What the Fuel?

Question 1

How do fuels provide energy?

Answer 1

Reactions involving fuels are exothermic. It’s release of energy allows us to do work. To release energy, fuels take part in combustion reactions that involved oxygen. When there’s plenty of oxygen, the fuel is able to undergo complete combustion, but incomplete when not enough oxygen.

Complete combustion: releases carbon dioxide, incomplete carbon monoxide and 3energy reelaseed.

Question 2

Fossil Fuels

Answer 2

Most of the fuels we use today are non-renewable/fossil fuels. Benefits: generate lots of energy/gram, we have infrastructure to transport them. Negatives: need to disturb environment to obtain, take millions of years to form, they produced greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.

Question 3

Biofuels

Answer 3

Bio fuels are renewable resources that are promising an alternative to fossil fuels. They are made from animal by-products or plant material.

Benefits: Renewable, the carbon dioxide that’s produced can be re-used by the plants to make more energy, don’t have to use as much fossil fuels.

Detriments: requires the use of a lot of land to grow cops, amount of energy released is not high, engines need to be modifed slightly to use biofuels

Question 4

Biofuels vs Fossil Fuels

Answer 4

Fossil fuels: more energy released, carbon dioxide produced not good for environment, non renewable
Biofuels: less energy released, carbon neutral, renewable.