Biodiesel Quiz
Name:
C. Kohn, Waterford WI
Hour
Date:
Score
/15
1. How does a diesel engine convert the energy in fuel into motion?
a. The fuel flows past gears that are connected to the axels; the movement of fuel turns the gears.
b. The fuel is heated which causes it to expand, pushing against a piston which moves the wheel. As the
fluid cools it contracts, pulling the piston with it
c. The fuel is compressed, and this compression heats it to the point of combustion. When the fuel
combusts, it pushes a piston in a cylinder down, turning the driveshaft.
d. The fuel is mixed with air in the cylinder. A spark from a spark plug ignites the fuel-air mixture, causing a
combustion reaction which pushes the piston down, turning the drive shaft.
2. What is the main difference between diesel and gasoline engines?
a. Diesel fuel is primarily made from renewable sources, while gasoline is not
b. Gasoline engines do not produce pollution
c. Diesel engines do not produce pollution
d. Diesel engines do not have a spark plug
3. What makes a diesel engine so efficient?
a. The fact that the air is compressed concentrates the amount of oxygen in the combustion reaction
b. Diesel fuel is a more easily combustible fuel
c. A diesel engine is made more efficient because of its spark plug
d. Diesel engines are more efficient because they can be run on renewable fuel
4. Biodiesel is fuel…
a. Made by reacting a plant oil or animal fat with methanol and a catalyst
b. Created using the byproducts of ethanol production
c. Made from the byproducts of petroleum production
d. That can only be used in cold weather
5. What is transesterification?
a. A chemical reaction in which an alcohol is converted into an oil or fat
b. A chemical reaction in which fat or plant oil is turned into alcohol
c. A chemical reaction in which the carbon groups of an oil are broken into straight chains using an alcohol
d. A chemical reaction in which glycerin is turned into diesel fuel
6. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of biodiesel?
a. It can be used directly in most diesel engine types with only a few modifications
b. It is non-toxic and biodegradable
c. It is far more energy efficient, releasing over 3x as much energy as is needed to produce it
d. It gets higher gas mileage gallon for gallon
C OPYRIGHT C RAIG K OHN, W ATERFORD WI 2012. A VAILABLE FOR PUBLIC USE PROVIDED THE AUTHOR IS CITED .
7. How much CO2 does biodiesel produce?
a. More than it absorbs
b. Less than it absorbs
c. The same amount as it absorbs
d. More than petroleum diesel fuel
8. Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of biodiesel?
a. It will dissolve or corrode certain kinds of metals, rubbers, and plastics
b. It is more toxic than petroleum diesel
c. It spoils over time
d. It requires far more land to produce than is available to meet the nation’s transportation energy needs
9. After the transesterification reaction with oil, what should we see?
a. A clear-ish layer of yellow biodiesel on top, with dark glycerin on the bottom
b. A clear-ish layer of yellow glycerin on top, with dark biodiesel on the bottom
c. A cloudy mix of biodiesel and glycerin
d. A batch of biodiesel ready to be put straight into an engine
10. What does it mean to “wash” your biodiesel?
a. To allow the biodiesel to sit in the open air as water evaporates from it
b. To treat your biodiesel with petroleum diesel fuel to absorb any impurities
c. To use glycerin (soap) to remove harmful lipids
d. To rinse your biodiesel with water to absorb and remove impurities and un-reacted reagents.
11. What does it mean to “dry” your biodiesel?
a. To allow the biodiesel to sit in the open air as water evaporates from it
b. To treat your biodiesel with petroleum diesel fuel to absorb any impurities
c. To use glycerin (soap) to remove harmful lipids
d. To rinse your biodiesel with water to absorb and remove impurities and un-reacted reagents.
12. As biodiesel dries, it should become….
a. Darker b. Clearer c. Cloudier
d. Thicker
13. Biodiesel is only a partial solution to the energy needs of our nation because…
a. It is less energy-efficient than diesel fuel, releasing less energy than it needs to produced
b. Biodiesel does not work without costly and dramatic changes to diesel engines
c. It produces more CO2 than petroleum diesel fuel
d. Biodiesel requires vast amounts of land to produce enough oil for the transesterification process
14. Biodiesel can become explosive if ___________ materials are used in its production
a. Glass b. Wood c. Plastic d. Ceramic
15. The first diesel engine ran on fuel made from
a. Petroleum b. Corn c. Soybeans d. Peanuts
C OPYRIGHT C RAIG K OHN, W ATERFORD WI 2012. A VAILABLE FOR PUBLIC USE PROVIDED THE AUTHOR IS CITED .