The products of the combustion of hydrocarbons are carbon dioxide and water. Many hydrocarbons are used as fuel because their combustion releases very large amounts of heat energy.

→ The short answer: Gasoline contains carbon and hydrogen atoms. During combustion, the carbon (C) from the fuel combines with oxygen (O2) from the air to produce carbon dioxide (CO2). The combustion process also produces heat that is converted into the mechanical energy that propels the vehicle.

Composed primarily of methane, the main products of the combustion of natural gas are carbon dioxide and water vapor, the same compounds we exhale when we breathe. Coal and oil are composed of much more complex molecules, with a higher carbon ratio and higher nitrogen and sulfur contents.

Products of Combustion

• Carbon Dioxide.
• Carbon Monoxide.
• Sulfur Dioxide.
• Nitrogen Oxides.
• Lead.
• Particulate Matter.

Regardless of the type of hydrocarbon, combustion with oxygen produces 3 products: carbon dioxide, water and heat, as shown in the general reaction below.

Natural gas can be transported on land via pipeline or on water via ship. Most of the world’s natural gas is delivered by pipeline. Large networks of pipelines quickly deliver natural gas on land to major processing facilities and end consumers 2.

Combustion happens when usually a fossil fuel reacts with air oxygen to generate heat. The heat produced by the burning of a fossil fuel is used in the process of equipment like engines, boilers, kilns, and furnaces. Besides the heat, water and carbon dioxide are produced as byproducts of the exothermic reaction.

During complete combustion carbon and hydrogen combine with oxygen (O2) to produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O).

During the complete combustion of hydrocarbon fuel, the end product of the reaction must be carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O).

The by-products of burning natural gas are primarily carbon dioxide and water vapor. Natural gas is a colorless, tasteless, odorless, and non-toxic gas. Because it is odorless, a powerful chemical called mercaptan is added to the gas, in very small amounts, to give the gas a distinctive smell of rotten eggs.

Gasoline consists mostly of hydrocarbons—chains of carbon encircled by atoms of hydrogen. When the hydrocarbons burn, they break apart and recombine with the air. This reaction produces heat, as well as two chemical byproducts: water and carbon dioxide.

It’s not really proper to say that diesel is a by-product of making gasoline. If we didn’t have a use for gasoline, and burned only diesel, we would consider gasoline to be a waste product of refining diesel oil. However, diesel is a natural residual product of gasoline production.

Gasoline is a volatile, flammable liquid obtained from the refinement of petroleum, or crude oil. It was originally discarded as a byproduct of kerosene production, but its ability to vaporize at low temperatures made it a useful fuel for many machines.