Sulfur Calculator — SO₂ Emissions from Fuel Combustion
Enter the mass of fuel burned and its sulfur content (% w/w) to calculate the sulphur dioxide (SO₂) released — essential for emissions reporting, environmental audits and compliance checks.
Fuel type
тонн
%
Sulphur dioxide from combustion of the fuel
- 1
Sulfur fraction
1% ÷ 100 = 0,01 - 2
Sulfur mass in fuel
1 000 t × 0,01 = 10 t S - 3
SO₂ emitted
10 × 2 = 20 tS + O₂ → SO₂; molar mass of SO₂ is twice that of S, so the mass doubles.
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SO₂ emitted = fuel mass × sulfur% ÷ 100 × 2. Because the molar mass of SO₂ is exactly twice that of elemental sulfur, every tonne of sulfur in the fuel produces two tonnes of SO₂. Coal at 1% sulfur releases about 20 kg of SO₂ per tonne burned.
Формула
How this is calculated
When fossil fuels burn, the sulfur they contain reacts with oxygen to form sulphur dioxide (SO₂). The stoichiometry is straightforward: one mole of sulfur (32 g) combines with one mole of O₂ to produce one mole of SO₂ (64 g). The mass ratio is therefore exactly 2: for every tonne of sulfur burned, two tonnes of SO₂ are released. The calculator first multiplies the fuel mass by the sulfur fraction (sulfur% ÷ 100) to get the mass of elemental sulfur, then doubles that to get the SO₂ mass.
Typical sulfur contents (% by weight) vary widely by fuel and source: coal ranges from under 0.5% for low-sulfur grades to over 3% for high-sulfur bituminous coal; heavy fuel oil is often 1–3.5%; standard diesel in many countries is regulated at ≤ 0.005% (50 ppm) since the 2010s, though bunker fuel and older heating oil can be higher. The defaults shown for 2025 are editable estimates — enter your fuel specification or laboratory result for accurate results.
Emissions regulations such as the EU Industrial Emissions Directive and IMO MARPOL Annex VI set caps on SO₂ from ships and installations. For compliance reporting, use your actual measured sulfur content rather than the pre-filled estimate.
Поширені запитання
The combustion reaction is S + O₂ → SO₂. One atom of sulfur (atomic mass 32) combines with two atoms of oxygen (16 each, total 32) to form one molecule of SO₂ with mass 64. The SO₂-to-S mass ratio is therefore 64 ÷ 32 = 2, always.
Sulfur content is usually measured in the lab by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) or combustion analysis and reported as percentage by weight (% w/w) or in parts per million (ppm). To convert: 1% = 10 000 ppm. Regulations often set limits in ppm (e.g. 50 ppm diesel).
No. This calculator covers only the primary product SO₂. In practice, a small fraction of SO₂ is further oxidised to SO₃ and then absorbed as sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄). Those secondary reactions are highly dependent on operating conditions and catalyst presence, and are not included here.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Sulfur Calculator — SO₂ Emissions from Fuel Combustion [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/uk/calculator/sulfur-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Sulfur Calculator — SO₂ Emissions from Fuel Combustion." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/uk/calculator/sulfur-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Sulfur Calculator — SO₂ Emissions from Fuel Combustion," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/uk/calculator/sulfur-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_sulfur_calculator, title = {Sulfur Calculator — SO₂ Emissions from Fuel Combustion}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/uk/calculator/sulfur-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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