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Ch. 20 vocab

Terms in this set (16)

biodiesel
Diesel fuel produced by mixing vegetable oil, used cooking grease, or animal fat with small amounts of ethanol or methanol in the presence of a chemical catalyst.
bioenergy
Energy harnessed from plant and animal matter, including wood from trees, charcoal from burned wood, and combustible animal waste products, such as cattle manure. Fossil fuels are not considered biomass energy sources because their organic matter has not been part of living organisms for millions of years and has undergone considerable chemical alteration since that time.
biofuels
fuel produced from biomass energy sources and used primarily to power automobiles.
biopower
the burning of biomass energy sources to generate electricity
breeder reactors
A nuclear reactor that creates more fissile material than it consumes, and uses primarily uranium- 238 and plutonium- 239. Although breeder reactors make better use of fuel, generate more power, and produce less waste than conventional reactors, most have been closed because of concerns over nuclear weapons proliferation.
cellulosic ethanol
Ethanol produced from the cellulose in plant tissues, by treating it with enzymes. Techniques for producing cellulosic ethanol are under development because of the desire to make ethanol from low value crop waste (residues such as corn stalks and husks), rather than from the sugars of high-value crops.
Chernobyl
Site of a nuclear power plant in Ukraine (Then part of the soviet Union), where in 1986 an explosion caused the most severe nuclear reactor accident the world has yet seen. As with the three mile island, the term is often used to denote the accident itself.
Ethanol
The alcohol in beer, wine, and liquor, produced as a biofuels by fermenting biomass, generally from carbohydrate-rich crops such as corn.
hydroelectric power
The generation of electricity using the kinetic energy of moving water.
meltdown
The accidental melting of the uranium fuel rods inside the core of a nuclear reactor, causing the release of radiation.
nuclear energy
The energy that holds together protons and neutrons within the nucleus of an atom. Several processes, each of which involves transforming isotopes of one element into isotopes of other elements, can convert nuclear energy into thermal energy, which is then used to generate electricity.
nuclear fission
The conversion of the energy within an atom's nucleus to usable thermal energy by splitting apart atomic nuclei.
nuclear fusion
The conversion of the energy within an atom's nucleus to usable thermal energy by forcing together the small nuclei of lightweight elements under extremely high temperature and pressure. Developing a commercially viable method of nuclear fusion remains an elusive goal.
nuclear reactors
A facility within a nuclear power plant that initiates and controls the process of nuclear fission in order to generate electricity.
run of river storage
Any of several methods used to generate hydroelectric power without greatly disrupting the flow of river water. Run of river approaches eliminate much of the environmental impacts of large dams.
Three mile island
Nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania that in 1979 experienced a partial meltdown. The term is often used to denote the accident itself, the most serious nuclear reactor malfunction that the united states has thus far experienced.
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