STEM Flicks:
Algae to
Biofuels
VOCABULARY
LIST*
(Secondary Level)
Algae
Algal Biofuel
Algae Feedstock
Bench-scale Testing
Biocrude
Biofuel
Biodiesel
Biomass
Any of various green, red, or brown organisms that lack true roots, stems,
and leaves, grow mostly in water, and range from single cells to large
spreading seaweeds.
A renewable form of fuel forming an alternative option for fuel use. Biofuels
from algae can be environmentally-friendly and have the potential of being
mass-produced. Algae grow naturally all over the world. Under optimal
conditions, it can be grown in massive, amounts. In rare cases, half of
algae's composition, by weight, is lipid oil that scientists have been studying
for several decades to convert it into algae green (or renewable) diesel -- a
fuel that can be used to replace petroleum-derived diesel. Algal biofuel can
be grown with minimal impact on fresh water resources, can be produced
using saline and wastewater, and are biodegradable and relatively harmless
to the environment if spilled.
A source of materials that can be converted into biocrude.
Testing of materials, methods, or chemical processes on a small scale, such
as on a laboratory worktable.
A synthetic fuel being tested as a substitute for petroleum. It is processed
from biomass to liquid using high heat and high pressure.
An alternative to fossil fuel that uses a plant as its source of natural
material. Like fossil fuel, biofuel releases CO2 when burned, but unlike fossil
fuel, biofuels only release CO2 that has been recently removed from the
atmosphere via photosynthesis as the plant grew. Ethanol is the most
common type of biofuel today.
A diesel fuel produced from biomass which can be blended with petroleum
derived diesel and used in diesel engines. It is actually chemically quite
different from diesel as it is not a hydrocarbon but is derived from fatty acids
that compose lipids produced by plants and algae.
Plant materials, vegetation, or agricultural waste used as a fuel or an energy
source.
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Carbon Dioxide
Conversion
Diesel
Feedstock
First Generation Biofuels
Fossil Fuels
Fuel
Gasoline
Global Climate
Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
High Pressure
Temperature Tubular
Reactor
Hydrocarbon Fossil Fuels
Hydrothermal
Liquefaction
Hydrocarbons
Industrial Scale
Multi-disciplinary Team
Nonrenewable Resource
Nutrients
A colorless, odorless gas that does not burn, is composed of carbon and
oxygen in the proportion one C and two O and is present in the atmosphere
or formed when any fuel containing carbon is burned. It is exhaled from an
animal’s lungs during respiration and is used by plants in photosynthesis.
The act of changing one thing, use, or purpose into another.
A type of fuel, derived from fossil fuels, that is used in a diesel engine.
A raw material for processing or manufacturing industry.
A fuel that was derived from sources like starch, sugar, animal fats and
vegetable oil.
A fuel naturally derived over the eons from plants and animals buried in the
earth that lived millions of years ago. These fuels can be burned to make
heat, electricity, or used as a fuel for automobiles.
A substance, such as coal, wood, oil, or gas, that is burned to produce useful
heat or energy.
A highly flammable mixture of liquid hydrocarbons that evaporates very
easily and is used chiefly as a fuel for internal combustion engines in
automobiles, motorcycles, and small trucks.
The average climate, or weather conditions, over the entire planet.
A gas that causes an increase in the heating of the planet by trapping solar
(infrared) energy in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is only one example.
Methane has a much stronger GHG effect. Some synthetic gases are even
more problematic.
A type of chemical reactor composed of a long metal cylinder (tubular)which
is designed with sufficiently strong walls and other components to allow
operation at high temperature and pressure.
(see Fossil Fuels)
A chemical process used to convert wet biomass (algae, wood, manure) into
crude-like oil using very high heat and pressure.
An organic compound that contains only carbon and hydrogen.
Hydrocarbons form a large class of chemical compounds and include
gasoline, benzene, and butane.
A process that has moved from bench-scale to that of industrial level where
mass production on a very large scale can take place.
A team of individuals who have varied backgrounds, education levels, and
knowledge that are brought together to solve a problem.
A resource that can be used only once, or that cannot be replaced by nature
nearly as quickly as it is used. Oil, coal, and natural gas are considered
nonrenewable resources because it takes millions of years for them to form.
A chemical substance that a living organism (plant or animal), such as algae,
needs in order to live.
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Petroleum
Petroleum Derived Fuels
Photosynthesis
Refining
Renewable Resource
Separator
Also called crude oil, petroleum is a liquid that forms from the fossil remains
of organisms (typically algae is considered the source) deep below Earth’s
surface. It is a thick, yellow-to-black, flammable liquid mixture of
hydrocarbons that occurs naturally.
Fuels made from petroleum.
The chemical process by which plants that contain chlorophyll, especially
green plants, use light to convert carbon dioxide and water to
carbohydrates, releasing oxygen as a by-product. Photosynthesis is driven
by the Sun.
A process of removing unwanted matter to purify the end product.
A resource that is regularly replaced or replenished by nature. Plants,
animals, wind, and water are all renewable resources. A renewable
resource cannot be used up and can be replaced easily. Fossil fuels, on the
other hand, are a nonrenewable resource.
A device that is capable of distinguishing one thing from another in order to
place or sort parts from a whole into different places.
*words found in the video itself.
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