Combustion: The Fiery Reaction That Powers Our World

Combustion is a chemical reaction where a fuel rapidly reacts with oxygen to release energy.
The process produces heat, light, and often flames—nature’s original power source.
Fire is simply visible combustion, harnessed by humans for thousands of years.
Combustion fuels engines, from car pistons to jet turbines, driving modern life.
The main products are carbon dioxide and water vapor, plus energy in heat and motion.
Complete combustion is efficient, while incomplete combustion creates soot and carbon monoxide.
Controlled combustion powers electricity in power plants burning coal, oil, or gas.
Spark plugs in cars ignite fuel-air mixtures, starting a chain of tiny combustion reactions.
Wildfires are large-scale natural combustion, releasing massive amounts of energy.
Cleaner combustion technologies aim to cut emissions while keeping the power we need.