Transortation

Question 1

Why is travelling to work harming the environment

Answer 1

Majority of population use private transport (car / van / taxi)
This uses more fossil fuels and creates more carbon emissions

Question 1

What are four key challenges of developing a way to transport people and goods in the future

Answer 1

− economic viability
− environmental impacts
− dependence on fossil fuels
− user safety

Question 2

Name 4 new vehicle technologies

Answer 2

• Hydrogen fueled vehicles.
• Biofueled vehicles.
• Electric vehicles.
• Hybrid vehicles.

Question 3

Explain economic viability in terms of challenges associated with transporting goods or people in the future

Answer 3

Economic viability: Expanding economies and populations will require
an extension of the transport network. Government subsidy may be necessary
initially to move the economy away from fossil fuels but this investment will be
recouped as fossil fuel supplies become rationed and more expensive
compared to biofuels/alternative fuels

Question 4

Explain environmental impacts in terms of challenges associated with transporting goods or people in the future

Answer 4

Environmental impacts: As transport networks expand and traffic
increases, greenhouse gas emissions will increase. Switching from fossil fuels
to biofuels will reduce the volume of greenhouse gases thus reducing the
impact of transport on global warming.

Question 5

Explain dependency of fossil fuels in terms of challenges associated with transporting goods or people in the future

Answer 5

Dependence on fossil fuels: Fuel security is a significant issue. Fuel
prices fluctuate regularly. Governments aim to secure steady fossil fuel
supplies. Moving to biofuels will increase the number of countries that can
supply fuel and allow for production of biofuels within the UK.

Question 6

Explain user safety in terms of challenges associated with transporting goods or people in the future

Answer 6

User safety: More vehicles on the road and in the air will lead to a
greater chance of accidents. More vehicles will also increase the toxic gas
emissions that are currently leading to an estimated 38 000 premature deaths
each year as well as increased rates of respiratory illnesses. It is not clear that
switching to biofuels will have a positive impact on human health. Biofuels result
in higher NOx emissions.

Question 7

What are 4 new vehicle technologies

Answer 7

• Hydrogen fuelled vehicles.
• Biofuelled vehicles.
• Electric vehicles.
• Hybrid vehicles.

Question 8

What are the role of these new vehicle technologies

Answer 8

To pull away from using oil diesel and petrol to power our cars as there is such an over reliant on these fuels

Question 9

What industrial upgrade is needed for electrical cars

Answer 9

Electric vehicles – need an extensive infrastructure planned and
developed what will allow drivers to plug in their vehicles. Purely
electric vehicles are totally reliant on their battery pack so they will be
confined to short commutes if the network of charging stations isn’t
developed. Plug in cities initiative.

Question 10

What industrial upgrade is needed for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

Answer 10

Hydrogen fuelled vehicles– Hydrogen fuelled vehicles will require extensive hydrogen pipeline transporting hydrogen to specially equipped hydrogen filling stations. Due to the physical qualities of hydrogen,
health and safety is an issue which must be addressed.

Question 11

What industrial upgraded is needed for bio fueled vehicles

Answer 11

Bio fuelled vehicles – Greater production of biofuels required which has implications for land use. Adaption required at filling stations to ensure accessibility for motorists.

Question 12

What is stage 1 in the production of bioethanol from biomass including the chemical equation

Answer 12

Stage 1 – Fermentation; Ethanol is produced by microbial fermentation of the
sugar. Microbial fermentation will currently only work directly with sugars. Two
major components of plants, starch and cellulose, are both made up of sugars,
and can in principle be converted to sugars for fermentation. Currently, only the
sugar (e.g. sugar cane) and starch (e.g. corn) portions can be economically
converted
Equation one is converting sucrose to glucose and fructose
C12H22 O11 > C6H12O6 + C6H12O6
Then glucose and fructose are converted to ethonal
C6H12O6 > 2CO2 + 2C2H5OH

Question 13

What is stage 2 in the production of bioethanol from biomass including the chemical equation

Answer 13

– Distillation; For the ethanol to be of use, the excess water must
be removed. Most of the water is removed by distillation. However the purity is
limited to 95-96% due to the formation of a low boiling water-ethanol azeotrope.

Question 14

What is stage 3 in the production of bioethanol from biomass including the chemical equation

Answer 14

Stage 3 – Dehydration; To remove the remaining small portion of water

Question 15

Explain what happens in pretreatment of biomass to produce bioethanol

Answer 15

The biomass is crushed/treated with steam to release starch/cellulose/complex
sugars/polysaccharides.

Question 16

Explain what happens in Hydrolisis of biomass to produce bioethanol

Answer 16

Enzymes/an acidic solution is added to the treated plant material to break the
starch/cellulose/complex sugars into glucose/fructose.simple sugars.

Question 17

Explain what happens in fermentation of biomass to produce bioethanol

Answer 17

Yeast is added to the glucose/fructose/simple sugars in a warm environment in
the absence of air to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide

Question 18

Explain what happens in purification of biomass to produce bioethanol

Answer 18

The ethanol formed contains significant amounts of water which is removed by
distillation

Question 19

What is the name given to the type of chemical reaction that occurs
between the vegetable oil and the methanol?

Answer 19

Transesterification

Question 20

What is the function of the Sodium Hydroxide in the process?

Answer 20

catalyst

Question 21

Name all other type of vegetable oil that might be suitable for conversion
into biodiesel.

Answer 21

Palm oil
corn oil
used vegetable oil

Question 22

What is the word equation for producing bio oil

Answer 22

Vegetable oil + methanol + sodium hydroxide = Biodiesel + glycerine

Question 23

explain 5 advantages of using biodiesel as a substitute fuel for private and commercial vehicles.

Answer 23

• Doesn’t require any radical changes to switch to the use of biofuels
  unlike the difficulties in switching to other renewable energy sources
  such as solar and wind power
• Are cheaper than fossil fuels. Many governments are now offering
  tax incentives to buy greener cars that run on biofuels (ethanol being one
  example).
• Are considered ‘carbon neutral’ by some people. This is because the
  carbon dioxide they release when burnt is equal to the amount that the
  plants absorbed out of the atmosphere. Therefore, they don’t
  contribute to global warming. However, it does require some fuel to
  power the machinery on the farms where biofuels are produced.
  Research suggests that they reduce carbon emissions by 50-60%.
• Reduce dependence on foreign oils. Oil fluctuates in price rapidly, so
  changing to biofuels will help buffer against the change.
• Emit less particulate pollution than other fuels, especially diesel.

Question 24

explain 3 disadvantages of using biodiesel as a substitute fuel for private and commercial vehicles.

Answer 24

High cost of production increases the cost of motoring.
Growing the same crop every year may deprive the soil of nutrients.
Biofuels are produced from crops that need fertilizers to grow better - fertilizers can have harmful effects on the environment and may cause water pollution.

Question 25

environmental impact of farming energy crops intensively, for example
palm oil - for biofuels

Answer 25

-* Deforestation in South America and South Eastern Asia causes loss of
habitat for animals and for indigenous people living there.
* As other plants are replaced, soil erosion will grow.
* A lot of water is used to water the plants, especially in dry climates.

Question 26

designation of land away from food production into cash energy crops,
particularly in the developing world in terms of biofuel

Answer 26

• Farmers in developing counties may move land away from food crop
  production biofuels ‘cash crop’ reducing food supplies and increasing the
  prices of staple foods.
• Biofuels may raise the price of certain foods which are also used for
  biofuels such as corn.

Question 27

How does producing biofuel destroy natural habitats

Answer 27

• Biofuels take a large expanse of area to grow. Land will have to be
  cleared for more growth. Rainforests and other high biomass lands are
  cleared on a mass scale for biofuel production (which may happen tin
  lower income countries) then the amount of green-house gases emitted
  would be hugely significant. Multiple studies have been found to draw
  the same conclusion.
• Deforestation in South America and South Eastern Asia causes loss of
  habitat for animals and for indigenous people living there.
• A lot of water is used to water the plants, especially in dry climates.

Question 28

What is congestion charging and how will it affect transport

Answer 28

Congestion charging is when there is charges put in place for using roads to stop the build
up of congestion. This will force people to use public transports like buses and trains. Also more people will use bicycles to cycle into town centers to save money and or

Question 29

Give 6 different strategies to reduce transport demand

Answer 29

• Including public transport,
• Sustainable modes of transport (walking or cycling),
• Fuel and vehicle taxation,
• Congestion charging,
• Air travel levies and;
• Use of technology, for example videoconferencing or apps to reduce
  congestion;