bioduels info

Question 1

what is coal made up of

Answer 1

formed from plant material after millions of years

Question 2

stages of coal

Answer 2

wood, peat, brown coal, black coal

Question 3

what differentiates the types of coal

Answer 3

concentrations of carbon and water

Question 4

how is coal obtained

Answer 4

surface mining

Question 5

what are the advantages of coal

Answer 5

high energy content, cheap, large reserves

Question 6

disadvantages of coal

Answer 6

coal power plants are inefficient, energy is lost particularly through the conversion of chemical to heat energy

Question 7

what is natural gas made of

Answer 7

mostly methane

Question 8

different types of natural gas

Answer 8

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

Question 9

how is natural gas obtained

Answer 9

drilling/frackingd

Question 10

advantages of natural gas

Answer 10

high energy content, easy to transport in pipes

Question 11

disadvantages of natural gas

Answer 11

releases particulates into atmosphere, potentially causing acid rain, and extraction damages land

Question 12

what is petrol/petrodiesel made up of

Answer 12

petrol - octane, petrodiesel - C12 to C24

Question 13

how is petrol obtained

Answer 13

drilling then refining by fractional distillation

Question 14

advantages of petrol

Answer 14

high energy content, easy to transport

Question 15

disadvantages of pertrol

Answer 15

toxic, hard to deal with spills, non-biodegradable (think plastic)

Question 16

what is bioethanol made up of

Answer 16

ethanol (waduh)

Question 17

what is bioethanol an alternative to

Answer 17

petrol

Question 18

how is bioethanol sourced

Answer 18

enzymes break down starch in biomass down into glucose, then fermentation and distillation of glucose

Question 19

advantages of bioethanol

Answer 19

sustainable, can make use of food scraps, biodegradable, co2 is collected and sold, much less acid rain (negligible amounts of sulfur and nitrogen)

Question 20

disadvantages of bioethanol

Answer 20

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

Question 21

what is biogas made up of

Answer 21

about 65% ch4, 32% co2

Question 22

what is biogas an alternative to

Answer 22

natural gas

Question 23

where do you get biogas

Answer 23

human or plant waste (anaerobic decomposition)

Question 24

what is biodiesel made up of

Answer 24

esters from long chain fatty acids (mono alkyl ester)

Question 25

what is biodiesel an alternative to

Answer 25

petrodiesel

Question 26

how is biodiesel made

Answer 26

transesterification, from animal fats, and plant oils

Question 27

advantages of biodiesel

Answer 27

reduces waste disposal, biodegradable and non-toxic, much less acid rain (negligible amounts of sulfur and nitrogen)

Question 28

disadvantages of biodiesel

Answer 28

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

Question 29

advantages of biogas

Answer 29

reduces waste, low running costs

Question 30

disadvantages of biogas

Answer 30

combbustion can release nitrogen and sulfur forming acid rain, although still less than natural gas