1. Construct a bar graph showing the amount of corn used for U.S. ethanol
production. Use the following USDA information. Amounts are in million
bushels.
Year|Bushels Year|Bushels Year|Bushels Year|Bushels
1979 - 7 1980 - 12 1981 - 25 1982 - 90
1983 - 150 1984 - 205 1985 - 247 1986 - 305
1987 - 340 1988 - 350 1989 - 365 1990 - 395
1991 - 400 1992 - 460 1993 - 480 1994 - 515
1995 - 570 1996 - 400 1997 - 520 1998 - 570
1999 - 600 2000 - 640
2. Construct a line graph showing the amount of ethanol produced in the U.S. Use
the following IBIS (Branch office of Gist Brocades International) information.
Amounts are in million gallons.
Year | Gal. Year | Gal. Year | Gal. Year | Gal.
1981 - 90 1982 - 200 1983 - 400 1984 - 450
1985 - 600 1986 - 700 1987 - 800 1988 - 800
1989 - 850 1990 - 962 1991 -1000 1992 -1200
1993 -1300 1994 -1350 1995 -1450 1996 -1000
1997 -1300 1998 -1400 1999 -1500 2000 -1600
3. Write a one page essay on one of the following topics/questions.
a. What are the differences between renewable and non-renewable energy?
b. What is alternative energy?
c. Why is the quality of air important to you?
d. How does the use of ethanol affect you? Iowa? United States?
e. Who or what groups stand to gain the most from greater use of ethanol?
f. Who or what groups stand to gain the most from less use of ethanol?
g. What are the affects of using ethanol (E-10) on national security?
h. Why should a driver who lives in an urban area use or not use ethanol?
i. What reasons might a farmer use to convince another farmer to use
or not use ethanol?
j. Besides ethanol, what other products are made during its production?
k. What might happen to meat and milk prices if more corn is used to make
ethanol?
l. Compare the efficiency of a school bus to personal cars being used to
transport 31 students to and from school.
4. Write a research paper on one of the following topics/questions.
· The effects of large scale use of ethanol as a fuel.
· The effects of using ethanol blends in automobiles.
· Economic impacts of increased use of ethanol.
· The need for government support for ethanol.
· The production of ethanol.
· The need for alternative fuels.
5. Determine how many acres or square miles in Iowa are used to produce corn.
Outline this area on an Iowa map. Shade the portion going to the production
of:
a. ethanol
b. livestock feed
c. food for people
6. Organize a debate on "The national government should act to encourage the use
of ethanol blends in motor vehicles". Designate teams of 2 or 3 students to
research and argue both sides of the issue. Let the class judge which team
did the best job or which side had the best case.
7. Develop a promotional campaign to encourage ethanol use. Design a display
advertisement, bumper sticker, poster, slogan, jingle, character, rap song,
and/or logo.
8. Write a short story or essay, using as many related corn or ethanol vocabulary
words as possible. For example: Kernel Korn spent many hours in the cornfield
with his wife Ethyl and son Cornelius during the planting season. The Kernel
was affectionately known as "pop" to his neighbors.
9. Design a mural or book cover showing relationships between natural resources,
farms, technology, transportation, and people.
10. Write a song or poem about ethanol, using the information you have found in
this material.
11. Organize a debate about energy used in transportation. Divide the class into
transportation groups such as: fossil (gasoline, diesel), renewable, electric,
solar, nuclear vehicles, wind powered vehicles. Allow one class period for
groups to research and list advantages and disadvantages of their fuel source.
Assign each group a number. Roll dice or a spinner to identify which group
gets to speak. A spokesperson identifies the group and its intention, and
states a fact. (example: I'm from fossil fuels. I'd like to move up a step as
there is no harmful radiation released when using gasoline.) The group
moves up a step forward. Determine the next group to speak. (example:
I'm from the nuclear vehicles. I wish to move fossil fuels back because
the NOx emissions contribute to photochemical smog.) Continue until
a group reaches the goal. Penalize a group a step for repeating or giving
wrong information. Decisions by the judge (teacher) are final! Lead a
follow-up discussion. Did any fuel make it to the top or to the bottom?
Where did each group finish? Do the final positions reflect the nation's
energy mix?
12. Organize a field trip. All aspects of production or use related to ethanol or
other alternative fuels are useful reinforcement to students whether they
deal with technology on local farms, in research labs, manufacturing plants,
distribution centers, fuel pipeline terminals, or where products and
co-products are used.
13. Demonstrate or test for the amount of alcohol present in gasoline. This can be
done using a "water extraction method" . A graduated glass cylinder, usually
100 milliliters (ml), is used for the test. Place 100 ml of the gasoline
sample in the graduated cylinder. Add 10 ml of water into the cylinder,
stopper the top, and shake thoroughly for one minute. Set aside for two
minutes. If no alcohol is present, the 10 ml of water will settle to the
bottom of the cylinder. If alcohol is present, the alcohol will drop to the
bottom along with the water, increasing the bottom layer to greater than
10 ml. Subtract 10 from total bottom layer and remainder will be the
percentage of alcohol in the gasoline.
14. Complete an ethanol lab or demonstration. This lab or demonstration provides
students with firsthand experience in the processes involved in fermentation
ethanol production from the raw material stage through fermentation,
distillation, and to the end product. This should not be attempted without
proper laboratory equipment and all lab safety procedures must be followed.
See procedure sheet on following page.
AN ETHANOL PRODUCTION LAB OR DEMONSTRATION
This lab provides students with experience in the processes involved in fermentation
ethanol production from the raw material stage, through fermentation and
distillation, to the end product.
CAUTION: This process produces materials unfit to consume.
CAUTION: Before this lab is attempted, a science lab safety unit must have been
successfully completed. Teachers or students should not attempt this lab without
proper laboratory equipment and they must follow proper lab safety procedures.
This lab will require careful observing, recording, measuring, analyzing,
interpreting data, and controlling variables.
Prepare the Malt:
Note: It will take approximately two weeks to prepare the malt.
Materials needed: thermometer, stirring rod, distilled water, balance or scale,
corn seed, towels, plastic
Procedure:
1. Soak at least 20 grams of corn seeds in a container of warm water for
24 hours.
2. Drain water, add more warm water, allow to soak for 15 minutes, drain
water.
3. Spread the soaked seeds on a wet towel, cover with another wet towel,
then cover with plastic.
4. Keep towels moist while seeds sprout.
5. When sprouts reach a length of one inch, remove sprout and seed and
let dry.
6. After dry, grind the sprout and seed (now called malt) for use in the
mash.
Prepare the Mash:
Materials needed: thermometer, stirring rod, distilled water (preheated and room
temperature), balance or scale, beakers, Erlenmeyer flasks, lab
toweling, pH paper, sulfuric acid, burner apparatus or hot plate,
safety glasses, corn (shelled, meal, or flour), grinding apparatus
(manual grinder or boards), Malt and Yeast, test tube, sugar,
graduated cylinder
Procedure:
1. In a beaker, mix 50 g of corn with 300 ml of preheated distilled water.
2. Add 1 or 2 drops of sulfuric acid to adjust pH to 5 (to be done by
the teacher).
3. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Boil for 15 minutes.
4. Set aside and allow to cool while stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
5. In an Erlenmeyer flask, mix 12 g of ground malt with 100 ml of
distilled water. Set aside for later use.
6. Prepare the yeast. In a test tube, mix 0.5 g of yeast with 20 ml of
warm (29°C or 85°F) water. Add a pinch of sugar and watch for
bubbling to show yeast is active. Set aside for later use.
7. Carefully cool mash (from step 4) to 63°C (145°F) while stirring
occasionally. (It may be necessary to place beaker in warm, cool,
then ice water.)
8. Add malt solution (prepared in step 5).
9. Allow to cool to 28°C (83°F), then stir in yeast solution (prepared
in step 6).
10. Cover beaker with a glass or plastic top, or transfer the mixture to
an Erlenmeyer flask.
11. Let stand at room temperature 10-14 days.
NOTE: When bubbling stops, fermentation has ended. In anaerobic (no oxygen)
conditions, yeast get energy from sugar by fermentation. In doing so, they produce
ethanol, carbon dioxide, and heat.
Questions:
1. What evidence is there that a reaction is occurring?
2. How could you prove that this reaction is fermentation?
3. What evidence is there that energy is being released?
Distillation:
A Distillation Apparatus
Materials needed:
cloth, beakers, burner set-up, flask, stopper, glass tubing, condenser tube,
electrical tape, two small graduated cylinders, 4 petri dishes, matches, wood
board, lab grade ethanol, safety glasses.
Procedure:
1. Set up distillation apparatus (obtain Teacher's approval before
continuing).
2. Squeeze fermented mash (beer) through a cloth into the Erlenmeyer
flask OR while being very careful not to disturb the mash, use a
pipette to draw off the top clear layer of liquid.
3. Transfer liquid into distillation apparatus.
4. Distill the first 10% (approximate) of the beer into the graduated
cylinder. (Ethanol evaporates first, so you should get mostly
ethanol with the first 5ml that are distilled.)
5. Carefully smell the fuel by using your hand to slowly fan the
vapors toward your nose. Compare the smell to lab grade ethanol.
6. UNDER TEACHER'S SUPERVISION, pour the ethanol fuel into a pyrex Petri
dish and light it with a match. Compare it to the burning of lab
grade ethanol.
State your observations: ______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
What differences were found in the odor of the manufactured ethanol to the lab
sample?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Describe differences in the ethanol samples while they were burning.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Return to previous page