Year 9 Science STEM Practical: How much energy can be released from biomass?
The purpose of this activity is:






to carry out a procedure that releases energy from biomass and captures some of it in
water
to learn about the use of waste product as an energy source
to record results carefully and calculate the energy released
to evaluate this procedure as a method for estimating the energy content of biomass
to learn to calculate, energy released from biomass in joules or kilojoules
to learn to calculate mean, mode and median
Procedure
SAFETY:
Make sure you tell your teacher if you have any food allergies and make sure those foods
are not being tested today.
If you start to feel ill during this activity, inform your teacher immediately.
Wear eye protection and aprons, tie long hair back while heating the foods.
Take care with mounted needles – especially as you are impaling biomass on them.
Materials (per group)
Biomass (4 different for example: orange peel, potato peel, seaweed, onion peel, etc)
Large test tubes 4x
Retort stand, clamp and bosshead 1x
Bunsen burner, 1 at each station
Heatproof mat, 1
Measuring cylinder, 50 cm3 or 100 cm3, 1
Mounted needle with wooden handle, 1 or paperclip with cork and alfoil
Tongs or forceps for biomass samples
Thermometer
Eye protection
Electronic scale (shared amongst class)
Water
Investigation
a Use the measuring cylinder to measure 20 cm3 of water into the boiling tube.
b Clamp the boiling tube to the clamp stand.
c
d
e
f
g
h
Measure the temperature of the water with the thermometer. Record the temperature
in a suitable results table.
Choose a piece of biomass and find its mass using the balance. Record the mass in the
table.
Impale the piece of biomass carefully on a mounted needle.
Light the Bunsen burner and hold the biomass in the flame until it catches alight.
As soon as the biomass is alight put it under the boiling-tube of water as shown. Try to
make sure as much of the heat from the burning biomass as possible is transferred to
the water, by keeping the flame under the tube (see the picture below).
Hold the biomass in place until it has burnt completely. If the flame goes out, but the
biomass is not completely burnt, quickly light it again using the Bunsen burner and
replace the waste product beneath the tube.
i
j
k
l
As soon as the biomass has burned away completely and the flame has gone out,
measure the temperature of the water again. Before measuring, stir the water carefully
with the thermometer and note down the highest temperature reached in the results
table.
Repeat the procedure for other biomass products.
Calculate the rise in temperature each time.
Calculate the energy released from each biomass by using this formula.
4.2 is the value of the specific heat capacity of water, in joules per gram per degree
Celsius – the number of joules taken to raise the temperature of water by 1ºC.
1 cm3 of water has a mass of 1 g.
If the number is more than 1000 J/g, express it as kilojoules (kJ):
1 kilojoule = 1000 joules
m Collect the whole class data and present it in a table
n Calculate the mean, mode and median for the class data
o Write a lab report with following subheadings : Title, Aim, Hypothesis, Variable
(dependant, independent, controlled), Materials, Method, Results, Discussion and
Conclusion
QUESTIONS
1
What is Biomass?
2
What is renewable energy?
3
Can we use similar technique that was used in this practical to produce energy for
household needs? Explain your answer.
4
Collect the results from all groups and present it in a table. Compare your answers for
the amount of energy in any biomass with the answers obtained by other groups in
the class.
5
What is the range of values measured by the class? Do any of the results look
anomalous? What is the mean average value? Calculate mode and median for the
class results.
6
This picture shows a piece of apparatus manufactured to measure the energy released
from food. It is called a calorimeter. List as many things as you can see that make it an
improvement to the apparatus used in your investigation.
Assessment
component
1)
EXPERIMENTAL
REPORT
Details/Objectives
A
B
C
D
Students complete the
experiment – Burning
Students accurately and
highly effectively
analyse trends in data,
identify relationships between
variables and reveal
inconsistencies in results.
Students mostly accurately
and
effectively analyse trends
in data, identify relationships
between variables and reveal
inconsistencies in results.
Students with occasional
accuracy and
effectiveness analyse trends
in data, identify relationships
between variables and reveal
inconsistencies in results.
Students critically and
logically analyse their
methods and the quality of
their data, and explain
specific actions to improve
the quality of their evidence.
Students logically
analyse their methods and
the quality of their data, and
explain specific actions to
improve the quality of
their evidence.
Students with some errors
but generally accurately
and
effectively analyse trends
in data, identify
relationships between
variables and reveal
inconsistencies in results.
Students coherently and
highly effectively use
appropriate language and
representations when
communicating their findings
and ideas to specific
audiences.
Students coherently and
effectively use appropriate
language and
representations when
communicating their findings
and ideas to specific
audiences.
Group work- Demonstrates
initiative in applying
constructive and focused
collaborative work skills.
Group work - Applies mostly
constructive and focused
collaborative work skills.
Biofuels: How
much energy
can be relisted
from biomass?
a) Complete the
experiment using
the method
prescribed.
b) Complete an
experiment report,
using the following
headings
TITLE
AIM
HYPOTHESIS
SAFETY
METHOD
RESULTS – TABLE
AND GRAPH
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION
Students make sense of the
position of
the mean and median in
skewed, symmetric and bimodal displays to describe
and interpret data coherently
and highly effectively.
Students make sense of the
position of
the mean and median in
skewed, symmetric and bimodal displays to describe
and interpret data coherently
and effectively.
Students analyse their
methods and the quality of
their data, and explain
specific actions to improve
the quality of
their evidence.
Students use appropriate
language and
representations when
communicating their
findings and ideas to
specific audiences.
Group work - Generally
constructive individual and
collaborative work skills.
Students make sense of
the position of
the mean and median in
skewed, symmetric and bimodal displays to describe
and interpret data generally
accurately and effectively
Students make an attempt
at analysing their methods
and the quality of their data,
and explain specific actions
to improve the quality of
their evidence.
Students communicates
basic information using
appropriate language and
representations when
communicating their findings
and ideas to specific
audiences.
Group work – Inconsistently
contributes to aspects of
collaborative work.
Students make sense of the
position of
the mean and median in
skewed, symmetric and bimodal displays to describe
and interpret data with
occasional accuracy.
E
Students attempt analyse trends
in data, identify relationships
between variables and reveal
inconsistencies in results.
Students analyse their methods
and the quality of their data, and
acknowledge the need for
improvements in one or more
procedures to improve the quality of
their evidence.
Students attempt to communicate
information using appropriate
language and representations when
communicating their findings and
ideas to specific audiences.
Group work - Shows emerging skills
in collaborative work.
Students attempts to make sense of
the position of
the mean and median in skewed,
symmetric and bi-modal displays to
describe and interpret data.