Year 9 Science · Unit 2 · Lesson 15
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Learning Goals
Predict + reason
Scenario
In 2023, Australia announced plans to build a major green hydrogen export facility in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, using abundant solar power to split water by electrolysis and producing hydrogen gas for export to Japan and South Korea as a cleaner substitute for LNG (liquefied natural gas).
(a) Explain why hydrogen produced by electrolysis powered by solar energy is classified as "green hydrogen," while hydrogen extracted from natural gas (steam methane reforming) is not.
(b) Predict ONE advantage and ONE challenge of using green hydrogen as a replacement for LNG in Japan and South Korea's energy systems.
Compare two
Complete the table to compare fossil fuel hydrocarbons (e.g. crude oil) with plant-based (bio) feedstocks (e.g. sugars from crops). Use your lesson notes to fill in as many cells as you can.
| Feature | Fossil fuel feedstocks (crude oil) | Plant-based / bio feedstocks |
|---|---|---|
| Source | ||
| Renewable? | ||
| Carbon cycle impact | ||
| Can replace petroleum plastics? | ||
| Current cost / availability |
1. Crude oil is described as a feedstock, not just a fuel. Using the example of plastics, trace the steps from crude oil to a finished plastic product. Include at least TWO chemical processes in your answer.
2. Australia is a major exporter of coal and LNG. Explain why simply switching to renewable electricity generation does NOT solve the problem of fossil fuel dependence for manufacturing industries.
Wrap Up
In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?