Introduction to Bioenergy – Starter Pack

Summary

This starter pack provides a complete bioenergy quiz and vocabulary resource to reinforce key terms from the video. Students will learn essential vocabulary such as biomass, carbon neutral, and energy density. The quiz and cloze notes then assess student understanding of the main criteria for energy selection and the challenges that affect a reliable energy supply.

Bell Ringer

Instructions: Answer the prompt provided by your teacher.









Vocabulary

Instructions: Watch the Introduction to Bioenergy video and listen for the vocabulary words.

WordDefinitionExample
Agriculturenoun; the practice of growing or raising food, usually by taking care of plants or other living things that will later be eaten“Birds build houses, monkeys make tools, and ants grow agriculture.”
Biomassnoun; organic material from plants and animals that can be used as an energy source“Even today, 1/10 of global energy comes from burning biomass.”
Savannanoun; a grassy plain with few trees, often found in warm regions“Burning biomass . . . allowed humans to walk off the savanna, through the Ice Age, and into the modern era.”
CO2noun; short for carbon dioxide, a gas found in Earth’s atmosphere that is released when fuels are burned“Biomass essentially provides them life, but it also produces huge volumes of CO2.”
Equivalentadjective; equal in value, amount, or meaning“Inhaling the smoke of a wood fire in a closed hut for an hour is the equivalent of smoking 400 cigarettes.”
Carbon Neutraladjective phrase; describes an activity or product that releases the same amount of carbon dioxide into the air as it removes or offsets, resulting in no overall increase in carbon emissions“If the crops are replanted, then the CO2 emissions are offset by the new crop, making it carbon neutral.”
Industrialadjective; related to factories or large-scale production of goods or energy“This works especially well if the crop or lumber waste can power industrial processes right where it’s grown . . .”
Fermentingverb; the process of breaking down sugars by bacteria or yeast, often to make fuel or food“In fact, it’s made in the very same way as fermenting sugar.”
Emissionsnoun; gas or particles released into the air, especially by cars, factories, and power plants“. . . they’re mostly carbon neutral since their CO2 emissions may be absorbed by new plans . . .”
Domesticallyadverb; within a country; not from another country“ . . . [biofuels] can be grown domestically, reducing energy imports.”
Energy Densitynoun phrase; the amount of energy stored in a given volume or mass of a fuel or battery“But [biofuels’] biggest challenge is low energy density.”
Algaenoun; simple plant-like organisms that grow in water and can be used to make fuel“Growing special algae that produces a lot of oil for biodiesel . . .”
Enzymenoun; a substance made by living things that helps speed up chemical reactions“ . . . then using a high-tech enzyme process to break down that entire crop into sugars that can be fermented.”
Commercialadjective; related to buying, selling, or making something for profit“These, and other new technologies . . . are not quite commercial, and still very expensive . . .”

Note: Biomass = the raw material (input)
Bioenergy = the result (output)
Biofuels = the fuels (subset of output)

Quiz and Cloze Notes

Instructions: Circle the correct answer based on what you learned in the Introduction to Bioenergy video and then fill in the blanks using the word bank.

Q1. Which biomass source has remained a consistent energy source from ancient times to today?

  1. Oil
  2. Natural gas
  3. Wood
  4. Coal

Q2. Globally, what percentage of energy is generated by burning biomass?

  1. 2%
  2. 7%
  3. 5%
  4. 10%

Q3. Which energy source emits more carbon than coal when burned?

  1. Wood
  2. Animal dung
  3. Straw
  4. Natural gas

Q4. Globally, what percentage of heating and cooking is done with biomass?

  1. 10%
  2. 40%
  3. 20%
  4. 60%

Q5. How is ethanol made?

  1. Fermenting sugar
  2. Conversion of olive oil
  3. Conversion of soybean oil
  4. Drilling shale

Q6. How is biodiesel made?

  1. Fermenting sugar
  2. Conversion of olive oil
  3. Conversion of soybean oil
  4. Drilling shale

Q7. What is one benefit of biofuels?

  1. They can be used in existing car and plane engines.
  2. They have low energy density.
  3. They need minimal land to grow.
  4. They are very inexpensive to produce.

Q8. What is the biggest challenge of biofuels?

  1. They cannot be produced within the existing agricultural system.
  2. The chemistry of making ethanol and biodiesel is complex.
  3. There is too much corn produced in Brazil for biofuels.
  4. The raw materials that make biofuels have low energy density.

Word Bank

biofuelsbiomasscarbon dioxidecarbon neutral
environmentaltechnologieswood

Humans have used _________________________ fuel for thousands of years, beginning with using _________________________ for fire to cook food and stay warm. Biomass provides vital heat and cooking for billions, but also produces huge volumes of _________________________. While some biomass uses can be _________________________ if crops are replanted, traditional cooking methods remain a major health and ____________________ concern. Scientists are exploring new _________________________ like algae and cellulose-based ____________________ to make them more efficient.