Biofuels and Green Technologies

Vocabulary terms covering biofuels, environmental impacts of fossil fuels, greenhouse gases, and green building technologies based on the lecture notes.

Biofuel

A renewable fuel that contains energy from recent photosynthesis and is produced from living organisms.

Fossil fuels

Organic substances found in underground deposits formed in previous geologic periods from plants and animals, such as coal, oil, and natural gas.

Sulfur dioxide ($SO_2$)

A particle released into the atmosphere primarily from burning coal.

Acid rain

Acidic deposition that occurs when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides react with oxygen and water in the atmosphere to form sulfuric and nitric acid.

Greenhouse effect

The process where carbon dioxide and other gases trap Infrared light in the atmosphere, preventing heat from dispersing into space.

Greenhouse gases

Atmospheric components including carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, CFCs, and methane that contribute to tropospheric warming.

Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii

The location where C.D. Keeling recorded a $25\%$ increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide over $150$ years.

Deforestation

The removal of trees, which results in more $CO_2$ in the atmosphere because there are fewer plants to perform photosynthesis.

Bioethanol

A type of alcohol made by the fermentation of sugars or starches, primarily from corn, sugar cane, or cellulosic biomass.

E85

A high-ethanol fuel blend specifically designed for Flex fuel vehicles.

Corn ethanol ratio

The energy efficiency measurement where approximately $1$ gallon of oil input produces only $1.2$ gallons of ethanol.

Sugar cane ethanol ratio

An energy-efficient biofuel production where $1$ gallon of fossil fuel input yields $8$ gallons of ethanol.

Cellulosic ethanol

Bioethanol made from breaking down farm waste, wood chips, and non-food grasses like switchgrass.

Saccharophagus degradans

A bacterium that produces enzymes useful for breaking down materials to create cellulosic ethanol.

Switchgrass ($Panicum virgatum$)

A perennial North American grass used as a bioenergy crop with a high energy output ratio of $1:20$.

Biodiesels

Modified plant vegetable oils, such as those from soybean and canola, used as fuel.

Green Algae

A potential future biofuel source that can produce up to $30$ times more energy per acre than other biofuels.

Sustainable architecture

A design approach that reduces the negative environmental impact of buildings through efficient use of materials, space, and design.

Green walls

Vertical surfaces covered with plants and a watering system designed to reduce building temperatures by trapping heat.

Green roofs

Living systems on top of buildings that use plants and a growing medium to absorb rainwater, provide insulation, and reduce energy usage by $26\%$.

WaterShed House

The energy-efficient, solar-powered house designed by the University of Maryland team that won the $2011$ Solar Decathlon.

Food loss

The depletion of food that occurs during the stages of production, harvest, transport, and processing.

Food waste

The intentional discarding of food that occurs at the level of supermarkets, restaurants, and consumers, estimated at $30\%$ globally.