Corn for Fuel?!
In this activity, students examine how to grow plants the most efficiently. They imagine that they are designing a biofuels production facility and need to know how to efficiently grow plants to use in this facility. As a means of solving this design problem, they plan a scientific experiment in which they investigate how a given variable (of their choice) affects plant growth. They then make predictions about the outcomes and record their observations after two weeks regarding the condition of the plants' stem, leaves and roots. They use these observations to guide their solution to the engineering design problem. The biological processes of photosynthesis and transpiration are briefly explained to help students make informed decisions about planning and interpreting their investigation and its results.
Figure 1. Biochemical engineers are finding ways to turn corn husks into fuel for your car.Copyright National Renewable Energy Laboratory, http://www.nrel.gov/learning/images/photo_bio_farmer.jpg
Many engineers work together to create alternative energies, such as the biofuel ethanol. Biochemical engineers work out the process for converting corn into ethanol. Bioengineers alter the genetic make-up of the plants themselves to make them more effective as raw materials for the facility. Mechanical engineers design the machines that harvest the plants and transform them into ethanol. Plants can be used in other ways besides biofuel production, too. Civil engineers may use plants to act as purifying agents in biological water treatment processes. Many treatment facilities rely on artificial or natural lagoons of plants and fauna for the removal of contaminants before release into the environment. Meanwhile, some environmental engineers are developing ways to seed the ocean with algae. Photosynthesis from the algae removes CO2 from the atmosphere, as a way to combat global warming. These are just a few ways that engineers use plants in professional applications to build technologies that make our lives more comfortable.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Use vocabulary related to plants energy processes, including photosynthesis and transpiration.
- Plan an investigation to support their design project.
- Discuss the effect that an experimental variable (of their choice) has on plant growth.
- Apply their understanding of plant growth to design a biofuels plant.