Science

Use of Alkanes According to Number of Carbon Atom

The first four alkanes are used for heating ,cooking and electricity generation. The main components of natural gas are methane and ethane.

Propane and Butane are used as LPG(liquified pterolium gas). Propane is also used in the propane gas burner, butane in disposable cigarette lighters. they are also used as propellants in Aerosol sprays.

Alkane having carbon number 5-8 are volatile liquids. They are used as fuelsand as good solvents for nonpolar substances.

Alkanes from having carbon 9-16 form the major part ofDiesel and aviation fuel.

Alkanes from 17 carbon upwards form the most important components ofFuel oil and lubricating oilalso used as anti-corrosive agents, as their hydrophobic nature means that water cannot reach the metal surface. Many solid alkanes find use as paraffin wax also.

Alkanes with 35 or more carbon atoms are used for road surfacing.

Synthetic Polymers such aspolyehtylene are alkanes with chains containing hundreds of thousands of carbon atoms.

Biogas

Biogas is a non-petroleum fuel produced via anaerobic digestion or fermentation of renewable materials such as manure, crops, sewage, farm waste, municipal waste, etc. Biogas mainly comprises of methane and carbon dioxide and also contains hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen sulfide15. In India, biogas fuel is being used in many rural households16.

Renewable diesel

Renewable diesel as opposed to petrodiesel is produced from renewable resources such as vegetable oil, fat under elevated temperature, pressure and in the presence of catalyst.17 It is also known as green diesel because it does not contain sulfur and other toxic materials. Renewable diesel can contain alkanes of 9-18 carbon atoms.18

Animals

Alkanes are found in animal products, although they are less important than unsaturated hydrocarbons. One example is the shark liver oil, which is approximately 14% pristane(2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane, C19H40). They are...