCO2 /galfuel	kgCO2 /kWh	kgCO2 /GJ	lbCO2 /mill Btu	Specific CO2emission (amount of energy basis)
Methane (natural gas)		0.75	15.4	23900	2.75			0.18	50	115
Propane	0.51	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	0.9	12.9	19900	3.3	9.2	20.3	0.26	71	165.3
Kerosene (Jet)	0.821	0.82	12	18500	3	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)	0.98	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	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	1.1			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			0.4	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)	0.88	0.78	11.3	17400	2.85	9.48	20.9	0.25	70	162.8
Wood1)2)		0.5	4.5	7000	1.83			0.41	113	263.1
Bio energy2)								02)

Source: engineeringtoolbox.com

Engineering Notes

Heating values in the table are net (lower) calorific values assuming water vapour in flue gas is not condensed. If gross (higher) values are used, CO₂ per MJ will appear slightly lower.
Biomass fuels (wood, ethanol, biodiesel) are often treated as carbon-neutral in life-cycle accounting because the CO₂ released was recently absorbed from the atmosphere. The direct emission factors above still apply at the stack.
Coal carbon content varies widely by seam and rank. Use mine-specific ultimate analysis data for precise calculations.
The 44/12 ratio (3.667) assumes complete combustion. Incomplete combustion produces CO instead, lowering actual CO₂ and raising toxicity risk.
Emission factors do not account for N₂O or CH₄ slip, which contribute additional greenhouse-gas impact particularly in natural-gas engines and some industrial boilers.
When reporting under regulatory frameworks (EPA, EU ETS), always reference the specific emission-factor database prescribed by the regulator.

References

Engineering Toolbox — CO₂ Emission from Fuels

Source: engineeringtoolbox.com