The best replacement for hydrocarbons is carbohydrates.

The best alternatives to hydrocarbons are rated as following:
★★★★★  carbohydrates
★★★★★  alcohols
★★★  polar solvents
★★  vocs
★  unsaturated hydrocarbons
  organophosphates

Your alternative for hydrocarbons is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about hydrocarbons, one probably shouldn't forget about bromine.

Other search terms related to hydrocarbons and their ratings are:
★★★★★ bromine
★ bromine water
You have in mind a companion for hydrocarbons and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of hydrocarbons in all years. Click on graph for more.
hydrocarbons
carbohydrates
alcohols