UCSD-TV: Molecules for the Media

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Explore This Topic

Check Your Understanding

The following questions accompany this lesson. The answers are given below each question. To reveal an answer, place the cursor over "REVEAL THE ANSWER".

What is the albedo and how can it be affected by pollution (especially atmospheric particles)?
What are the main steps in the carbon cycle?
Is the greenhouse effect a natural process? Explain.
What makes carbon suitable to play a dominant role in the chemistry of life?
What is the difference between ethanol and biodiesel?

Exercise Your Brain

1. Read the two articles below, and using the information in them, as well as what you have learned from the lesson, take a stand on biofuels. Do they have the potential as solutions to pollution, global warming and declining fuel reserves?

Students collect French fry grease to produce
an alternative source of energy: Biodiesel

(San Diego Union-Tribune, March 20, 2007 by Helen Gao)

“In December, the School of Science and Technology at San Diego High had a biodiesel processor installed in its auto shop. Ever since, students have been making biodiesel out of used cooking oil gathered from school cafeterias.

The company's vice president of operations, David Richards, a fellow SDSU student, built the biodiesel processor for San Diego High. Richards drives a Volkswagen Jetta powered by biodiesel, some of it from batches made by students.

While supporting educational efforts, New Leaf Biofuel is working to launch a production facility that will convert used cooking oil from area restaurants into biodiesel for sale. More than 200 restaurants have signed up, [Nicole Kennard] said.”

Corn-to-ethanol is Creating Worldwide Controversy
From the San Diego Union-Tribune, August 3, 2005, by Richard A. Lovett

“To make a usable fuel, all but 0.5 percent of the water must be removed. This is done by a series of distillation and chemical extractions that, according to [David Pimentel]'s calculations, use even more energy than was used to grow the corn. And that doesn't count the diesel fuel needed to ship corn to the ethanol plant or ethanol to the pump. In theory, all of these energy costs should make ethanol uneconomical to produce.”

Learn More

What do you think about the potential of biofuels? Be sure to base your opinion on the data and information you have collected in this activity, not on the opinions of others.

2. Is global warming an opinion, conjecture, hypothesis or theory and what are some possible solutions to the problem?

Explain your answer by using the information you have learned about:

Energy
Atmosphere
Reflection and absorption of energy from the sun
The uses of energy by society including biofuels
Carbon reservoirs
Possible sources of error in the data.

	Study Guide \| Explore This Topic \| Meet the Scientist Links & Resources \| Teacher Resources \| Overview Explore This Topic Check Your Understanding The following questions accompany this lesson. The answers are given below each question. To reveal an answer, place the cursor over "REVEAL THE ANSWER". What is the albedo and how can it be affected by pollution (especially atmospheric particles)? What are the main steps in the carbon cycle? Is the greenhouse effect a natural process? Explain. What makes carbon suitable to play a dominant role in the chemistry of life? What is the difference between ethanol and biodiesel? Exercise Your Brain 1. Read the two articles below, and using the information in them, as well as what you have learned from the lesson, take a stand on biofuels. Do they have the potential as solutions to pollution, global warming and declining fuel reserves? Students collect French fry grease to produce an alternative source of energy: Biodiesel (San Diego Union-Tribune, March 20, 2007 by Helen Gao) “In December, the School of Science and Technology at San Diego High had a biodiesel processor installed in its auto shop. Ever since, students have been making biodiesel out of used cooking oil gathered from school cafeterias. The company's vice president of operations, David Richards, a fellow SDSU student, built the biodiesel processor for San Diego High. Richards drives a Volkswagen Jetta powered by biodiesel, some of it from batches made by students. While supporting educational efforts, New Leaf Biofuel is working to launch a production facility that will convert used cooking oil from area restaurants into biodiesel for sale. More than 200 restaurants have signed up, [Nicole Kennard] said.” Corn-to-ethanol is Creating Worldwide Controversy From the San Diego Union-Tribune, August 3, 2005, by Richard A. Lovett “To make a usable fuel, all but 0.5 percent of the water must be removed. This is done by a series of distillation and chemical extractions that, according to [David Pimentel]'s calculations, use even more energy than was used to grow the corn. And that doesn't count the diesel fuel needed to ship corn to the ethanol plant or ethanol to the pump. In theory, all of these energy costs should make ethanol uneconomical to produce.” Learn More What do you think about the potential of biofuels? Be sure to base your opinion on the data and information you have collected in this activity, not on the opinions of others. 2. Is global warming an opinion, conjecture, hypothesis or theory and what are some possible solutions to the problem? Explain your answer by using the information you have learned about: Energy Atmosphere Reflection and absorption of energy from the sun The uses of energy by society including biofuels Carbon reservoirs Possible sources of error in the data. ©2010 Regents of the University of California. Terms and Conditions of Use.		Watch Now (English) (57 minutes) Spanish Version For specific clips, scroll ahead to certain segments in the video. For example, if the segment is (6m:27s—14m:06s), then the clip begins at 6 minutes and 27 seconds and ends at 14 minutes and 6 seconds. Introduction (1m:55s—6m:23s) Renewable Fuel from Biomass Waste (6m:27s—14m:06s) High Energy BioGas/Diesel (14m:31s—24m:14s) Algae Biofuel (24m:39s—33m:36s) Enzyme Discovery and Evolution for Commercial Biofuels Applications (34m:00s—43m:02s)