Title: Unit 14 Glossary
Course: BIS 105 Environmental Biology > Section: BIS 105 Environmental Biology

Unit 14 Glossary

Terms

Term | Definitions
biodiesel | A fuel usually made from soybean, canola, or other vegetable oils; animal fats; and recycled grease and oils. It can serve as a substitute for conventional diesel or distillate fuel.
biofuels | Liquid fuels and blending components produced from biomass materials, used primarily in combination with transportation fuels, such as gasoline.
biomass | Organic, non-fossil material of biological origin that is renewable because it can be quickly re-grown, taking up the carbon that is released when it is burned.
energy density | The energy contained in a volume or mass divided by the volume or mass it occupies. High energy density materials pack a large energy into a small space or mass; low energy density materials requi ...
geothermal energy | Hot water or steam extracted from geothermal reservoirs in the earth's crust. Water or steam extracted from geothermal reservoirs can be used for geothermal heat pumps, water heating, or electrici ...
geothermal plant | A power plant in which the prime mover is a steam turbine. The turbine is driven either by steam produced from hot water or by natural steam that heat source is found in rock.
nonrenewable fuels | Fuels that will be used up, irreplaceable.
photovoltaic cells | An electronic device consisting of layers of semiconductor materials that are produced to form adjacent layers of materials with different electronic characteristics and electrical contacts and be ...
point of production | The first (or at least an early) step in the energy chain, where the energy that ultimately will perform a function at the point of use is put into its working form. For gasoline-driven cars, this ...
point of use | The last step in the energy chain, where energy accomplishes its intended function. For vehicles, this is the conversion of chemical energy in gasoline cars or electric energy in battery cars to m ...
radioactive half-lives | The amount of time necessary to decrease the radioactivity of radioactive material to one-half the original level.
renewable fuels | Fuels that are never exhausted or can be replaced.