CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS LECTURE

Module 6: Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Fuels

MODULE 6

SOLID, LIQUID, AND

GASEOUS FUELS

Engr. Lani C. Antonio

Module Author

Biological Sciences Department

College of Science and Computer Studies
De La Salle University-Dasmariñas
Dasmariñas City, Cavite

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 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS LECTURE
Module 6: Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Fuels

Motivating Activity
Before we start the discussions on fuels, can you answer the following questions first?

FUELS

Fuels and its Classifications

So, what are fuels? Basically, they are substances that burn to release energy. They
exothermically react with oxygen in a process called combustion. Fuels contain carbon and
hydrogen as main combustible elements. This chemical equation shows how combustion
process happens. Always remember that combustion products are always carbon dioxide and
water.

Fuel + oxygen → combustion products + heat

CxHy + O2 → CO2 + H2O + heat

Why are fuels important? Fuels are mainly used for generating electricity to run machines and
appliances; manufacturing; heating and cooling; transportation and cooking. Remember this!
Fuels are not created equal. Why? Different fuels are used for different needs. Usage of fuels
depend on its cost, availability, safety and energy content.

Now, let us know the characteristics of a good fuel.

1. It should easily ignite in air at a reasonable degree.

2. It should have high specific heat meaning it produces a lot of heat.
3. It should have low content of non-combustible materials in the form of ash.
4. It should not produce harmful products which adversely affect the environment.
5. It should be low cost.
6. Easy storage and transportation.
7. Low moisture and ash content.
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 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS LECTURE
Module 6: Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Fuels

Fuels can be classified based on their physical state and occurrence. Based on physical state,
fuels are categorized as solid, liquid, and gas. Based on their occurrence, they are grouped as
primary or natural and secondary or prepared. Refer to the table below for a better picture of
the classification of fuels.

Classification of Fuels

Primary Fuels

These fuels are naturally occurring such as coal, crude oil and natural gas. Those are the fuels
that can be mined, reaped, extracted, harvested, or harnessed directly. They are commonly
referred to as fossil fuels were approximately 85% of the world’s commercial energy comes
from. The burning of fossil fuels by humans is the major cause of carbon dioxide emissions,
one of the greenhouse gases that triggered global warming.

Secondary Fuels

These fuels originated from primary or naturally occurring ones through different physical or
chemical processes.

Solid Fuels

This fuel is basically the first one ever used by man in early civilization. Way back then, wood
was used to make fire. Coal became so significant from firing furnaces up to the most
important development of the industrial revolution, the discovery of the steam engine. Solid
fuels are cheap, readily available, simple to mine and easy to ship. However, it is a non-
renewable resource since it takes thousands of years to form.

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 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS LECTURE
Module 6: Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Fuels

Coal

Coal is a fossil fuel and is considered as the largest source of energy as well as the primary
source of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.

How is coal formed?

It is formed from plant remains whose

physical and chemical properties
were transformed by environmental
action to form a solid material.

Let us talk about the steps on how coal is formed. Formation of coal involves several steps.

1. Formation of peat. Organic matter from plants accumulate in

swamps. Then, as the plants die and get buried, they compact to
become peat. As time goes by, more compaction happens thereby
losing water resulting to three different grades of coal.

2. Formation of lignite. Volatile compounds like water and

methane is driven off by the compaction of peat due to burial thus
soft-brown colored organic-rich coal called lignite is formed. It
contains 20-30% of carbon and 60% moisture. It does not burn
efficiently

3. Formation of bituminous coal. Further compaction and heating

results in a more carbon-rich coal called bituminous coal. It
contains about 85% carbon, readily burns but generates a lot of
smoke.

4. Formation of anthracite coal. A high-grade coal called

anthracite is formed when the rock undergoes metamorphism. It is

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 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS LECTURE
Module 6: Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Fuels

a dark hard coal consisting 90-95% carbon and burns cleanly. This type of coal has high heat
content and low sulfur content.
Now, why do you think coal is important? As a primary fuel, coal is used to generate steam by
means of heat and combustion which in turn is used for running turbines to generate electricity
in power plants. It is one of the most abundant fuel in nature, is inexpensive and can easily be
transported. However, coal is a non-renewable resource and creates environmental problems
like excessive carbon dioxide emission. Coal mining affects land and is considered dangerous.

Coke

Coke is obtained when coal is heated strongly in the absence of oxygen in a

process called carbonization or coking. Coke has a high carbon content and low
ash and sulfur content which makes it very highly priced in the market. It is hard
and porous that’s why it is utilized as a metallurgical fuel. It is used in industries
requiring uniform heating and high temperature.

Charcoal

Charcoal is a man-made product generally prepared by burning wood and

sometimes animal matter and extinguishing the fire just before they turn into
ash. When ignited, the carbon in charcoal combines with oxygen producing
carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water, other gases, and significant amount of
energy.

Liquid Fuels

This type of fuel originated from the fossilized deposits of dead plants and animals by
exposure to heat and pressure in the Earth’s crust. Vapors from the liquid are flammable and
not the liquid itself. They burn without dust and ash and easy to transport through pipes.
Nevertheless, liquid fuels pose bigger threat for being a fire hazard specifically the highly
flammable and volatile ones. They also need special storage containers and yield bad odors
too.

Crude Oil

Crude oil is a naturally occurring, unrefined petroleum product comprised of hydrocarbon

deposits and other organic substances. This fuel is trapped in sedimentary rocks in the Earth’s
crust at varying pressures depending on depth. These fluids are collected using offshore drills
and refined to usable petroleum products. Almost all liquid fuels that are commercially
available originated from this crude oil.

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Module 6: Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Fuels

Refined Petroleum Products

These petroleum products are refined from crude oil by means of catalytic cracking and
fractional distillation. This includes transportation fuels, oils for heating and production of
electricity, plastics and even asphalt. They are also found in cosmetics, medications,
sunglasses and even in our smart phones.

The following are some essential liquid fuels: gasoline or petrol, jet fuel, diesel, kerosene and
fuel oils. Gasoline or petrol is a mixture of volatile, flammable liquid hydrocarbons used as
fuel for internal-combustion engines. It is also used as a solvent for oils and fats. It became the
preferred automobile fuel because of its high energy of combustion and capacity to mix readily
with air in a carburetor. Kerosene also called paraffin oil, is a flammable hydrocarbon liquid
commonly used as a fuel. Kerosene is typically pale yellow or colorless and has an unpleasant
characteristic odor. It used for burning in kerosene lamps and domestic heaters or furnaces, as
a fuel or fuel component for jet engines, and as a solvent for greases and insecticides. Diesel
fuel, also called diesel oil, is a combustible liquid used as fuel for diesel engines, ordinarily
obtained from fractions of crude oil that are less volatile than the fractions used in gasoline
Diesel fuel releases more energy on combustion than equal volumes of gasoline, so diesel
engines generally produce better fuel economy than gasoline engines.

Gaseous Fuels

These fuels are obtained either naturally or by the treatment of a solid or liquid fuel. They have
lower energy content than liquid fuels but produce very low greenhouse gas when burned.

Natural Gas

Natural gas is a colorless highly flammable gaseous hydrocarbon whose major composition is
methane and with trace amounts of other components. The decomposition of decaying matters
of animals and plants occur deep down the Earth’s crust resulting to their conversion to
hydrocarbon fuels. A fossil fuel, natural gas is used for electricity generation, heating, and
cooking and as a fuel for certain vehicles. It is essential as a chemical feedstock in the
manufacture of plastics and is required for a great selection of other chemical products such as
fertilizers and dyes.

The formation of natural gas starts in

warm, shallow oceans were enormously
tiny dead organic matter - classified as
plankton, drops to the ocean floor. This
material then settles on the ocean floor
and combines with inorganic material that
flows to the ocean. It is this sediment on
the ocean floor that then becomes oil and
natural gas over many years. Geological
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Module 6: Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Fuels

changes in the Earth's crust bring these deposits up closer to the surface, making them
somewhat easier to access.

Biogas
It is a type of biofuel that is naturally
produced from the decomposition of organic
waste. Microbes nourishing on the biomass
serve the major role in the biogas production
process. The breakdown of organic
substances like food scraps and animal
waste in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic
surrounding) releases a mixture of gases
mainly composed of methane and carbon
dioxide. It is a renewable and
environmentally friendly fuel made from
100% local feedstocks that is fit for a variety of uses including road vehicle fuel and industrial
uses.

Producer Gas

Producer gas is a mixture of flammable gases (principally carbon monoxide and hydrogen) and
nonflammable gases (mainly nitrogen and carbon dioxide) made by the partial combustion of
carbonaceous substances, usually coal, in an atmosphere of air and steam. Producer gas has
lower heating value than other gaseous fuels, but it can be manufactured with relatively simple
equipment; it is used mainly as a fuel in large industrial furnaces.

Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG)

It is any of several liquid mixtures of the volatile hydrocarbons propene, propane, butene, and
butane. The normal components are propane and butane. It was used as early as 1860 for a
portable fuel source, and its production and consumption for both domestic and industrial use
have expanded ever since. LPG reaches the domestic consumer in cylinders under relatively

low pressures. The largest part of the LPG produced is used in central heating systems, and
the next largest as raw material for chemical plants. LPG commonly is used as fuel for gas

barbecue grills and gas cooktops and ovens, for gas fireplaces, and in portable heaters. In
Europe, LPG water heaters are common. It is also used as an engine fuel and for backup
generators. Unlike diesel, LPG can be stored nearly indefinitely without degradation.

Fuels are really one of the most vital necessities we need to live, they power our life. Yet, the
same fuels, specifically what we call fossil fuels, are also the major givers of pollution that we
are facing around the globe. The more production and consumption on our part, the more
environmental issues we are facing as well.
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