Unit 1: Introduction To Biofuels
Unit 1: Introduction To Biofuels
Unit 1: Introduction To Biofuels
Activity 1: Look up definitions of biofuel. Write down one definition what you think is a good definition of biofuel,
and also give 2 examples of biofuels.
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[Video 1: Energy 101 – Biofuels: http://learnbiofuels.org/biofuels-lessons]
Activity 4: Read the article and then answer the 5 questions after it.
Another disadvantage some say is that a lot of land is needed to grow the crops for biofuels. This may interfere with
food production. If there is less land being used to grow food, then food prices may rise.
Summary
In theory, it isn’t so strange to think about the idea of cars running on plant or animal oil. It is perhaps surprising to
discover that motor-car pioneers like Henry Ford (1920s) actually designed cars which could run on fuel made from
plants. In fact the only reason these cars didn’t use biofuels is because the oil from the Middle East was much
cheaper in those days than the biofuels use in the cars. Today however, the situation has certainly changed a lot and
so engineers in the motor industry are researching biofuels again to look for the answer to the fuel question: what
can we use instead of fossil fuels?
3. Two reasons that biofuels may be the answer to our energy troubles are they are __________ than the fuels we
burn and are __________ so they don’t give out more than they grow.
4. Three reasons why biofuels may not be as good as we think are that some scientists didn’t think they are
__________ __________ _________ we think; they use __________ to grow; and they use a lot of __________,
which may cause food prices to go up.
5. In theory it isn’t so strange to ________ _______ the idea of cars running on plant or animal oil.
6. The only reason Henry Ford’s car didn’t use biofuels a long time ago was that __________ were more expensive
than __________. /13
Activity 5: http://www.eschooltoday.com/energy/renewable-energy/biomass-energy.html
Go to the website eschooltoday.com, read it, and answer the 15 questions below: T (true) or F (false).
Part 1: What is biomass?
1. A wood product is not alive and so isn’t biofuel. _____
2. Garbage can be used for biofuel. _____
3. Biofuel isn’t always from natural things. _____
4. Energy from plants can be given off by burning them. _____
5. Biofuel is a natural energy source. _____
6. The original energy for biofuels comes from the earth. _____
7. Biofuel is not cheap right now, but will be soon. _____
8. There is very little demand for biofuels in developing countries. _____
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Part 2: How biomass is converted into energy.
9. You burn organic matter because it can give you heat and heat can give you chemical energy. _____
10. One kind of energy the article mentions is solar energy. _____
11. Straw is a kind of biofuel. _____
12. When the biofuel is burned, it first goes to turbines and then to a boiler. _____
13. From the boiler, steam eventually enters pipes and later will turn turbines and generators. _____
14. Generators have magnets. _____
15. Magnets create electricity that goes to your home and gives you power for things as lights and heat. _____
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