Course: BFM 101 Biofuels Fundamentals

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Assignment

Angela Karp Video Assignment

If you cannot see the video above, click here to open a tab to watch the video.

In this activity you will listen to the audio slide cast in which Dr Angela Karp from Rothamsted Research discusses some of the issues relating to the use of biofuels in the UK.

Rd. Angela Karp works at Rothamsted Research International, the largest horticultural research establishment in the UK. Her research group is particularly interested in looking at those plants species that grow well in the UK but which are not used as agricultural crops. They are investigating the ways of optimizing how such crops can be utilized for use as liquid biofuels. Listen to the slide cast and then answer the following questions.

(You may find it helpful to listen all the way through once, then read the questions before going back to listen again, pausing where appropriate to make notes.)

Answer the following questions in a one page paper:

1. What type of research is Angela Karp’s group doing?
2. What are the main difficulties in using woody crops as biofuels?
3. Which polymers within the cell wall contain the sugars? What other component of the cell wall makes it particularly difficult to access the sugar-containing polymers?

Once you have completed the assignment go to the Dropbox Folder in the Content Menu and click on "Dropbox: Angela Karp Video” to learn how to submit the assignment.

This assignment is an adapted extract from the Open University Course S173 Plants and People