Why is methane favoured to petrol as a fuel?

Doji

Can someone please tell me is it due to the C :h:

ratio, and it burns easier or something? unsure about it.

TY

yup

M.A.H

yup

Need a propper answer

Reply 3

M.A.H

find the emperical formula of methane and petrol and you will see the high C-H ratio with methane

Reply 4

Doji

M.A.H

find the emperical formula of methane and petrol and you will see the high C-H ratio with methane

And as a result what, this lets methane burn with a cleaner flame? Why is this more preferable for a fuel?

Reply 5

Da Hool

methane, CH4, has less carbon atoms than pertol, which has around 5-12 C atoms per chain, and is therefore preferred because the products of its combustion are 'cleaner' (in that they make less of an impacton the environment.)

does that make sense? :s-smilie:

hmmm.......

Reply 6

Audrey Hepburn

I thought that it was because methane burns to produce water and carbon, rather than carbon dioxide?

Reply 7

Da Hool

here's the equation for the combustion of methane:

CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O

Reply 8

M.A.H

Can you say combustion of methane produces far less CO2 than petrol?

Reply 9

thelostchild

Also it requires less Oxygen to burn so complete combustion is going to occour more readily (you dont get a sooty flame) so CO and carbon particles are less likely to be produced :smile: