bioduels info Flashcards
what is coal formed from
formed from plant material after millions of years
stages of coal
wood, peat, brown coal, black coal
what differentiates the types of coal
concentrations of carbon and water
how is coal obtained
surface mining
what are the advantages of coal
high energy content, cheap, large reserves
disadvantages of coal
coal power plants are inefficient, energy is lost particularly through the conversion of chemical to heat energy
what is natural gas made of
mostly methane
different types of natural gas
coal seam gas, natural gas adsorbed to surface of coal, shale gas, trapped in shale rock, petroleum gas, natural gas as a component of petroleum deposits
how is natural gas obtained
drilling/frackingd
advantages of natural gas
high energy content, easy to transport in pipes
disadvantages of natural gas
releases particulates into atmosphere, potentially causing acid rain, and extraction damages land
what is petrol/petrodiesel made up of
petrol - octane, petrodiesel - C12 to C24
how is petrol obtained
drilling then refining by fractional distillation
advantages of petrol
high energy content, easy to transport
disadvantages of pertrol
toxic, hard to deal with spills, non-biodegradable (think plastic)
what is bioethanol made up of
ethanol (waduh)
what is bioethanol an alternative to
petrol
how is bioethanol sourced
enzymes break down starch in biomass down into glucose, then fermentation and distillation of glucose
advantages of bioethanol
sustainable, can make use of food scraps, biodegradable, co2 is collected and sold, much less acid rain (negligible amounts of sulfur and nitrogen)
disadvantages of bioethanol
may require use of precious land, can reduce other plants such as trees that may store carbon dioxide, increased use of water, can corrode fuel lines and engines
what is biogas made up of
about 65% ch4, 32% co2
what is biogas an alternative to
natural gas
where do you get biogas
human or plant waste (anaerobic decomposition)
what is biodiesel made up of
esters from long chain fatty acids (mono alkyl ester)
what is biodiesel an alternative to
petrodiesel
how is biodiesel made
transesterification, from animal fats, and plant oils
advantages of biodiesel
reduces waste disposal, biodegradable and non-toxic, much less acid rain (negligible amounts of sulfur and nitrogen)
disadvantages of biodiesel
may require use of precious land, uses land that could have other plants such as trees to take up more carbon, increased use of water, poor flow at low temp
advantages of biogas
reduces waste, low running costs
disadvantages of biogas
combbustion can release nitrogen and sulfur forming acid rain, although still less than natural gas
