C10 Using Resources Flashcards
What does a ‘finite resource’ mean?
A resource that is being replaced or are replaced more slowly than they are being used
What does a ‘renewable resource’ mean?
A resource that is being replaced at least as fast as it is being used
What type of resource are fossil fuels?
finite (non-renewable)
Name 3 fossil fuels
coal, crude oil, natural gas
What is potable water?
drinkable water
What is in potable water?
water with low levels of certain dissolved salts and microbes
What is the process of removing salt from salty water called?
desalination
What is brackish water?
salty water
What is pure water?
water with nothing else in it
Is pure water the same as potable water (drinking water)?
no, pure water has nothing else but water while potable water contains low levels of certain dissolved salts and microbes.
What are the steps in treating waste water before it is released into the environment?
Screening to remove large objects
sedimentation tanks to let sand, grit and mud settle out
anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge
aerobic biological treatment of effluent
What is phytomining?
- Using plants to concentrate metal ions from the ground,
- Harvesting and burning them to release the ions,
- Washing the ash to make leachate and electrolysing the leachate to collect the metal
What is bioleaching?
Using bacteria to collect metal ions from soil and then collecting the leachate they produce before electrolysing to collect the metal
Apart from electrolysis how can metals be collected from leachate?
by adding a scrap metal that is more reactive than the metal in the leachate so that the scrap metal displaces the required metal from the leachate.
What does LCA stand for?
Life Cycle Assessment
