Fuels

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as layers called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. It is a fossil fuel, formed when plants decay into peat which is converted into coal by the heat and pressure of deep burial over millions of years. Vast deposits formed from wetlands called coal forests that covered much of the tropics during the late Carboniferous and early Permian.

Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound that has the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The abundance of methane on Earth makes it an economically attractive fuel, although capturing and storing it is difficult because it is a gas at standard temperature and pressure. In the Earth's atmosphere methane is transparent to visible light but absorbs infrared radiation, acting as a greenhouse gas. Methane is an organic hydrocarbon, and among the simplest of organic compounds.

thumb|upright=1.35|Firewood was one of the first fuels used by humans.

thumb|Charcoal thumb|alt=workers packing charcoal in paper bags | Packaging of charcoal for export in Namibia

thumb|upright|A sample of biodiesel

thumb|Stack of firewood next to a building thumb|Stack of split firewood and a splitting maul, Czech Republic

chemical compound

establishment that primarily sells fuel, lubricating oils, and other merchandise, such as tires and batteries, for motor vehicles and that often also perform minor repair work

a grey, hard, and porous fuel with high carbon content and few impurities

Hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA), also known as 1,3,5,7-tetraazaadamantane, is a heterocyclic organic compound with diverse applications. It has the chemical formula (CH2)6N4 and is a white crystalline compound that is highly soluble in water and polar organic solvents. It is useful in the synthesis of other organic compounds, including plastics, pharmaceuticals, explosives, and rubber additives. The compound is also used medically for certain conditions. It sublimes in vacuum at 280°C. It has a tetrahedral cage-like structure similar to adamantane. The four vertices are occupied by nitrogen atom

Nitromethane, sometimes shortened to simply "nitro", is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent. As an intermediate in organic synthesis, it is used widely in the manufacture of pesticides, explosives, fibers, and coatings. Nitromethane is used as a fuel additive in various motorsports and hobbies, e.g. Top Fuel drag racing and miniature internal combustion engines in radio control, con

chemical compound

quantity measuring the energy per unit of mass or volume that some substance releases upon oxidation

waste product from a cow's (or cattle in general) digestive tract

thumb|right|Nineteenth-century electrolytic cell for producing oxyhydrogen Oxyhydrogen is a mixture of hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) gases. This gaseous mixture is used for torches to process refractory materials and was the first

Nitroethane is an organic compound having the chemical formula C2H5NO2. Similar in many regards to nitromethane, nitroethane is an oily liquid at standard temperature and pressure. Pure nitroethane is colorless and has a fruity odor.

group of non-conventional fuel materials

lowest temperature at which a fuel will burn continuously

fuel used by an internal combustion engine

thumb|Microbial hydrogen production. Biohydrogen is H2 that is produced biologically. Interest is high in this technology because H2 is a clean fuel and can be readily produced from certain kinds of biomass, including biological waste. Furthermore some photosynthetic microorganisms are capable of producing H2 directly from water splitting using light as energy source.

animal feces that has been dried in order to be used as a fuel source

DTBP: organic compound consisting of a peroxide group bonded to two tert-butyl groups

gas combustion device

thumb|Binchō-tan, or white charcoal thumbnail|Burning binchō-tan Binchō-tan (, ), also called white charcoal or binchō-zumi, is a type of high-quality charcoal traditionally used in Japanese cooking. Its use dates back to the Edo period when during the Genroku era, a craftsman named Bichū-ya Chōzaemon () began to produce it in Tanabe, Wakayama. The typical raw material used to make binchō-tan in Japan is oak, specifically ubame oak, now the official tree of Wakayama Prefecture. Wakayama continues to be a major producer of high-quality charcoal, with the town of Minabe, Wakayama, producing more

fuels that require storage at extremely low temperatures in order to maintain them in a liquid state

chemical reaction in which water is broken down into oxygen and hydrogen

German brand for solid fuel in tablet form

type of gasoline from natural gas

thumb|right|250px|A can of Sterno aflame|alt=A grey colored can of Sterno on fire Sterno is a brand of jellied denatured alcohol sold in and meant to be burned directly in its can. Popular both in commercial food service and home entertainment, its primary uses are as a fuel for heating chafing dishes in buffets and serving fondue. Other uses are for portable stoves and as an emergency heat source. It is also used with toy and model steam and other external combustion engines.

any liquid that can catch fire

cheap form of Coal gas

charcoal made from bamboo

unseasoned wood

diesel fuel grade with minimal sulfur content

type of coal-based fuel

thumb|Automobile exhaust In the liquid fuel industry, oxygenates are hydrocarbon-derived fuel additives containing at least one oxygen atom to promote complete combustion. Absent oxygenates, fuel combustion is usually incomplete, and the exhaust stream pollutes the air with carbon monoxide, soot particles, aromatic and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and nitrated polyaromatic hydrocarbons.

aliphatic petroleum solvent used in lighting charcoal in a barbecue grill