Alternatives To Crude Oil As Fuel (T5)

Question 1

Describe biofuels and mention their benefits and drawbacks…

Answer 1

Biofuels are created when diesel or ethanol is produced by growing plants that are high in these products.

These plant materials are then put in a liquid and fermented at a temperature between 20-35 deg. C., which produces a dilute ethanol mix that can be used in diesel engines.

Benefits:

• replaceable
• carbon neutral (the carbon produced is drawn from the atmosphere and when the fuel is burned it returns to the atmosphere)

Drawbacks:
- land usage; if biofuels became a major commodity then a lot of land may be transferred to this high profit product. This may affect crop production in a bad way.

Question 2

Describe how hydrogen can be used as a fuel..

Answer 2

Hydrogen is a volatile element that will release energy when burning.

Hydrogen is burned directly:
- this can work well as the combustion of hydrogen is an oxidation process, meaning it makes water from the combination of hydrogen with oxygen, so no carbon is produced.

Hydrogen cells:
- this involve the hydrogen being used to make electricity, then that electricity can run a car’s engine.

Question 3

What are some drawbacks of using hydrogen as a fuel?

Answer 3

• requires a lot of energy to produce, sometimes more energy than is require to burn fossil fuels.
• infrastructure; converting cars to hydrogen and creating refuelling points would demand a massive outlay.
• many of the metals are very expensive.
• storage; hydrogen is a light gas and takes a lot of capacity to keep enough of it in one place.
• could be damaging to the environment.
• highly flammable and explosive.

Question 4

Describe sulphur removal..

Answer 4

Can be done from the fuel, eg: petrol for cars with reduced sulphur.

There are also filters in factories and cars which help prevent sulphur getting into the atmosphere.

Sulphur is also a chemical that is filtered by catalytic converters.