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1. The Grand Canal was important for China, trade wise, because it was the most efficient way for the Yangzi River valley's crops to go to the other regions in the north. Water ways were the best way to transport food and other goods, but China was at a disadvantage because their rivers mainly flowed from west to east. A man-made canal could really be the only way to support trade from north to south.

Algae Project

Outline:

• why fossil fuels are bad (why algae is better) √
• define and explain algae √
• advantages (cost vs. cost of f.f.) √
• efficiency √
• best used as... √
• environmental impact √
• 12-15 slides

PROS:

• can grow in sewage and wastewater
• cost less for biodiesel production than fossil fuels
• grows fast
• doesn't create toxins
• biomass grows in low-cost bioreactors
• Algae biofuel is carbon neutral; only emits C02 that it absorbs.
• Algae biofuel can become price competitive with oil
• There are no soil requirements for algae biofuel
• Algae biofuel is biodegradable
• Algal fuels do not impact fresh water resources.
• Algae can be used to filter C02 from coal plants and create biofuel
• Algae does not compete with food resources like other biofuels

CONS:

• Using algae to filter coal then burning it emits captured C02.
• Lining ponds to meet groundwater regulations is expensive.
• Algae biofuel has to be created from scratch
• Algae biofuel requires too much land, harming the environment.
• Some argue industrial algae biofuel depends on dense C02 from coal plants

There are no soil requirements for algae biofuel

* $20-$30 production cost

*$1.40-$4.40 per gallon (slightly more than regular gas, but what's more important? Earth or our wallets?)

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS:

• Filters CO2 from coal plants
• doesn't impact water sources (save the whales!)
• all natural basically
• doesn't create toxins
• sewage treatment plants

EFFICIENCY:

• 5000 gallons per year per acre ☻(biodiesel)

PROBLEMS WITH FOSSIL FUELS:

• A lot of fossil fuels are needed to create enough electricity for all of us.
  
• Fossil Fuels are not renewable, and eventually we willl run out of them.
  
• When they are burnt carbon dioxide can be created which is part of the "greenhouse effect", and when certain fossil fuels are burnt sulfur dioxide can be created which causes acid rain.

DEFINITION:

• are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms. The largest and most complex marine forms are called seaweeds. They are photosynthetic, like plants, and "simple" because they lack the many distinct organs found in land plants.

BEST USED AS:

• Algae are among the fastest growing plants in the world, and about 50 percent of their weight is oil. That lipid oil can be used to make biodiesel for cars, trucks, and airplanes.

ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel blended w/ gasoline to produce lower emmisions
biodiesel- clean burning alternative fuel