Students are introduced to biofuels, biological engineers, algae and how they grow (photosynthesis), and what parts of algae can be used for biofuel (biomass from oils, starches, cell wall sugars). Through this lesson, plants—and specifically algae—are presented as an energy solution. Students learn that breaking apart algal cell walls enables access to oil, starch, and cell wall sugars for biofuel production. Students compare/contrast biofuels and fossil fuels. They learn about the field of biological engineering, including what biological engineers do. A 20-slide PowerPoint® presentation is provided that supports students taking notes in the Cornell format. Short pre- and post-quizzes are provided. This lesson prepares students to conduct the associated activity in which they make and then eat edible algal cell models.

By studying key processes in the carbon cycle, such as photosynthesis, composting and anaerobic digestion, students learn how nature and engineers "biorecycle" carbon. Students are exposed to examples of how microbes play many roles in various systems to recycle organic materials and also learn how the carbon cycle can be used to make or release energy.

In a multi-week experiment, student teams gather biogas data from the mini-anaerobic digesters that they build to break down different types of food waste with microbes. Using plastic soda bottles for the mini-anaerobic digesters and gas measurement devices, they compare methane gas production from decomposing hot dogs, diced vs. whole. They monitor and measure the gas production, then graph and analyze the collected data. Students learn how anaerobic digestion can be used to biorecycle waste (food, poop or yard waste) into valuable resources (nutrients, biogas, energy).

Student teams find solutions to hypothetical challenge scenarios that require them to sustainably manage both resources and wastes. They begin by creating a card representing themselves and the resources (inputs) they need and wastes (outputs) they produce. Then they incorporate additional cards for food and energy components and associated necessary resources and waste products. They draw connections between outputs that provide inputs for other needs, and explore the problem of using linear solutions in resource-limited environments. Then students incorporate cards based on biorecycling technologies, such as algae photobioreactors and anaerobic digesters in order to make circular connections. Finally, the student teams present their complete biorecycling engineering solutions to their scenarios in poster format by connecting outputs to inputs, and showing the cycles of how wastes become resources.

Students make edible models of algal cells as a way to tangibly understand the parts of algae that are used to make biofuels. The molecular gastronomy techniques used in this activity blend chemistry, biology and food for a memorable student experience. The models use sodium alginate, which forms a gel matrix when in contact with calcium or moderate acid, to represent the complex-carbohydrate-composed cell walls of algae. Cell walls protect the algal cell contents and can be used to make biofuels, although they are more difficult to use than the starch and oils that accumulate in algal cells. The liquid juice interior of the algal models represents the starch and oils of algae, which are easily converted into biofuels.

In a multi-week experiment, student groups gather data from the photobioreactors that they build to investigate growth conditions that make algae thrive best. Using plastic soda bottles, pond water and fish tank aerators, they vary the amount of carbon dioxide (or nutrients or sunlight, as an extension) available to the microalgae. They compare growth in aerated vs. non-aerated conditions. They measure growth by comparing the color of their algae cultures in the bottles to a color indicator scale. Then they graph and analyze the collected data to see which had the fastest growth. Students learn how plants biorecycle carbon dioxide into organic carbon (part of the carbon cycle) and how engineers apply their understanding of this process to maximize biofuel production.

This capstone course is a group design project involving integration of nuclear physics, particle transport, control, heat transfer, safety, instrumentation, materials, environmental impact, and economic optimization. It provides opportunities to synthesize knowledge acquired in nuclear and non-nuclear subjects and apply this knowledge to practical problems of current interest in nuclear applications design. Each year, the class takes on a different design project; this year, the project is a power plant design that ties together the creation of emission-free electricity with carbon sequestration and fossil fuel displacement. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.
This course is an elective subject in MIT’s undergraduate Energy Studies Minor. This Institute-wide program complements the deep expertise obtained in any major with a broad understanding of the interlinked realms of science, technology, and social sciences as they relate to energy and associated environmental challenges.

Students learn and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of renewable and non-renewable energy sources. They also learn about our nation's electric power grid and what it means for a residential home to be "off the grid."

Earth contains a variety of plants to provide food, medicine and, most importantly, energy sources for humans. In this lesson, students will categorize plants by their components and shapes. Additionally, they will learn the mechanisms behind the making of medicines and bio-fuels. It is important that the students have prior knowledge of the plant cell structures and functions. The video duration is 21 minutes, during which the students will use skills such as classification and experimentation. The students must therefore be supplied with various samples of plants. In Arabic with English subtitles.

The lesson is a short and simple account about renewable sources of energy. Students will learn about what nonrenewable sources of energy are and why we should avoid using them. They will be able to identify renewable sources of energy around them. They will be able to identify installations pertaining to renewable sources of energy such as wind mills, solar panels. They will realize the importance of energy conservation and may make changes in their lives to save energy. This will also help save on energy bills.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Dark fermentation is one of the most attractive experimental methods for generating clean biofuel. In dark fermentation, bacteria convert carbohydrates into hydrogen gas and other energy-rich small molecules. The problem is that this process tends to produce relatively small amounts of biohydrogen. To find ways to boost efficiency, researchers recently examined the cast of microbial characters that participate in dark fermentation. The team discovered two distinct patterns of fermentation. At low pH (4.0 and lower), lactate and ethanol were the main fermentation products, with most of the work carried out by bacteria belonging to the groups Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Leuconostoc, and Fructobacillus. At slightly higher pH (5.0 – 6.0), butyrate was the dominant product, generated largely by bacteria from the groups Clostridium, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Prevotella..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"The termite gut is the world’s smallest bioreactor and the most efficient system for breaking down biomass. To learn how this mini-digester might one day be scaled up to a technologically meaningful level, researchers examined the structure and function of the gut microbiomes from 11 termite genera which were grouped by diet into plant-fiber feeders and soil feeders. Both groups had similar bacterial flora. But subtle differences did emerge, with each termite species harbouring a unique set of genes encoding for breaking down plant biomass. Future metagenomics studies could help refine the specific functions of different bacterial genes within the termite gut, allowing for better insight into the termite–bacteria relationship and teasing out capabilities that could help bring these microscopic reactors to the macroscale..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

For this unit plan, see the old unit calendar (link on left sidebar, click ALT7 tab at the bottom).  Once we update this unit to the new Doc template, we will post it here. This is now unit 7, but it used to be unit 4 (we will update file and folder numbering as we continue to revise the units). Thanks for your patience as we work hard this year to update all of the materials to the new unit template and unit/standards arrangements.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"As a precursor to biobased chemicals, biomass holds enormous potential for meeting the needs of the circular economy. To get the most out of biomass, a new study proposes borrowing tools from machine learning. During anaerobic fermentation, biomass fuels the growth and proliferation of various microorganisms. These microbes, in turn, form organic molecules that can be processed into specialty chemicals, but the conditions and microbes most conducive to this process aren’t always known. To find out, researchers examined bioreactors designed to form medium-chain carboxylates from xylan and lactate. As expected, reducing the hydraulic retention time, or the average time soluble compounds reside in a bioreactor, boosted the formation of useful medium-chain carboxylates. The key was to identify the organisms responsible for this boost. For that, the team used machine learning models designed to link the change in hydraulic retention time to distinct sequences of microbial DNA..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.