It seems that every year when the summer travel
season comes around, the price of gasoline
goes up. Because most Americans depend upon
personal vehicles to get from one place to
another, this increase in price affects all
of us. Gasoline is one of the products of the
petroleum refining process. Much of the petroleum
used in the United States is imported from
overseas. This means that gasoline prices are
tied to the prices that oil-exporting countries
charge for crude oil.
However, it doesnt have to be this way. For
the last thirty years, many researchers and
scientists have been experimenting with alternatives
to gasoline. Some alternative fuels have been
developed that can be added to gasoline to
reduce the overall cost. Other alternative
fuels can be used directly in present-day engines.
Most alternative fuels can be considered renewable
resources because they can be replenished easily,
and can never run out. Petroleum, on the other
hand, is a nonrenewable resource that can be
used up. What are alternative fuels? Where
do alternative fuels come from? What alternative
fuels are in use today? In this WebQuest, you
will explore the topic of alternative fuels
and find the answers to some of these questions.
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Your job in this WebQuest is to discover what
alternative fuels are, and find out how the
use of such fuels can reduce overall air pollution
from vehicles. You will explore the different
types of alternative fuels, and identify those
that appear to be most cost-effective. You
will also learn about other energy sources
that could be used to power vehicles. Finally,
you will answer a set of questions about alternative
fuels to demonstrate what you have learned.
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Look at the web sites given here to find the
information that will enable you to answer
questions about alternative fuels.
- Alternative
Fuels Data Center. Visit this
U.S. Department of Energy site to learn
all about alternative fuels, alternative
fuel vehicles, and refueling sites. Scroll
down and click on frequently asked questions
to find out the definition of alternative
fuels. Explore the site for information
on biodiesel fuel, electric fuel, ethanol,
methanol, hydrogen, natural gas, propane,
and more.
- Alternative
Fuels. Go to this Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) site to learn
more about alternative fuels. Scroll
down and click on clean fuels: an overview
to find out what clean fuels are and
how they can reduce overall vehicular
air pollution.
- Bio
Energy. Visit this site
by the Farm Service Agency of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to learn how
this agency seeks to expand the industrial
consumption of agricultural products
by promoting their use in the production
of bioenergy, primarily ethanol and biodiesel
fuel.
- The
BioEnergy Home Page. Go
to this site to find out all about bioenergy,
bioconversion, and bioprocess technology.
Although this is a more technical site
intended for those in the energy industry,
you can scroll down and click on frequently
asked questions for a brief explanation
of how biomass energy forms.
- National Renewable
Energy Laboratory. Go to this
U.S. Department of Energy site to read
about this laboratory where scientists
evaluate biomass fuels such as ethanol
and methanol, as well as other renewable
energy resources such as hydropower and
wind energy.
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1 class period for research and answering
the set of questions
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Read through the following set of questions
before you begin your Internet research. As
you explore each site, look for answers to
the questions.
Questions about Alternative Fuels
- What is an alternative fuel?
- Give three examples of alternative fuels.
- What is biomass?
- Give three examples of biomass fuels.
- What are the four types of biomass that
can be converted into alternative fuels?
- What is bioenergy?
- What is biodiesel fuel? What is it made
from?
- What is ethanol? What is it made from?
- What is methanol? What is it made from?
- How is biomass converted to ethanol?
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In the process of completing this WebQuest,
youve become informed about alternative fuels
that can be used to power vehicles. You have
learned what biomass is and how it can be used
to produce a wide variety of alternative fuels.
You have also learned more about renewable
energy resources. You have developed research
skills as you explored the web sites given
and identified the relevant information to
answer the set of questions above. Did you
know that there are many different names for
alternative fuels produced from living things?
Besides alternative fuels, what other types
of renewable resources might be used to power
vehicles?
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