4B.3 Alternative fuels

Question 1

what are biofuels

Answer 1

fuels obtained from living matters that have died recently

Question 2

what is the term carbon neutral mean

Answer 2

it is a term used to tell us that a process has a net-zero effect on the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

Question 3

what is bioalcohol

Answer 3

it is a fuel made up form plant matter, ofter using enzymes or bacteria

Question 4

are biofules carbon netural or not

Answer 4

now carbon fuels are made of recently grown plants that have absorbed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere so when we burn them it would release the same amount of carbon dioxide, but we forget about the carbon dioxide used in harvesting the planets, transporting to the factory, and processing them, and then transporting them into a sale point, making them not carbon neutral

Question 5

how are bioethanol fuels formed

Answer 5

bioethanol is formed in the process of fermentation of yeast that contains enzymes

Question 6

what are the problem of fermentation and the solution

Answer 6

when using fermentation the product obtained would have to be separated from a larger amount of water which require energy, we can obtain more ethanol by using a different variety of plants like corn

Question 7

what are the factors that need to be considered before switching to biofuels

Answer 7

1. land - how much land is used for growing crops. can we use the land for other resources such as growing food
2. yield- how much of a crop is used to grow in a piece of land and how quickly, and the number of hydrogens and carbons in the crop that is converted into fuels
3. manufacturing and transport- how much energy is required to grow the plants (including fertilizers) and how much energy to process it and transport it
4. carbon neutrality- how carbon-neutral the fuel is

Question 8

what are the two ways that we can use hydrogens as fuels

Answer 8

1. by burning hydrogen instead of fossil fuels

2. by putting in a fuel cell to generate electricity that would be used to motor energy

Question 9

what are the advantages of using hydrogen as a fuel

Answer 9

1. it is more abundant than carbon

2. it does produce carbon dioxide which means no increase in greenhouse gasses

Question 10

what are the disadvantages of using hydrogen as a fuel

Answer 10

1. in order to get hydrogen from the ocean we require energy that could come from fossil fuels which lower the advantages of using it over fossil fuels
2. how to store since it has a very low density so storing enough in a car requires a lot of pressure, this means a strong heavy container, which would be bad on the car, now storing it as a liquid is an option but its boiling point is very low (-253) is it would have to be in a container that is very cold and well insulated

Question 11

what is the difference between fossil fuels and biofuels

Answer 11

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