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Accent: Biomass
Energy June, 2003
The Tennessee Energy Education Network compiled this ACCENT unit. ACCENT units
are designed to put a wide variety of information about an energy topic at your fingertips.
Each unit is designed to bring lots of resources on one topic to your desktop. These ideas
and materials are compiled from a variety of sources.
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Questions About Biomass – Page 2
2. Biomass Trivia – Pages 3-4
3. Biomass Organizations – Page 5
4. Transparencies To Request – Page 5
5. Inexpensive Materials to Order – Page 6
6. News Stories About Biomass – Pages 7-8
7. Related Web Sites – Page 9
BIOMASS STORIES:
8. Biomass Story: Mai – Page 10
9. Biomass in Literature: The Sudden Storm – Pages 11-12
10. First Person Account: The Franklin Stove – Pages 13-14
ACTIVITIES:
11. Great Rock Performance – Page 15
12. It‘s A Gas! – Page 16
13. Gas From Biomass – Pages 17-18
14. How Much Biomass Is Produced by 1 Sq. Meter of a Local Weed? – Page 19
15. Peanut Power – Pages 20-21
16. Background Information – Pages 22-24
17. Correlation with Tennessee Science Accomplishments – Page 25
18. Contacting Us – Page 25
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1. QUESTIONS ABOUT BIOMASS
Q. What is Biomass?
A. Biomass is material that was once a living thing, such as wood, some garbage, or
leftover sugarcane stalks. We can burn biomass to heat water to make steam to turn
a turbine to turn a generator to make electricity.
Q. Where can we get biomass?
A. Garbage and refuse can be collected in large cities. Sawdust, bark and other wood
parts are left over when trees are made into lumber. In Hawaii, they burn leftover
sugarcane stalks. Trees can be grown just to use as fuel.
Q. Why use biomass?
A. Burning leftover plant products or garbage helps solve the problem of disposing of
waste. Plants will grow again with enough time. They are renewable. Transporting
biomass is expensive. Burning coal or oil gives a lot more heat than the same amount
of biomass.
From “Sources of Electricity” Energy Skill Builder
2
2. BIOMASS TRIVIA
1. Biomass is a form of solar energy stored in a wide variety of plant and animal organic
matter.
2. The key process in the creation of biomass, photosynthesis, uses sunlight to convert
carbon dioxide and water into higher energy products with as carbohydrates and oxygen.
3. Forest materials and residues, grains, crops, animal manures and aquatic plant are the
principal resources of biomass.
4. Biomass is the oldest source of energy known. For thousands of years, people have
burned wood for both heat and protection.
th
5. Fossil fuels replaced wood as the prime energy source in the 20 century.
6. Biomass is 50-90% water.
7. Wood is the major biomass resourc
8. Biomass is any organic matter – wood, crops, seaweed, animal wastes –that can be used
as an energy source.
9. Biomass provides the U.S. with about 3% of its energy.
10. 79% of the biomass energy used today comes form wood and wood waste. The remaining
21% come from crops, garbage, landfill gas, and alcohol fuels.
11. Ethanol (an alcohol fuel) is made by adding yeast to corn, wheat, or other crops. It is a
clean-burning fuel, but cars can‘t run on ethanol without expensive changes to their
engines. When ethanol is mixed with gasoline, the mixture is called gasohol. Cars can run
on gasohol without any changes to the engine.
12. Burning biomass produces carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. The biomass has taken in
an equal amount of carbon dioxide, however, during its growth, so the level of carbon
dioxide does not change using biomass.
From Transparent Energy: Biomass. (National Energy Education Development Project (NEED).
Project.) The NEED Project has a Membership kit available, valued at $35, which contains fact books,
activity ideas, competition opportunities and games that reinforce learning. The kit is available for
$35.00 from NEED (www.need.org) or at a reduced rate of $5.00 by contacting the Tennessee
Energy Education Network, 1-800-342-1340 or www.tnenergy.com
13. Light is an essential ingredient for producing biomass. Plants grown in the dark will weigh
less than those grown in the light.
14. All green plants use photosynthesis to produce biomass. The average efficiency of
photosynthesis is about 3%. (A plant converts about 3% of the sun‘s energy to plant
materials.) Not all plants use sunlight with the same efficiency since plant growth depends
on many factors.
15. Corn produces about seven times more biomass than the other grains.
16. Burning dry wood produces about twice as much heat as green wood because much of the
stored energy in green wood is used to heat the contained moisture. This energy is
wasted.
17. Freshly-cut wood should be left to dry naturally for at least 6 months to a year before using
it in a fireplace.
18. Since vegetable oil forms a solid film when exposed to air, it is used in paint. Special
chemicals are added to the paint to speed up the process. Although adding antioxidants to
3
vegetable oil slows the solidification process, it is not a good automobile lubricant. High
engine temperatures would break down the vegetable oil.
19. Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are the main nutrients for plant growth and
production. Nitrogen is responsible for rapid growth and dark green leaves. All
plants nee it. Phosphorous is important for the root growth of every type of plant.
It helps plats develop sturdiness and aids in the production and maturation of
flowers and fruit. Potassium balances the growth and ripening influences of
nitrogen and phosphorus. Potassium is necessary for all growth, especially in the
roots and buds.
20. Compost costs essentially nothing and uses less energy in its production than
fertilizer. Fertilizer is a very energy-intensive product and, in large part, is made
from natural gas and/or petroleum. For biomass to be a viable substitute for
nonrenewable energy resources, it should ideally be grown with a minimum of
energy-intensive materials and methods.
From Science Activities in Energy: Biomass, DOE, 1991. This publication, with 12 biomass
experiments is out of print. If you would like a copy of the experiments, contact Anne Allen
at allen_ac@roanestate.edu
4
3. BIOMASS ORGANIZATIONS
American Forest Foundation/ Project Learning Tree
1111 19th Street, NW., Suite 780
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202)-463-2462
Fax: (202)-463-2461
Email: information@plt.org
Web: http://www.affoundation.org/
Web: http://plt.org
Midwest Renewable Energy Association
7558 Deer Road
Custer, WI 54423
Phone: (715) 592-6595
Fax: (715) 592-6596
Email: info@the-mrea.org
Web: http://www.the-mrea.org
U.S. Department of Energy
Bioenergy Feedstock Development Program
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
PO Box 2008
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6422
Phone: 865-574-7364
Fax; 865-576-8143
Email: bfdp@ornl.gov
Web: http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/
U.S. Department of Energy
National Alternative Fuels Hotline
9300 Lee Highway
Fairfax, VA 22031
Phone: 1-800-423-IDOE or (703) 934-3183
Fax: 703-934-3183
Email: hotline@afdc.nrel.gov
Web: http://www.afdc.doe.gov
4. TRANSPARENCIES TO REQUEST
For a copy of these transparency masters, send an email to Anne Allen
(allen_ac@roanestate.edu ) or call 1-800-342-1340.
Transparencies:
The Carbon Cycle
U.S. Consumption of Biomass
Process of Photosynthesis
Energy Products from Biomass
Production of Gasohol
U.S. Biomass Resources
5
5. INEXPENSIVE MATERIALS TO ORDER
RENEWABLE ENERGY ACTIVITIES. Grades 7-10
Seven activities on solar, wind and biomass energy, as well as energy values and attitudes.
may be reproduced . $4.00. Check or money order must be made out to the Research
Foundation of SUNY
New York Science, Technology and Society,
c/o W. Peruzzi,
89 Washington Avenue,
Rm. 674 EBA,
Albany, NY 12234
Phone: (518) 473-9471,
FAX: (518) 473-0858,
Website: http://www.nysed.gov
6
6. NEWS STORIES ABOUT BIOMASS ENERGY
Veggie Oil Strain Shows Promise In Car Engines
Environmental News Network
March 25, 2003
Altering the chemical structure of vegetable oil could make the molecule more resistant to
temperature changes and increase its use as a supplement to petroleum- based motor oil in
automobiles according to a team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The
researchers have increased the temperature, durability, and shelf life of soybean oil by reducing the
amount of double bonding in the molecule.
Vegetable-based oils such as soybean have been increasingly used in automotive and industrial
applications, but some businesses have been slow to place it in engines because of its higher cost
and unreliability at extreme temperatures. Researchers said it could be four years before the fluid is
tested in a real engine.
What A Gas!
From Mother Earth News,
June/July 2001
Cows, with their four-chambered stomachs and thorough chewing, have always been models of
digestive proficiency, as anyone who‘s dodged cow pies in a pasture can attest. Now, the byproduct
of all that chewing may be a step toward solving the energy crisis.
A small power plant currently under construction in northwestern Wisconsin will be fueled entirely by
the waste of 1800 grazing bovines. The plant will run off fuel converted from methane biogas,
generated during the decomposition of manure. The plant is expected to generate approximately 750
kilowatts of energy, enough to power up to 300 homes.
Alternative Fuel Brewing in Man’s Backyard
Associated Press,
October 19, 2001
The slick brown goo that Tom Leue concocts in his backyard chemistry lab isn‘t as appetizing as the
French fries it once cooked, but Leue gets plenty of mileage out of the used restaurant oil.
With a dash of wood alcohol and a sprinkle of lye, Leue brews the grease trap sludge into biodiesel,
an environmentally friendly fuel that powers diesel engines and heats homes. Biodiesel can be
produced from soybean oil or recycled vegetable oil from restaurants. It produces none of the carbon
monoxide or small particles created by burning traditional petroleum-based diesel fuel.
While Leue‘s operation is low tech, his product is high priced. At $2.50 a gallon, sales of Yellow Brand
Premium Biodiesel are sluggish in the few stores that sell it. Still, Leue churns out about 240 gallons a
week and says he has no surplus.
Barnyard Power
Katie Green in Popular Science
November 2001
The popularity of alternative fuels – especially manure, the most unglamorous fuel of all – waxes and
wanes with the price of energy. The equipment to turn animal waste into electrical power has been
around for decades, and yet only about 30 American farms have taken the plunge (some 400 have
done so in Europe.) But now, with energy prices high again, manure is getting another look.
Most manure-to-power facilities work according to this basic scheme: Manure is placed in an
anaerobic digester, which is designed to encourage the growth of bacteria. The bacteria convert the
carbohydrates in manure into biogas, a substance that consists mainly of methane and carbon
dioxide. The biogas is then piped to an engine where it is burned to produce electricity.
It takes 2.4 kilowatt-hours (KwH) of electricity to burn a 100-watt electric light bulb for a day. Here‘s
how much electrical energy is obtainable from the average daily droppings of three popular barnyard
animals-
Chicken - .012 kwh
Pig - .02 kwh
Cow – 3.0 kwh!
7
Biomass Fuels More Popular Again
UNISCI,
April 7, 2000
Worried by rising gas prices? Top off the tank with paper pulp. Fill ‗er up with maple chips. Drive
down the free way using cheese whey. As average U.S gasoline prices rise, proponents of using bio-
based fuels and chemicals are gaining converts.
Gasoline replacement research in the past has focused on ethanol derived from corn, but now
agricultural engineers are beginning to understand how biomass waste can also be used as a
substitute for petroleum.
Although waste biomass is a cheaper raw material than oil, there is a catch. The cost of converting
these raw materials to energy is the main drawback to commercialization.
8
7. RELATED WEB SITES
http://solstice.crest.org/
CENTER FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY.
THE definitive site for alternative energy sources.
http://veggievan.org
FRENCH FRIES AS FUEL
Natural, renewable resources such as vegetable oils and recycled restaurant greases can be
chemically transformed into clean-burning biodiesel fuels. As its name implies, biodiesel is like
diesel fuel except that it is organically produced. It is also safe for the environment,
biodegradable, and produces significantly less air pollution that diesel fuel. It even smells
better than diesel fuel—it smells like French fries, donuts, or barbecue. Ever thought of
making a cross-country road trip?
http://www.bera1.org/about.html
BIOMASS ENERGY RESEARCH ASSOCIATION
Has good detailed background information
http://www.eere.energy.gov/biopower/miscellan/bp_america.htm
BIOPOWER
http://www.eere.energy.gov/biopower/pictures/biomass.htm
PICTURES OF DIFFERENT BIOMASS SOURCES
http://www.nrel.gov/data/pix/
PHOTOGRAPHIC INFORMATION EXCHANGE
Pictures and images pertaining to biomass. A search for ―biomass‖ pictures will yield such
pictures as a sugarcane gasifier facility, woodchip-burning paper plant, eucalyptus trees
growing at Hawaiian tree farm, corn for ethanol production, an Ethanol 95 fuel pump, etc.
http://www.ott.doe.gov/biofuels/
BIOFUELS
http://www.sourcesofelectricity.com/info.html
SOURCES OF ELECTRICITY
Info on the major sources of electricity generation.
9
8. BIOMASS STORY: Mai
Mai lives on a farm in China with her mother and father. They raise pigs on their farm.
They grow corn to feed the pigs.
Every morning, Mai helps her mother feed the pigs. Every evening after school, Mai helps
her father feed the pigs.
On Saturday, they pick out the biggest pig and butcher it.
On Sunday, they go to the outdoor market in the village. They sell the meat. They buy
things they need.
Mai's farm is in the country. There is no electricity in her house. But Mai's house has lights
and a stove. They run on a special kind of gas, called biogas. Mai's family makes the
biogas on their farm.
Every day, Mai and her parents gather corn stalks from the fields. They gather the corn
cobs that the pigs don't eat. They collect the manure from the pigpens. They save their
own waste.
In Mai's back yard, there is a big container. They put all of the waste into it. They are
careful not to let in any air.
As the waste decays, it makes biogas. The biogas flows through a pipe into Mai's house. It
flows to the lights to keep the house bright. It flows to the stove. Mai's mother uses it to
cook food and keep the house warm. The biogas is clean. It doesn't make any smoke.
Mai's father empties the container when the waste has decayed. The waste that is left
makes good fertilizer. He spreads it on his fields. The corn grows tall to feed the pigs.
From Primary Stories and More (National Energy Education Development Project (NEED). Project.) The NEED
Project has a Membership kit available, valued at $35, which contains fact books, activity ideas, competition
opportunities and games that reinforce learning. The kit is available for $35.00 from NEED (www.need.org) or at
a reduced rate of $5.00 by contacting the Tennessee Energy Education Network, 1-800-342-1340 or
www.tnenergy.com
10
9. BIOMASS IN LITERATURE: The Sudden Storm
Mary was angry and so was Laura. They would have gone on quarreling, but suddenly
there was no sunshine. They ran to look through the bedroom window.
A dark cloud with a fleecy white underside was rolling fast from the northwest.
Mary and Laura looked out the front window. Surely it was time for Pa and Ma to come,
but they were nowhere in sight.
"Maybe it's a blizzard," said Mary. "Like Pa told us about," said Laura. They looked at
each other through the grey air. They were thinking of those children who froze stark stiff.
"The woodbox is empty," said Laura.
Mary grabbed her. "You can't." said Mary. "Ma told us to stay in the house if it stormed,"
Laura jerked away and Mary said, "Besides, Jack won't let you."
"We've got to bring in wood before the storm gets here," Laura told her. "Hurry!"
They could hear a strange sound in the wind, like a far-away screaming. They put on their
shawls and pinned them under their chins with their large shawl-pins. They put on their
mittens.
Laura was ready first. She told Jack, ―We've got to bring in wood, Jack." He seemed to
understand. He went out with her and stayed close at her heels. The wind was colder than
icicles. Laura ran to the woodpile, piled up a big armful of wood, and ran back, with Jack
behind her. She could not open the door while she held the wood. Mary opened it for her.
Then they did not know what to do. The cloud was coming swiftly, and they must both
bring in wood before the storm got there. They could not open the door when their arms
were full of wood. They could not leave the door open and let the cold come in.
―I tan open the door," said Carrie. ―You can't," Mary said. ―I tan, too!" said Carrie, and she
reached up both hands and turned the doorknob. She could do it! Carrie was big enough
to open the door.
Laura and Mary hurried fast, bringing in wood. Carrie opened the door when they came to
it, and shut it behind them. Mary could carry larger armfuls, but Laura was quicker.
They filled the woodbox before it began to snow. The snow came suddenly with a whirling
blast, and it was small hard grains like sand. It stung Laura's face where it struck. When
Carrie opened the door, it swirled into the house in a white cloud.
Laura and Mary forgot that Ma had told them to stay in the house when it stormed. They
forgot everything but bringing in wood. They ran frantically back and forth, bringing each
time all the wood they could stagger under.
They piled wood around the wood- box and around the stove. They piled it against the
wall. They made the piles higher, and bigger.
Bang! they banged the door. They ran to the woodpile. Clop-clop-clop they stacked the
wood on their arms. They ran to the door. Bump! it went open, and bang! they back-
bumped it shut, and thumpity-thud-thump! they flung down the wood and ran back,
outdoors, to the woodpile, and panting back again.
They could hardly see the woodpile in the swirling whiteness. Snow was driven all in
among the wood. They could hardly see the house, and Jack was a dark blob hurrying
beside them. The hard snow scoured their faces. . Laura's arms ached and her chest
panted and all the time she thought, "Oh, where is Pa? Where is Ma? and she felt "Hurry!
Hurry!" and she heard the wind screeching.
11
The woodpile was gone. Mary took a few sticks and Laura took a few sticks and there
were no more. They ran to the door together, and Laura opened it and Jack bounded in.
Carrie was at the front window, clapping her hands and squealing. Laura dropped her
sticks of wood and turned just in time to see Pa and Ma burst, running, out of the whirling
whiteness of snow.
Pa was holding Ma's hand and pulling to help her run. They burst into the house and
slammed the door and stood. panting, covered with snow. No one said anything while Pa
and Ma looked at Laura and Mary, who stood all snowy in shawls and mittens.
At last Mary said in a small voice, "We did go out in the storm, Ma. We forgot."
Laura's head bowed down and she said, "We didn't want to burn up the furniture, Pa, and
freeze stark stiff"
"Well, I'll be darned!" said Pa. "If they didn't move the whole woodpile in. All the wood I cut
to last a couple of weeks."
There, piled up in the house, was the whole woodpile. Melted snow was leaking out of it
and spreading in puddles. A wet path went to the door, where snow lay unmelted.
Then Pa's great laugh rang out, and Ma's gentle smile shone warm on Mary and Laura.
They knew they were forgiven for disobeying, because they had been wise to bring in
wood, though perhaps not quite so much wood.
From On The Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingles Wilder. (Harper and Row, Publishers, 1937)
12
10. FIRST PERSON ACCOUNT: The Franklin Stove
Benjamin Franklin was the most famous American of his day. Not only was he a great scientist, but also
the most popular American writer, our ambassador to our most important foreign ally, a successful
businessman, and one of the people who invented the system of government we still use 200 years later.
Franklin was also an inventor who used his understanding of science to solve people's problems. One of
his inventions that is still used is the Franklin Stove. In a Franklin
Stove, the hot air from a wood fire is drawn down around an iron
chamber in the back of the stove. As this happens, much of the heat
in the air is transferred to the iron and then to the air in the iron box,
which is let out into the room.
The description below is taken from an advertising pamphlet
Franklin wrote to sell his stoves.
The secret of Franklin's iron fireplace was a false back, which was
the front side of the hollow airbox. Smoke from the fire flowed up the
front of the airbox and then down the back of it. Room air flowed into
the hot airbox through a hole in the floor, and escaped from vents at
the top of the air box.
13
An Account of the Newly Invented Pennsylvanian Fire-Place by Benjamin
Franklin, Philadelphia, 1744
In these Northern Colonies the Inhabitants keep Fires to sit by, generally Seven Months in the
Year; that is, from the Beginning of October to the End of April; and in some winters near Eight
Months, by taking in part of September and May.
Wood, our common Fuel, which within these 100 Years might be had at every Man's Door,
must now be fetch'd near 100 Miles to some Towns, and makes a very considerable Article in
the Expense of Families.
As therefore so much of the Comfort and Conveniency of our Lives, for so great a Part of the
Year, depends on the Article of FIRE; - since Fuel is become so expensive, and (as the Country
is more cleared and settled) will of course grow scarcer and dearer; any new Proposal for
Saving the Wood, and for lessening the Charge and augmenting the Benefit of Fire, by some
particular Method of Making and Managing it, may at. least be thought worth Consideration.
The New Fire-Places are a late Invention to that purpose (experienced now three Winters by a
great Number of Families in Pennsylvania) of which this Paper is intended to give a particular
Account.
The Advantages of this Fireplace:
Its Advantages above the common Fireplaces are:
1. That your whole Room is equally warmed; so that People need not crowd round the Fire, but
may sit near the Window and have the Benefit of the Light for Reading, Writing, Needle- work,
etc. They may sit with Comfort in any Part of the Room; which is a very considerable Advantage
in a large Family, because all cannot conveniently come at One.
2. If you sit near the Fire, you have not that cold Draught of uncomfortable Air nipping your
Back and Heels, as when before common Fires, by which many catch Cold, being scorched
before and as it were froze behind.
3. If you sit against a Crevice, there is not that sharp Draught of cold Air playing on you, as in
Rooms where there are Fires in the common way; by which many catch cold, whence proceed
Coughs, Catarrhs, Toothaches, Fevers, Pleurisies and many other Diseases.
4. In Case of Sickness, they make most excellent Nursing-Rooms, as they constantly supply a
Sufficiency of fresh Air, so warmed at the same time as to be no way inconvenient or
dangerous.
5. In common Chimneys the strongest Heat from the Fire, which is upwards, goes directly up
the Chimney, and is lost; and there is such a strong Draught into the Chimney, that not only the
upright Heat, but also the back, sides and downward Heats, are carried up the Chimney by that
Draught of Air; and the Warmth given before the Fire by the Rays that strike out towards the
Room, is continually driven back, crowded into the Chimney, and carried up, by the same
Draught of Air. - But after the upright Heat, strikes and heats the Top Plate, which warms the
Air above it, and that comes into the Room. The Heat likewise which the Fire communicates to
the Sides, Back Bottom and AirBox, is all brought into the Room; for you will find a constant
Current of Warm Air coming out of the Chimney-Corner into the Room. Hold a Candle just
under the Mantle-Piece or Breast of your Chimney, and you will see the Flame bent outwards:
By laying a Piece of smoking Paper on the Hearth, on either Side, you may see how the
Current of Air moves, and where it sends, for it will turn and carry the Smoke with it.
6. Thus as very little of the heat is lost, when this Fire-Place is used, much less Wood*will serve
you, which is a considerable Advantage where Wood is dear.
From Energy 80.
14
11. ACTIVITY: Great Energy Rock Performance
(Parody on Achy, Breaky Heart)
ORIGINAL:
Don‘t tell my heart
My achy, breaky heart
I just don‘t think he‘d understand
Cause if you tell my heart
My achy, beaky heart
It might blow up and kill this man.
PARODY
Don‘t toss your trash
Recycle it for cash
Or burn it to make electric power
Trash just can‘t be beat
For makin‘ hot steam heat
And lighting up your darkest hour
From fields of corn
Ethanol is born
We use is as an auto fuel
We won‘t run out
Of biomass, o doubt
Because it is renewable
So don‘t toss your trash
Recycle it for cash.
Landfills should be our last resorts
Go out and tell the world
Tell every boy and girl
That biomass is a great resource.
From Rock Performances (National Energy Education Development Project (NEED).
Project.) The NEED Project has a Membership kit available, valued at $35, which contains
fact books, activity ideas, competition opportunities and games that reinforce learning. The
kit is available for $35.00 from NEED (www.need.org) or at a reduced rate of $5.00 by
contacting the Tennessee Energy Education Network, 1-800-342-1340 or
www.tnenergy.com
15
12. ACTIVITY: It’s A Gas!
Showing how the decay of organic materials can produce biogas (methane takes a few simple
ingredients. This activity is best performed as a demonstration that can be prepared in
advance.
Materials:
Empty 1 liter plastic bottle
Standard party balloon.
10g raw ground beef
2 lettuce leaves
Sand
Water
Caution: Students should not touch materials in this demonstration because of
bacterial growth.
Procedure:
1. Using rubber gloves, put about 10 g of raw ground beef
and 2 lettuce leaves torn into small pieces into the plastic
bottle. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
2. Pour about 2 tablespoons of sand into the bottle so that it
covers the meat and lettuce. Do not shake the bottle.
3. Slowly pour about 2 teaspoons of water into the bottle,
making sure that the water runs down the side of the bottle
and not directly onto the sand
.
4. Stretch the neck of the balloon over the mouth of the
bottle. Tie tightly with string and then place masking tape
over the string.
5. Place the bottle in a warm location where your students can
observe the balloon and the material in the bottle for the next
three days.
Questions
What happened to the material at the bottom of the bottle over the three-day period?
(The material began to decay.)
What happened to the balloon? (It inflated.)
What substance inflated the balloon? (Gas that formed during the decomposition.)
Note: When the demonstration is over, puncture the balloon in a well-ventilated
place and put everything in a large plastic bag for immediate disposal.
From National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) Project. The NEED Project has a Membership
kit available, valued at $35, which contains fact books, activity ideas, competition opportunities and games that
reinforce learning. The kit is available for $35.00 from NEED (www.need.org) or at a reduced rate of $5.00 by
contacting the Tennessee Energy Education Network, 1-800-342-1340 or www.tnenergy.com
16
13. ACTIVITY: Gas From Biomass
When organic material such as plant and animal waste decomposes or breaks down without oxygen,
gases are produced. In this activity, you will (1) look closely at the process of producing gas, (2) measure
the gas produced, and (3) identify factors that affect production of the gas.
It is important to understand the processes of gas production because (1) the gas can be used as a fuel,
and (2) if not properly controlled, gas produced from sewage--animal and plant waste--can be very
harmful. Sometimes the gas can cause an explosion. When the
gas is mixed properly with air, the mixture burns cleanly with a
blue flame.
Procedure
1. Each person has two plastic bags.
a. On one plastic bag (Bag 1), place a 3-inch strip
of masking tape. With a grease pencil, write your
name on the left corner of the tape.
b. Blow air into both bags. Close each bag tightly.
Look closely for air leaks by placing the bags in
water. Dry the bags. (Use only bags without leaks!)
2. Work in groups of four students.
One pair of students (p) will use PLANT waste. The
other pair of students (A) will use ANIMAL waste.
a. Students (p) place one large handful of PLANT
waste in the plastic bag WITHOUT the label (Bag
2). On Bag 1, write "p" on the label as instructed.
b. Students (A) place about two cups (0.51) of
ANIMAL waste in their Bag 2. On Bag 2 write "A"
on the label. HANDLE ALL PLASTIC BAGS WITH
CARE! DO NOT PRICK HOLES IN THEM.
3. Squeeze out all of the air from Bag 2.
a. Close the bag by twisting the top about 8 to 10 cm only. LEAVE ROOM FOR GAS
TO INFLATE THE BAG.
b. Loop the twisted part of the bag over and tie it
carefully. Let no air in or gas out!
4. Place Bag 2 (with waste) in Bag 1 (with the label).
a. Remove all of the air.
b. Close the bag as you did for Bag 1.
5. Estimate the volume of your double bag and its
contents.
a. Submerge the closed bag in water.
b. Measure the water that has b displaced.
c. Record this volume.
d. Dry the bag.
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6. Place the bag in a location as directed by the teacher.
a. Within each group, students select one warm location and one cool location.
b. Students (A) follow the same procedure. c.
Record the location on the masking tape with
grease pencil. Suggested locations:
- in a shaded or cool part of the room (20°)
- near a window with sunlight, or near a heater
(25°C)
- in an incubator, or under a warming box where
the temperature can be maintained
at about 32°C.
7. On an "INDIVIDUAL DATA SHEET," record
the bag identification, what is inside the bag, the
location of the bag, and temperature of the
location, the initial volume, and starting date.
8. Every day look carefully at your bag. On the daily observation chart, record any
changes (or no changes) for 5 to 10 days, or until some of the bags in the class seem
to be nearly full of gas.
9. Record the location and type of waste in the bags that seem to be the most nearly
full.
1O. To find the estimated final volume of your bag and its contents, submerge the
closed bag in water. Record the findings.
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14. ACTIVITY: How Much Biomass is produced by 1 Square Meter of
a Local Weed?
Materials:
An area with a lush growth of a local weed (kudzu, Johnson grass, honeysuckle,
thistle, hyacinth, etc.
Hoes, shovels
Bags
Balance Scale
Meter Stick
Procedure
1. Collect weeds (tops and roots) from one
square meter of lush growth of a local weed.
2. Wash off the soil, dry them with a paper
towel and weigh.
3. Dry the plants until they are crisp, then
weigh again.
4. Try this experiment using one square meter of cultivated growth like clover,
barley, or grass?
5. How do the weed and cultivated growth compare?
How much biomass could be produced in an acre of weeds? In an acre of
cultivated crops?
From Science Activities in Energy: Biomass, DOE, 1991. This publication, with 12 biomass experiments is
out of print. If you would like a copy of the experiments, contact Anne Allen at allen_ac@roanestate.edu
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15. ACTIVITY: Peanut Power
Use the energy in a peanut to heat water!
Just about everything has potential energy stored in it. The problem is releasing that energy to be able to do
some work. A tiny peanut contains stored chemical energy. When we eat them, the stored energy is converted
by out bodies so we can do work. We can also use the energy in a peanut to heat a container of water.
Materials:
A small bag/can of unsalted, shelled peanuts
A cork
A needle
Large metal juice or coffee can
Small metal can (like a soup can) with paper label removed
Can opener
Hammer
Large nail
Metal BBQ skewer (like the kind for kebobs)
About a cup of water
Thermometer
Some matches or a lighter
Procedure:
1. Carefully push the eye of the needle into the smaller end of the cork. Then gently push the
pointed end of the needle into a peanut. If you push too hard, the peanut will break. If it
does, use another peanut. It‘s also better to have the peanut at a slight angle.
2. Remove the two ends of the large juice can with the can opener. Be careful as the top‘s
and bottom‘s edge can be sharp!
3. Using the hammer and nail, have an adult punch holes around the bottom of the large
can. These are air holes that will make the can act like a chimney and will contain the heat
energy focusing it on the smaller can.
4. Remove the top end of the small can (if it is not
already removed). Using the hammer and nail,
punch two holes near the top of the small can
exactly opposite each other.
5. Slide the BBQ skewer through the holes of the
small can.
6. Pour ½ cup of water into the small can and let it
sit for an hour. This will allow the water to
heated or cooled to room temperature. (Munch
on some peanuts while you‘re waiting) Put the
thermometer into the water and record the
temperature on your paper.
7. Place the cork and peanut on a nonflammable surface. Light the peanut with a match or
lighter. Sometimes the peanut can be difficult to light, so the lighter may be easier to use.
8. As soon as the peanut has caught fire, immediately place the large can around the nut.
Balance the skewer holding the small can on the top of the large can. Allow the nut to burn
for several minutes or until it goes out. Stir the water with the thermometer and record the
temperature again.
You‘ll find that the chemical energy stored in the peanut was released and converted into
heat energy. The heat energy raised the temperature of the water in the small can.
Energy is measured in a unit called the Btu, which stands for British thermal unit. A Btu is
the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree
20
Fahrenheit. By using math, you can figure out how many Btu are in the one peanut (The plural
of BTU is still BTU, not BTUs).
First, you‘ll need to find out how heavy ½ cup of water is. Use a small scale and weight the
small can with nothing in it. Then weigh the can with ½ cup of water in it. That will tell you how
much the water weights.
Then, knowing how hot the water was, how many degrees its temperature was raised, you can
figure out roughly how many BTU are in the peanut. (This will be an approximate figure
because the entire peanut will not be completely burned…there is still some chemical energy
left inside the partially burned peanut. In order to measure the heat energy exactly, you would
need to use a sophisticated piece of machinery called a ―calorimeter‖.)
EXAMPLE: If the water weight four ounces (1/4 of a pound), one BTU would rais ethe water
temperature 4 degrees Fahrenheit So if your water temperature increased by 10 degrees (70
degrees at room temperature to 80 degrees), 10 dividied by 4 would mean the peanut
contained approximately 2.5 Btu
One Btu equals approximately:
One blue-tip kitchen match
0.252 kilogram Calories (food calories)
1000 BTU equal approximately:
One average candy bar
One hour of bicycling
4/5 of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
From Science Projects at http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/peanut.html
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16. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
WHAT IS BIOMASS?
Biomass is any organic matter (anything that was once alive) that can be used as an energy
source. Wood, crops, and yard and animal waste are examples of biomass. People have used
biomass longer than any other energy source. For thousands of years, people have burned
wood to heat their homes and cook their food.
Biomass gets its energy from the sun. Plants absorb sunlight in a process called
photosynthesis. With sunlight, air, water, and nutrients from the soil, plants make sugars called
carbohydrates. Foods that are rich in carbohydrates (like spaghetti) are good sources of
energy for the human body. Biomass is called a renewable energy source because we can
grow more in a short period of time.
USING BIOMASS
ENERGY
A wood log does not give off
energy unless you do
something to it. Usually, wood
is burned to make heat.
Burning is not the only way to
use biomass energy, though.
There are four ways to release
the energy stored in biomass:
burning, bacterial decay,
fermentation, and conversion
to gas/ liquid fuel.
Burning
Until the mid-1800s, wood was
the biggest energy provider in
the United States and the rest of the world. Wood heated homes and fueled factories. Today,
wood provides only a little of our country's energy needs.
Wood is not the only biomass that can be burned. Wood shavings, fruit pits, manure, and corn
cobs can all be burned for energy.
Garbage is another source of biomass. Garbage can be burned to generate steam and
electricity. Power plants that burn garbage and other waste for energy are called waste-to-
energy plants. These plants are a lot like coal-fired plants. The difference is the fuel.
Garbage doesn't contain as much heat energy as coal. It takes about 2,000 pounds of garbage
to equal the heat energy in 500 pounds of coal.
Sometimes, fast-growing crops like sugar cane are grown especially for their energy value.
Scientists are also researching ways to grow aquatic plants like seaweed to use for their
energy value.
Bacterial Decay
Bacteria feed on dead plants and animals. As the plants and animals decay, they produce a
colorless, odorless gas called methane. Methane gas is rich in energy. Methane is the main
ingredient in natural gas, the gas we use in our furnaces and stoves. Methane is a good
energy source. We can burn it to produce heat or to generate electricity.
In some landfills, wells are drilled into the piles of garbage to capture methane produced from
the decaying waste. The methane can be purified and used as an energy source, just like
natural gas.
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Fermentation
We can add yeast (another bacteria) to biomass to produce an alcohol called ethanol.
For centuries, people have fermented crops to make alcoholic drinks like beer and wine. Wine
is fermented from grapes. Wheat, corn, and many other crops can be used to make ethanol.
Ethanol is sometimes made from corn
to produce a motor fuel. Automobile
pioneer Henry Ford wanted to use
ethanol to power his cars instead of
gasoline.
Ethanol is more expensive to use than
gasoline. Usually, it is mixed with
gasoline to produce a fuel called
gasohol, which is 90 percent gasoline
and 10 percent ethanol. For cars to
run on ethanol, their engines would
have to be changed. But cars can run
on gasohol without changes. Adding
ethanol to gasoline results in a
cleaner burning fuel.
Conversion
Conversion means changing a
material into something else. Today,
we can convert biomass into gas and
liquid fuels. We do this by adding heat
or chemicals to the biomass.
The gas and liquid fuels can then be burned to produce heat or electricity, or it can be used as
a fuel for automobiles. In India, cow manure is converted to methane gas to provide heat and
light.
USE OF BIOMASS
Until the mid-1800s, wood gave Americans 90 percent of the energy we used. Today, biomass
gives us only about three percent of the energy we use. It has been replaced by coal, natural
gas, petroleum, and other energy sources.
Today, most of the biomass energy we use comes from wood. It accounts for 79 percent of
biomass energy. The rest comes from crops, garbage, landfill gas, and alcohol fuels.
Industry is the biggest user of biomass energy. Industry uses 77 percent of biomass energy to
make products. Homes are the second biggest users of biomass energy. About one in five
American homes burn wood for heat. Three percent use wood as their main heating fuel.
Power companies also use biomass to produce electricity. Biomass produces a very small
amount of the electricity we use in the U.S.
In the future, trees and other plants will be
grown to fuel power plants. Farmers will also
have huge farms of energy crops to produce
ethanol, an alcohol fuel, for transportation.
BIOMASS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Biomass can pollute the air when it is
burned, though not as much as fossil fuels.
Burning bio- mass fuels does not produce
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pollutants like sulfur that can cause acid rain.
Growing plants for biomass fuel may reduce greenhouse gases, since plants use carbon
dioxide and produce oxygen as they grow. Carbon dioxide is considered an important
greenhouse gas.
From Intermediate Energy Infobook from National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) at
http://www.need.org/needpdf/BIOMASSIntermediate.pdf. The NEED Project also has a Membership kit
available, valued at $35, which contains fact books, activity ideas, competition opportunities and games
that reinforce learning. The Membership kit is available for $35.00 from NEED (www.need.org) or at a
reduced rate of $5.00 by contacting the Tennessee Energy Education Network, 1-800-342-1340 or
www.tnenergy.com
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17. CORRELATIONS WITH TENNESSEE SCIENCE STANDARDS
1.10.2
Identify ways that earth resources benefit man.
K.14.1 1.14.1
Identify the sun as the source of earth’s heat and light energy.
Describe the effect of the sun’s energy on different materials.
2.2.13.2.1
Categorize objects as living or non-living
2.2.43.2.4
Recognize different types of pollutants
2.3.15.3.1
Compare how plants and animals satisfy their basic requirements for life.
3.3.27.3.2
Examine the major parts of plants and determine their functions.
2.10.2
Identify various methods to conserve earth resources
3.10.3 4.10.3 5.10.3 8.10.3
Identify materials and resources that can be reused.
8.10.4.a
Describe the different sources of energy used by man.
8.10.4.b
Analyze aspects of energy consumption by society.
8.10.5.a.1
Evaluate the effectiveness of various conservation strategies on the earth’s energy and natural resources.
5.14.1
Demonstrate and explain how energy can change form.
18. CONTACTING US
This e-newsletter is brought to you by the
Tennessee Energy Education Network,
William R. Snodgrass Building/ TN Tower,
312 8th Avenue North, 9th floor, Nashville, TN 37243-0405,
Phone: 1-800-342-1340 or 615-674-2994
Web: http://www.tnenergy.com/
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