Why are fossil fuels non-renewable?

They are used far faster than they form.

What happens in nuclear fission?

The nucleus of a large atom, such as uranium, splits and releases energy as heat.

Give one advantage and one disadvantage of nuclear power.

Advantage: no carbon dioxide when generating electricity. Disadvantage: radioactive waste stays dangerous for thousands of years.

A renewable fuel made from plants or animal waste.

How is ethanol made as a biofuel?

By fermenting sugar from crops such as sugar cane.

What is biodiesel made from?

Vegetable oils, such as palm or rapeseed oil, or waste cooking oil.

Give a problem with growing crops for biofuels.

Land used for fuel cannot grow food, so food prices may rise; forests may be cleared, releasing carbon and destroying habitats.

Give one disadvantage of hydrogen as a fuel.

It is a low-density gas that is hard to store, and it is flammable.

How do you calculate energy released per gram?

Energy per mole ÷ relative formula mass.

What does 'fair access' to energy mean?

Everyone can obtain and afford reliable energy.

Outline green chemistry.

Designing processes that make less waste, use less energy, use renewable materials and avoid harmful substances.

Energy resources and sustainabilityIB MYP Chemistry: Flashcards

Card 1 of 150 of 15 known

Question

What is a fossil fuel?

Tap or press Space to reveal

Tap card or press Space to flip

See all 15 cards

What is a fossil fuel?: A fuel formed from the remains of living things over millions of years: coal, crude oil or natural gas.
Why are fossil fuels non-renewable?: They are used far faster than they form.
Which gas from burning fossil fuels enhances global warming?: Carbon dioxide.
What happens in nuclear fission?: The nucleus of a large atom, such as uranium, splits and releases energy as heat.
Give one advantage and one disadvantage of nuclear power.: Advantage: no carbon dioxide when generating electricity. Disadvantage: radioactive waste stays dangerous for thousands of years.
What is a biofuel?: A renewable fuel made from plants or animal waste.
How is ethanol made as a biofuel?: By fermenting sugar from crops such as sugar cane.
What is biodiesel made from?: Vegetable oils, such as palm or rapeseed oil, or waste cooking oil.
Give a problem with growing crops for biofuels.: Land used for fuel cannot grow food, so food prices may rise; forests may be cleared, releasing carbon and destroying habitats.
What is the only product when hydrogen burns?: Water.
Give one disadvantage of hydrogen as a fuel.: It is a low-density gas that is hard to store, and it is flammable.
How do you calculate energy released per gram?: Energy per mole ÷ relative formula mass.
What is 1367 kJ per mole of ethanol (Mr = 46) in kJ g⁻¹?: 29.7 kJ g⁻¹.
What does 'fair access' to energy mean?: Everyone can obtain and afford reliable energy.
Outline green chemistry.: Designing processes that make less waste, use less energy, use renewable materials and avoid harmful substances.

Exam questions on Energy resources and sustainability

A city bus company in Japan is trialling buses that run on hydrogen. The hydrogen is made by electrolysis of water, using electricity from an offshore wind farm. The only substance released from the bus exhausts is water vapour.
Outline two disadvantages of using hydrogen as a fuel for buses.2 marks
Students in São Paulo, Brazil, compare two fuels for cars. Ethanol is made by fermenting sugar from sugar cane. Petrol contains octane, which comes from crude oil. The students use this data: burning one mole of ethanol releases 1367 kJ and its relative molecular mass is 46; burning one mole of octane releases 5470 kJ and its relative molecular mass is 114.
Calculate the energy released per gram of octane and state which fuel releases more energy per gram.2 marks
A school science club in Kenya investigates which liquid fuel releases more energy per gram. They burn ethanol and then paraffin in a spirit burner under a metal can containing 100 g of water. They record the starting and final water temperatures and the mass of fuel burned. Results: ethanol, temperature rise 18.0 °C, mass burned 1.50 g; paraffin, temperature rise 30.0 °C, mass burned 1.40 g. The specific heat capacity of water is 4.2 J g⁻¹ °C⁻¹.
Identify the independent variable, the dependent variable and one control variable in the club's investigation.3 marks

See the full worksheet

Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).