All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What is a common use of biogas?
Answer: Cooking fuel. Clean-burning gas replaces wood or fossil fuels for cooking.
Flashcard 2: What is ethanol?
Answer: A type of biofuel derived from biomass. Alcohol fuel produced through fermentation of sugars.
Flashcard 3: What is the energy content of biomass measured in?
Answer: Megajoules (MJ). Standard unit for measuring energy content of organic materials.
Flashcard 4: Identify the primary source of biomass energy.
Answer: Plant material and animal waste. These are renewable organic sources for energy conversion.
Flashcard 5: What is lignocellulosic biomass?
Answer: Biomass composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Woody plant material containing complex structural compounds.
Flashcard 6: What is the main disadvantage of biofuel production?
Answer: Competes with food production. Energy crops may reduce land available for food production.
Flashcard 7: What is the role of fermentation in ethanol production?
Answer: Converts sugars into alcohol. Anaerobic biological process that produces ethanol from glucose.
Flashcard 8: What is a common byproduct of fermentation in biofuel?
Answer: Carbon dioxide (CO₂). Yeast produces this gas when converting sugars to ethanol.
Flashcard 9: Which process describes biomass energy to electricity?
Answer: Biomass power generation. Burning biomass produces steam to drive electrical turbines.
Flashcard 10: What is pyrolysis?
Answer: Thermal decomposition of biomass in absence of oxygen. Heat breaks down biomass without burning it completely.
Flashcard 11: What is the term for converting biomass to liquid fuels?
Answer: Biofuel production. Process creates ethanol, biodiesel, and other liquid fuels.
Flashcard 12: What is transesterification?
Answer: Process to produce biodiesel from oils. Chemical reaction that converts plant oils into biodiesel.
Flashcard 13: Which process converts biomass into biogas?
Answer: Anaerobic digestion. Bacteria break down organic matter without oxygen present.
Flashcard 14: Identify a disadvantage of biomass energy.
Answer: Can lead to deforestation. Large-scale harvesting may destroy forest ecosystems.
Flashcard 15: What is gasification?
Answer: Conversion of biomass into syngas. High-temperature process converts biomass into synthesis gas.
Flashcard 16: What is biodiesel?
Answer: A biofuel made from vegetable oils or animal fats. Alternative diesel fuel derived from biological sources.
Flashcard 17: What is the role of a digester in biogas production?
Answer: Breaks down organic matter anaerobically. Enclosed system where bacteria decompose organic waste without oxygen.
Flashcard 18: What is cogeneration in biomass energy?
Answer: Simultaneous production of electricity and heat. Efficient system captures waste heat for additional energy use.
Flashcard 19: What is the primary energy conversion in photosynthesis?
Answer: Light energy to chemical energy. Solar energy becomes chemical bonds in glucose molecules.
Flashcard 20: Which biomass product is used for heating and cooking?
Answer: Wood. Most common biomass fuel burned for thermal energy.
Flashcard 21: Which greenhouse gas is reduced by using biomass?
Answer: Methane (CH₄). Biomass prevents methane emissions from decomposing organic waste.
Flashcard 22: What does the term 'carbon neutral' mean in biomass?
Answer: CO₂ released is offset by CO₂ absorbed. Growing plants absorb the same CO₂ that burning releases.
Flashcard 23: Identify a thermochemical conversion process for biomass.
Answer: Pyrolysis. High-temperature decomposition process used for biomass conversion.
Flashcard 24: What is the typical yield of ethanol from one bushel of corn?
Answer: Approximately 2.8 gallons. Standard conversion rate for corn-based ethanol production.
Flashcard 25: Name a chemical treatment in biomass conversion.
Answer: Acid hydrolysis. Chemical process that breaks down cellulose using acids.
Flashcard 26: Which feedstock is used for ethanol production?
Answer: Corn. Major agricultural crop used for ethanol fuel production.
Flashcard 27: Which gas is primarily released by burning biomass?
Answer: Carbon dioxide (CO₂). Complete combustion of carbon-based biomass produces this gas.
Flashcard 28: Identify a liquid fuel derived from biomass.
Answer: Ethanol. Alcohol fuel commonly blended with gasoline for vehicles.
Flashcard 29: Identify a limitation of biomass energy.
Answer: Requires large land areas. Energy crops compete with agriculture for available land.
Flashcard 30: What is the main component of biogas?
Answer: Methane (CH₄). Primary combustible gas produced by anaerobic digestion.