Biofuels: From Plants to Porsches

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Biofuels From Plants to Porsches

• Joint Lesson by
• Jordan Parker and
• Marina Ziehn
• Spring 2011

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Resources

• What is a resource?
• definition any physical or virtual entity of
  limited availability that needs to be consumed to
  obtain benefit from it
• biotic plants, animals and their products
• abiotic non-living matter, minerals not from
  organic matter
• What is the difference between a limited resource
  and a renewable resource?
• one takes a LONG time to form (geological
  periods), other can be replenished or reproduced
  easily

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Pop Quiz

• water
• coal
• wind
• petroleum
• calcium from fish
• hydroelectricity
• gold
• iron

• copper
• silver
• forests
• animals
• sun/solar energy
• wood
• oil

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Developing/using renewable resources

• Why might we want to use renewable resources more
  widely?
• continuously available
• easily available
• made in large quantities
• How can we get/create renewable resources?

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From resource to Fuel

• How are resources used?

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Renewable options
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Types of Biofuels

• Bioalcohols alcohols synthesized chemically or
  biologically, have high octane rating (which
  means they can ignite well) but lower energy
  density

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Types of Biofuels

• Biogases gases produced by biological breakdown
  of organic matter (without O2)

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Types of Biofuels

• Biodiesels clean burning alternative fuel,
  produced from domestic, renewable resources

How available are these types of biofuels?
How efficient is each type of biofuel?