Converting litre of fuel to kg of Carbon Dioxide

[GreenYume]

Dear all,

I need to convert 732000 litre of fuel to kg of CO2. I got a project to calculate carbon footprint from car travelling.

Many thanks. :)

[Guest]

Dear all,

I need to convert 732000 litre of fuel to kg of CO2. I got a project to calculate carbon footprint from car travelling.

Many thanks. :)

Three steps:

You need to know the density of your fuel to convert it to weight. Gasoline might run around 0.74 kg/L, #2 diesel around 0.84 kg/L.
Assuming gasoline (petrol), around 542000 kg.

Gasoline and diesel are both around 85% carbon by weight (methane is only 75%, propane somewhere in between). so around 460000 kg of carbon.

CO2 has a molecular weight of 44 g/mol, carbon 12 g/mol, so multiply the carbon content by ratio 44/12, 1690000 kg or 1690 t of CO2.

The example should be reworked with a correct density and chemical analysis of the fuel if any great precision is needed.