What is the exact amount of CO2 emissions by 1 ltr of Diesel and Petrol and whats the impact of it?

Answer 1

Hard to come up with the exact amount without having more specific details on the specific engine, and how it burns the stuff,
but roughly
2.34 kg CO2/ L gasoline(petrol)
and
2.68 kg CO2/L Diesel

Remember though, that diesel engines usually are more fuel efficient compared to spark ignited engines, so they probably produce less CO2 emissions per mile driven.

Answer 2

It's not possible to give an exact amount due to the number of variables involved but the answers given by JJ and Keith provide good averages.

When petrol or diesel (or any other combustible material) is burned it undergoes a chemical reaction. The long chains of hydrogen and carbon atoms that combine to make up the molecules of diesel or petrol react with oxygen in the atmosphere, the heat from combustion provides the energy for this chemical reaction to take place.

As a result burning one litre (approx 0.8kg) of fuel produces more than 0.8kg of byproducts - primarily water and carbon dioxide.

In an efficient engine combustion is almost complete and more than 99% of the fuel is oxidised (burned) but in an old or inefficient engine there is only partial combustion so the amount of CO2 and H2O is reduced and the amount of carbon monoxide and other byproducts increases. The amount of additives in the fuel also affects the reaction that takes place and affects the amount of emissions.

As mentioned, the figures given above are good averages but they're calculated for efficient engines where almost total combustion takes place. If you were to actually go out onto the street and pick some vehicles at random and measure the CO2 emissions you'd find that the figure was lower. I don't have a precise figure but it wouldn't be that much less, perhaps 2.2 and 2.5kg respectively for petrol and diesel.

As for the impact of it - one single litre has very little impact and to calculate this it's necessary to look at the total impact of all CO2 emissions and work out a proportionate figure.

Temperatures are rising by 0.0177°C per year, current carbon emissions are 29 billion tons per annum, CO2 contributes 72% of anthropogenic warming. Burning one litre of fuel (average 2.3kg emissions) causes a 0.000000000001°C global temperature rise.

Answer 3

A gallon weighs about 7 lbs. A liter is about 1/4 of that. Each pound of diesel or gas produces about 3.66 lbs of CO2 and 1.6 lbs of H2O. The impact of fuel burned on the surface of the Earth is zero. Plants take up CO2 instantly on contact when they are growing. Water (oceans) takes up CO2 instantly upon contact and buffers it instantly. There is an unlimited sink for CO2 in the oceans. They cover 85% of the Earth, and take up more gas(CO2) than can ever be burned, Also, the colder the water is the more gas it will absorb.
GW from burning fuel on the earths surface is a fantasy of the enviros but loved by the governments who are licking their chops at the new taxes they will be able to gouge out of the people. And also the enviros are gleefully anticipating more industrial collapses. The enviros are working hard to destroy all progress by mankind. Even taking dams out. This is akin to gouging out ones own eyes.

Answer 4

According the the US Environmental Protection Agency, 1 liter of gasoline produces 2.3433 kg of CO2 when burned, and 1 liter of diesel produces 2.6889 kg of CO2 when burned.
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/420f05001.htm

The impact of burning 1 gallon is not significant. But the combined impact of all fossil fuel burning on earth is very significant. The level of CO2 in the air has risen 37% since the beginning of the industrial revolution.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/icecore/antarctica/law/law.html
CO2 levels are currently rising exponentially with no end in sight.
http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/

All of this excess CO2 in the air is due to fossil fuel burning. We know this because when we do isotopic analysis of the CO2 in the air, we find that it is increasingly made up of "old" (fossilized) carbon.
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=87

Although oceans are currently a natural sink for CO2, as temperatures rise the oceans will be able to hold less and less. When the temperature rises enough, the oceans will not be able to absorb any more of our CO2, and will instead begin emitting some of the CO2 that they absorbed in the 20th century. This change from sink to source is currently predicted to occur sometime around 2100.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11089968&dopt=Citation

If we don't have a handle on our CO2 emissions by that time, we're all screwed.

Answer 5

2.68 kg CO2/L