Ethanol Biofuel
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/biot09.sci.engin.systems.ethanol/
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/biot09.sci.engin.systems.ethanol/
NOVA, WGBH Educational Foundation, Teachers' Domain
Video length: 5:33 minutes.
Discuss this Resource»Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»
Topics
Grade Level
Climate Literacy
About Teaching Climate Literacy
GPd 
GPdHumans may be able to mitigate climate change or lessen its severity by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations through processes that move carbon out of the atmosphere or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Other materials addressing GPd
A combination of strategies is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The most immediate strategy is conservation of oil, gas, and coal, which we rely on as fuels for most of our transportation, heating, cooling, agriculture, and electricity. Short-term strategies involve switching from carbon-intensive to renewable energy sources, which also requires building new infrastructure for alternative energy sources. Long-term strategies involve innovative research and a fundamental change in the way humans use energy.
Other materials addressing GPe
Energy Literacy
Environmental quality is impacted by energy choices.
7.3 Environmental quality.
The quality of life of individuals and societies is affected by energy choices.
Energy affects quality of life .
Humans transfer and transform energy from the environment into forms useful for human endeavors.
4.1 Humans transfer and transform energy.
Social and technological innovation affects the amount of energy used by human society.
6.5 Social and technological innovation.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy
Learn more about the Benchmarks
Different ways of obtaining, transforming, and distributing energy have different environmental consequences.
When selecting fuels, it is important to consider the relative advantages and disadvantages of each fuel.
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Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy |
Technical Details
Teaching Tips
- A good video to include in any unit that addresses how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Educator could introduce cost/benefit analysis of ethanol as a fuel as well as social and economic challenges.
About the Science
- This video goes over the pros and cons of using ethanol as an alternative to gasoline.
- Discusses issues such as how converting corn into ethanol requires a lot of energy and reduces stocks of corn that might otherwise be used to feed people and livestock.
- Shows research efforts to use cellulosic biomass and microorganisms to accomplish the conversion from plant matter to fuel in a single step.
- Comments from expert scientist: The combination of the video with the Background Essay is helpful - i.e. the essay goes into a little more depth than the video, which aids in understanding the full reasoning behind using cellulosic biomass to make ethanol.
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