Test your bioenergy knowledge. After you find the correct answer click OK to go on to the next question. Click on images to see a larger version or view the source.
Which country uses the most oil?
China
Brazil
United States
Russia
What problems are associated with a reliance on fossil fuels for transportation?
Carbon dioxide emissions and global warming
Fossil fuels are in limited supply
Dependence on foreign countries for resources
Prices of goods we buy are linked to the price of oil
All of the above
How is the government planning to reduce our dependence on oil?
Increasing the supply of alternative transportation fuels
Mandating an increase in the average miles per gallon in the vehicle fleet
Funding research on biofuels
All of the above
What percent of our current gasoline does the government estimate we could reasonably replace with ethanol?
100%
80%
50%
30%
What is the most abundant organic compound on earth?
Cellulose
Water
Starch
DNA
True or False? Growing plants for biofuels reduces our ability to produce enough food to feed the world.
True
False
What are potential sources of biofuel?
Corn stover
Switchgrass
Sugarcane
Wood
All of the above
Your friend asks you why Brazil is energy independent, but the United States is not. You reply…
Brazil is located near the equator and can grow sugarcane, which is easier to convert to ethanol than other plant feedstocks. Sugarcane doesn’t grow well in most of the United States.
Over 85% of new cars sold in Brazil in 2008 were flex fuel, allowing the use of ethanol as a transportation fuel. In the US flex fuel vehicles are less than 10% of sales.
Both countries produced roughly the same amount of ethanol in 2007, however, the United States consumes 10 times transportation fuel than Brazil, making it harder for us to meet energy demands.
Brazil produces more oil than it consumes.
All of the above
The bulk of dried biomass in a plant comes from...
Soil
The atmosphere
True or False? Lower levels of CO2 emissions are associated with the production and consumption of cellulosic ethanol compared to gasoline, therefore its use may help reduce global warming.
