Vehicles such as cars, trains, and buses are used by a majority of people on a daily basis as a means

of transportation. However, only a few are aware of the detrimental effects these vehicles may have on the
Earth’s environemnt and atmosphere.

In calculating the amount of Carbon Dioxide released into the atmosphere from the use of a vehicle,
the equation, C8H18 + O2 → CO2 + H2O, must first be balanced. After the balancing the equation, it will
then become C8H18 + 25O2 -> 8CO2 + 9H2O. This indicates that for every octane molecule that enters the
combustion reaction, eight carbon dioxide molecules will be produced. However, in order to determine the
amount of carbon dioxide present in octane, the molecular masses of carbon dioxide and octane must first
be determined and divided since the masses of both molecules are different. The result of this implies that
carbon dioxide molecules take up 38.5% of octane molecules. Considering that there are eight carbon
dioxide molecules in one molecule of octane, we can determine how much grams of carbon dioxide
molecules are produced by octane molecules by multiplying eight by 38.5% which results to 3.08 grams.
Afterwards, the amount of grams of carbon dioxide (3.08 grams) will then be multiplied to the density of
octane (0.703 g/mL) to determine the final amount of carbon dioxide per one liter of gasoline which results
to 2.17 grams. Finally, this implies that a vehicle that uses five liters of gasoline per day releases 10,826.2
grams of carbon dioxide. Considering that the population of vehicles in Metro Manila is at one million,
then 10,826,200,000 grams of carbon dioxide is emitted every day. The amount of carbon dioxide that will
be emitted in a month would be 325,866,000,000 grams, while 3,910,392,000,000 grams will be emitted in
one year.

Ultimately, carbon dioxide emissions negatively affects the Earth’s atmosphere. Not only does an
increase of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere have an effect on global warming, but it also affects
the ocean’s acidification, a plant’s growth and nutrition levels, smog pollution, and ozone depletion. The
great amount of carbon dioxide emitted from the utilization of vehicles in Metro Manila indicates that cars
greatly contribute to global warming. Knowing the chemisty behind the carbon dioxide emission from cars,
we can use our knowledge on this to influence others to lessen their daily gasoline consumption.

Sources:
https://whatsyourimpact.org/effects-increased-greenhouse-gas-emissions