a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22

0:00

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Recording 61.

0:01

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

You will hear two students discussing their assignments.

0:05

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

First you have some time to look at questions 21 to

0:09

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

26.

0:40

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Hi Mike,

0:40

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

how's it going?

0:42

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Actually,

0:43

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

I was up last night with an assignment,

0:45

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

so yeah,

0:46

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

I'm tired,

0:47

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

but I guess we'd better sort this presentation out.

0:51

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Well,

0:52

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

we've done enough background reading,

0:54

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

but I think we need to organise exactly what we're going

0:58

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

to say about biofuels during the presentation,

1:01

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

and the order.

1:03

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

I thought we could start by asking our audience what car

1:07

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

engines were first designed to run on,

1:10

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

fossil fuels or biofuels.

1:13

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Nice idea.

1:14

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Yes,

1:15

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

when most people think about cars and fuel,

1:18

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

they think about all the carbon dioxide that's produced,

1:22

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

but they don't realise that that wasn't always the case.

1:26

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

You're probably right.

1:27

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

The earliest car engines ran on fuel made from corn

1:32

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

and peanut oil,

1:33

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

didn't they?

1:33

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Yes.

1:34

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

The manufacturers used the corn and peanut oil

1:38

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

and turned them into a kind of very pure alcohol.

1:42

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

You mean ethanol?

1:44

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Yes.

1:44

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

In fact,

1:45

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

most biofuels are still based on ethanol.

1:49

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Actually,

1:50

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

I've got some notes here about the process of turning plant

1:54

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

matter into ethanol,

1:56

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

the chemical reactions and the fermentation stages.

2:00

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

It's interesting.

2:02

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

The other students would appreciate it,

2:05

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

but different biofuels use different processes.

2:09

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

And if we give a general description,

2:12

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

there's a risk we'll get it wrong.

2:14

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

And then the tutor might mark us down.

2:18

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

I'd rather we focus on the environmental issues.

2:21

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Fair enough.

2:22

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

So the main plants that are used for

2:26

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

biofuel production now are sugarcane,

2:30

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

corn...

2:32

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

And canola.

2:33

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Of all of them,

2:35

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

canola is probably the least harmful because machines

2:39

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

that use it don't produce as much carbon monoxide.

2:42

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Sugarcane seems to be controversial.

2:46

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

It doesn't require as much fertiliser as

2:50

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

corn.

2:50

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Corn does to grow,

2:52

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

but when they burn the sugarcane fields,

2:55

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

that releases loads of greenhouse gases.

2:58

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Yes,

2:59

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

but some critics have suggested that the production of corn ethanol

3:03

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

uses up more fossil fuel energy than the biofuel

3:07

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

energy it eventually produces.

3:09

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

For that reason,

3:11

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

I'd say it was more harmful to the environment.

3:13

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

I see what you mean.

3:15

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

You're probably right.

3:17

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

It's interesting how everyone saw the biofuel industry as

3:21

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

the answer to our energy problems,

3:23

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

but in some ways biofuels have created new problems.

3:28

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Well,

3:29

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

in the USA,

3:30

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

I wouldn't say that farmers are having problems.

3:33

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

The biofuel industry,

3:35

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

for them,

3:36

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

has turned out to be really profitable.

3:38

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

I think,

3:39

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

though, that even in the USA,

3:41

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

ethanol is still only used as an additive to gasoline

3:45

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

or petrol.

3:47

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

The problem is that it still has to be transported by trucks

3:51

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

or rail because they haven't built any pipelines to move

3:55

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

it. Once they do,

3:57

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

it'll be cheaper and the industry might move forward.

4:01

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

That'll have to happen one day.

4:03

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

At least the government are in favour of biofuel development.

4:08

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Yes,

4:08

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

but Brazil's probably in the lead as far

4:12

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

as biofuels are concerned.

4:15

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

They've got to the point where they don't need to import any

4:19

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

oil now.

4:20

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Which is great.

4:21

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

And the industry in Brazil employs a huge number

4:25

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

of people.

4:26

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

But is it sustainable?

4:28

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

I mean,

4:29

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

as the population grows and there are more vehicles

4:34

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

on the roads and there's more machinery,

4:36

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

surely they can't depend so much on sugar cane.

4:41

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

At some point there has to be a limit on how much land can be used for

4:45

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

sugar cane production,

4:46

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

certainly if you want to preserve natural habitats and

4:50

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

native wildlife.

4:52

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

I think that whatever problems Brazil's facing now,

4:56

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

the same will be true for any country.

4:58

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

You have to weigh up the pros and cons.

5:01

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Well,

5:02

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

we probably won't see an increase in biofuel use.

5:07

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

I mean, they won't replace fossil fuels until we can find

5:11

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

ways to produce them cheaply and quickly and with

5:15

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

less cost to the environment.

5:17

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Making sure they require minimal energy to produce.

5:21

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Exactly.

5:22

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

And in a way,

5:23

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

that means they have to cost less than fossil fuels,

5:27

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

certainly when you're filling up your car.

5:29

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Yes,

5:30

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

and whatever other kind of engines use fossil fuels

5:34

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

at the moment.

6:05

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Now listen and answer questions 27 to 30.

6:10

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Alright,

6:11

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

so in the last section of the presentation,

6:14

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

what problems are we focusing on?

6:17

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Well,

6:18

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

we've already had a look at different types of pollution in the

6:22

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

first section,

6:23

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

so we can leave that out.

6:25

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

But the biggest issue related to biofuels is

6:29

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

that land is now being used to grow biofuel crops,

6:34

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

and that's contributing to global hunger.

6:37

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Indeed.

6:39

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

It doesn't seem right we're using corn to run cars when

6:43

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

people can't afford to buy it to eat.

6:46

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Yes,

6:47

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

let's talk about that.

6:49

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

The other thing is that in some countries,

6:52

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

the way that biofuel crops are grown and harvested still

6:57

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

produces a great deal of pollution,

6:59

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

really damaging to the atmosphere.

7:02

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

OK,

7:02

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

that's definitely an issue we should look at.

7:05

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Let's not finish on a negative note,

7:09

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

though.

7:09

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Why don't we talk about the potential new sources of

7:13

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

biofuel?

7:14

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

So rather than corn and sugarcane...

7:18

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

what other plants could be used.

7:20

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Good.

7:21

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Some companies are exploring the possibility of using

7:25

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

wood and seeing how that can be used to make ethanol.

7:28

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Yes,

7:29

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

and algae is another possibility.

7:32

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

You can grow it in any water and it absorbs pollutants

7:36

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

too.

7:36

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

I read that.

7:38

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

And grasses,

7:39

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

they're another plant that researchers are investigating as a

7:43

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

biofuel.

7:44

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

And these kind of plants aren't used as food.

7:47

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

That

7:52

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

is the end of Section 3.

7:53

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

You now have half a minute to check your answers.

7:57

S… Speaker 2 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

Now

8:27

S… Speaker 1 (a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22)

turn to Section 4.

a801cd25-7f00-453f-9d89-a4b0476c9b22

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