294 GLOSSARY
Fossil fuel resources: a gaseous, liquid, or solid fuel material
formed in the ground by chemical and physical changes (diagenesis, q.v.) in plant and animal residues over geological time;
natural gas, petroleum, coal, and oil shale.
Fuel cell: A device that converts the energy of a fuel directly to electricity and heat, without combustion.
Fuel cycle: The series of steps required to produce electricity. The
fuel cycle includes mining or otherwise acquiring the raw fuel
source, processing and cleaning the fuel, transport, electricity
generation, waste management and plant decommissioning.
Fuel oil: A heavy residue, black in color, used to generate power or
heat by burning in furnaces.
Fuel treatment evaluator (FTE): A strategic assessment tool capable of aiding the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of
fuel treatment opportunities.
Fuel wood: Wood used for conversion to some form of energy,
primarily for residential use.
Furnace: An enclosed chamber or container used to burn biomass
in a controlled manner to produce heat for space or process
heating.
G
Gasification: A chemical or heat process used to convert carbonaceous material (such as coal, petroleum, and biomass) into gaseous components such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
Gasifier: A device for converting solid fuel into gaseous fuel; in biomass systems, the process is referred to as pyrolitic distillation.
Gasohol: A mixture of 10% anhydrous ethanol and 90% gasoline by volume; 7.5% anhydrous ethanol and 92.5% gasoline
by volume; or 5.5% anhydrous ethanol and 94.5% gasoline by
volume.
Gas to liquids (GTL): The process of refining natural gas and other
hydrocarbons into longer-chain hydrocarbons, which can be
used to convert gaseous waste products into fuels.
Gel point: The point at which a liquid fuel cools to the consistency
of petroleum jelly.
Genetically modified organism (GMO): An organism whose
genetic material has been modified through recombinant DNA
technology, altering the phenotype of the organism to meet
desired specifications.
Fossil fuel resources: a gaseous, liquid, or solid fuel material
formed in the ground by chemical and physical changes (diagenesis, q.v.) in plant and animal residues over geological time;
natural gas, petroleum, coal, and oil shale.
Fuel cell: A device that converts the energy of a fuel directly to electricity and heat, without combustion.
Fuel cycle: The series of steps required to produce electricity. The
fuel cycle includes mining or otherwise acquiring the raw fuel
source, processing and cleaning the fuel, transport, electricity
generation, waste management and plant decommissioning.
Fuel oil: A heavy residue, black in color, used to generate power or
heat by burning in furnaces.
Fuel treatment evaluator (FTE): A strategic assessment tool capable of aiding the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of
fuel treatment opportunities.
Fuel wood: Wood used for conversion to some form of energy,
primarily for residential use.
Furnace: An enclosed chamber or container used to burn biomass
in a controlled manner to produce heat for space or process
heating.
G
Gasification: A chemical or heat process used to convert carbonaceous material (such as coal, petroleum, and biomass) into gaseous components such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
Gasifier: A device for converting solid fuel into gaseous fuel; in biomass systems, the process is referred to as pyrolitic distillation.
Gasohol: A mixture of 10% anhydrous ethanol and 90% gasoline by volume; 7.5% anhydrous ethanol and 92.5% gasoline
by volume; or 5.5% anhydrous ethanol and 94.5% gasoline by
volume.
Gas to liquids (GTL): The process of refining natural gas and other
hydrocarbons into longer-chain hydrocarbons, which can be
used to convert gaseous waste products into fuels.
Gel point: The point at which a liquid fuel cools to the consistency
of petroleum jelly.
Genetically modified organism (GMO): An organism whose
genetic material has been modified through recombinant DNA
technology, altering the phenotype of the organism to meet
desired specifications.