How Much Does Gasoline Weigh?

What is Gasoline?

Gasoline, also known as petrol in some countries, is a clear petroleum based fluid which is used extensively in the world today as fuel in internal combustion such as in cars and airplanes. The substance is made up of several organic compounds and it is acquired through the fractional distillation of crude oil or petroleum. It is also improved and purified further through the use of additives. On average, 42 gallons of crude oil are refined to produce around 19 gallons of gasoline.

What is the Weight of Gasoline?

As stated earlier, there are plenty additives that are added to the final product of gasoline after crude oil has undergone fractional distillation in a refinery. It is also important to note that in different countries different additives are used. For example, detergents are added to gasoline as it is sold at the pump in order to reduce carbon buildup in engines. Other additives include ethanol and dyes used for distinction purposes.

Due to all of the additives, it is not possible to give an exact weight of gasoline or even its density. The refining process is also not perfect. The machines have errors. The exact density cannot therefore be determined, but there is a range which is from 0.71Kg/L to 0.77Kg/L in commonwealth countries and roughly 6.073lb/gallon in the US.

Gasoline with higher densities have a higher content of aromatics, mostly chemical compounds that are derivatives of benzene. Gasoline floats on water which means that water has a higher density than gasoline. If the two compounds are put together in a container, gasoline will float, as the two do not mix and because gasoline is lighter.

The weight of one gallon of commonly used fuel, like that of gasoline, is six pounds. To put this into context with water, a gallon of water weighs about 8.4 pounds. It is important to be cautious around this highly volatile compound if using fire around it. Since water is denser, one should not use water to put out a fire caused by gasoline.

Environmental Impact of Gasoline Usage

Many environmental impacts come with the use of gasoline, especially because it is used extensively worldwide in the transport and industrial sectors. It is a major contributor to the global climate change that the world has experienced over the years. Due to its volatility, it evaporates into the atmosphere. Other ways it can enter the atmosphere include leakages, accidents during its handling such as in production, its delivery or transport, and spills in factories or gas stations. As such, it is critical that all safety mechanisms be in place at all levels by people handling or using gasoline.