Increasingly there is political discussion in carbon dioxide

Increasingly there is political discussion in carbon dioxide as well as CO as a pollutant. Clearly all hydrocarbons have CO2 as a product. Discuss how coal and methane rate in terms of carbon dioxide.

Solution

The amount of CO2 produced when a fuel is burned is a function of the carbon content of the fuel. The heat content, or the amount of energy produced when a fuel is burned, is mainly determined by the carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) content of the fuel. Heat is produced when C and H combine with oxygen (O) during combustion. Natural gas is primarily methane ( CH4), which has a higher energy content relative to other fuels, and thus, it has a relatively lower CO2-to-energy content. Water and various elements, such as sulfur and non-combustible elements in some fuels reduce their heating values and increase their CO2-to-heat contents.