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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Activity 2: Match the word with the definition.

____ 1. biodata A. This is the variety or range of different living organisms in an area.
____ 2. biodegradable B. Plant or animal material or waste which can be burnt to provide energy.
____ 3. biodiversity C. Danger to health or nature resulting from scientific experiments.
____ 4. biofuel D. A person’s personal details (for example, date of birth, blood group).
____ 5. biography E. A person who studies plants and animals professionally.
____ 6. biohazard F. The story of a person’s life (recorded by someone else).
____ 7. biologist G. Conflict in which toxic micro-organisms are used as weapons.
____ 8. biological warfare H. Describes something which can decompose naturally in the environment.
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Activity 3: Use the words from Activity 2 in the correct form to fill-in the blanks in the sentences below.
1. Polluting the natural environment can kill some plants and animals and affect ____________________.
2. We should use more paper bags and fewer plastic ones because paper is ____________________ and plastic isn’t.
3. I think ____________________ could be more dangerous than traditional types of conflict.
4. ____________________ are more interesting than novels because they are about real people.
5. I would like to work as a ____________________ because I like learning about living things like plants and
insects.
6. Identity cards containing a person’s ____________________ would reduce crime.
7. Cars will run on ____________________ in the future instead of petrol or diesel.
8. Some research laboratories may be very dangerous because if anything goes wrong they can become a
____________________, which can seriously harm the local environment.

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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.

Are biofuels the answer (solution) to the energy question (problem)?

Where do biofuels come from?
Maybe the fuel of the future and one that is much better for the environment than traditional fossil fuels (such as oil,
gas and coal) are biofuels. Biofuels are made from plants as sugar cane and maize (or corn) and oil-rich plants like
palms and soya beans. They can be used on their own or mixed with traditional fuels such as gas.

What are the advantages of biofuels?

Biofuels are the environmentally-friendly answer to our energy troubles because it is said that they are much
‘greener’ (cleaner and less harmful) than the fuels we have been burning to produce energy in recent history as coal
and gas. Biofuels are thought to be carbon-neutral which means the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) they produce
when burned to produce energy is the same as, not more than, the amount of CO2 they use when they grow.
Traditional fossil fuels, however, produce a lot of CO2 when they burn and so leave more CO2 than biofuels,
polluting the atmosphere.

What are the disadvantages of biofuels?

Some scientist think that biofuels aren’t as ‘green’ as we think. These scientists say that when farming, farmers use
tractors to plough the fields and harvest the crops, so more CO2 is used from these machines. Also, chemicals are
used as on the plants as fertilizers, insecticides, and pesticides. After the plants are finished growing, the crops need
to be processed in factories before the final product can be delivered and given to the customer. Some people say
that certain biofuels need more energy to make than these biofuels can actually give to us.

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?

1. Three examples of traditional fuels are __________, ___________, and __________.

2. Two examples of biofuels are __________ and __________.

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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[Video 2: Energy 101 – Algae to fuels.]

Total points: /56