C14.6 - Reduce, reuse, recycle

Question 1

What is ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’?

Answer 1

‘Reduce, reuse and recycle’ is a message in green campaigns asking us to take action to help the environment

Question 2

‘Reduce, reuse and recycle’ is a message in green campaigns asking us to take action to help the environment.
The aim of these campaigns

Answer 2

'Reduce, reuse and recycle' is a message in green campaigns asking us to take action to help the environment
The aim of these campaigns is to reduce:
1. Our use of limited resources
2. Our use of energy
3. The waste we produce

Question 3

'Reduce, reuse and recycle' is a message in green campaigns asking us to take action to help the environment.
The aim of these campaigns is to reduce:
1. Our use of limited resources
2. Our use of energy
3. The waste we produce.
What will happen if we can manage this?

Answer 3

If we can manage this, then every individual’s impact on the environment will also be reduced

Question 4

What are all produced from limited supplies of raw materials?

Answer 4

1. Metals
2. Glass
3. Building materials
4. Clay ceramics
5. Most plastics
   are all produced from limited supplies of raw materials

Question 5

What does converting raw materials into the finished products require?

Answer 5

To convert raw materials into the finished products requires a lot of energy

Question 6

To convert raw materials into the finished products requires a lot of energy.
Where does much of the energy used in the processes come from?

Answer 6

Much of the energy used in the processes comes from limited resources also, often fossil fuels

Question 7

Examples of products that can be reused

Answer 7

Examples of products that can be reused are:

1. Glass bottles
2. Car parts

Question 8

Examples of products that cannot be reused, but can be recycled for a different use

Answer 8

Examples of products that cannot be reused, but can be recycled for a different use are:

1. Glass bottles can be crushed and melted to make different glass products
2. Cars at the end of their life cycle can also be crushed and melted to make different car products

Question 9

What does recycling cans do?

Answer 9

Recycling cans saves energy, as well as our limited supplies of metal ores

Question 10

Recycling cans saves energy, as well as our limited supplies of metal ores.
What does it also do?

Answer 10

Recycling cans saves energy, as well as our limited supplies of metal ores
It also reduces pollution

Question 11

In the UK, how much aluminium does each person on average every year?

Answer 11

In the UK, each person uses on average around 8kg of aluminium every year

Question 12

Why is it important to recycle aluminium?

Answer 12

It is important to recycle aluminium to help conserve the Earth’s reserves of aluminium ore

Question 13

Why is important to recycle aluminium to help conserve the Earth’s reserves of aluminium ore?

Answer 13

It is important to recycle aluminium to help conserve the Earth’s reserves of aluminium ore, because in the UK, each person uses on average around 8kg of aluminium every year

Question 14

Recycle

Answer 14

Recycling is the process in which waste materials are processed to be used again

Question 15

How is aluminium extracted?

Answer 15

Aluminium is extracted from molten aluminium oxide at high temperatures using electrolysis

Question 16

Aluminium is extracted from molten aluminium oxide at high temperatures using electrolysis.
What does the process require?

Answer 16

Aluminium is extracted from molten aluminium oxide at high temperatures using electrolysis
The process requires huge amounts of electrical energy

Question 17

What does recycling do?

Answer 17

Recycling saves energy and therefore money

Question 18

Aluminium is extracted from molten aluminium oxide at high temperatures using electrolysis.
The process requires huge amounts of electrical energy.
What does recycling aluminium do?

Answer 18

Since recycling aluminium does not involve electrolysis, recycling saves energy and therefore money

Question 19

What is the energy saving when comparing recycled aluminium with aluminium extracted from its ore?

Answer 19

When comparing recycled aluminium with aluminium extracted from its ore, there is a 95% energy saving

Question 20

The process of scrap aluminium becoming ingots

Answer 20

The process of scrap aluminium becoming ingots:

1. Scrap aluminium
2. Feed conveyor
3. Shredder
4. Decoater
5. Melting furnace
6. Tilting holding furnace
7. Filtration unit
8. Direct chill casting unit
9. Shredder
10. Ingots

Question 21

What does the recycling of aluminium involve?

Answer 21

The recycling of aluminium still involves melting the scrap metal, but still uses a lot less energy than extracting aluminium from its ore, bauxite

Question 22

What do we also recycle, other than aluminium?

Answer 22

Other than aluminium, we also recycle iron and steel

Question 23

Other than aluminium, we also recycle iron and steel.

Examples

Answer 23

Other than aluminium, we also recycle iron and steel
For example:
1. From the bodywork
2. and engines of scrap cars
3. ‘Tin cans’ are another source of scrap iron

Question 24

What are tin cans?

Answer 24

Tin cans are another source of scrap iron

They are usually steel cans with a very thin coating of tin to prevent rusting

Question 25

Tin cans are another source of scrap iron. They are usually steel cans with a very thin coating of tin to prevent rusting. What are the cans easy for?

Answer 25

Tin cans are easy for waste centres to separate from other domestic rubbish, as they are magnetic

Question 26

How much energy does using recycled steel save of the energy used to extract iron and turn it into steel?

Answer 26

Using recycling steel saves about 50% of the energy used to extract iron and turn it into steel

Question 27

How is much of the energy in the production of steel from iron ore supplied?

Answer 27

Much of the energy in the production of steel from iron ore is supplied by burning fossil fuels, such as natural gas used to heat the air entering a blast furnace

Question 28

Blast furnace

Answer 28

Blast furnaces are the huge reaction vessels used in industry to extract iron from its ore

Question 29

Using recycling steel saves about 50% of the energy used to extract iron and turn it into steel. Much of the energy in the production of steel from iron ore is supplied by burning fossil fuels, such as natural gas used to heat the air entering a blast furnace. Therefore, what does recycling help save?

Answer 29

Therefore, recycling helps save the dwindling supplies of the non-renewable fuels

Question 30

Much of the energy in the production of steel from iron ore is supplied by burning fossil fuels, such as natural gas used to heat the air entering a blast furnace. What arise whenever fossil fuels are burned?

Answer 30

Pollution problems arise whenever fossil fuels are burned, so using less energy helps reduce these effects

Question 31

The pollutants produced by fossil fuels

Answer 31

The pollutants produced by fossil fuels include: 1. Sulfur dioxide 2. Carbon dioxide 3. Carbon monoxide 4. Unburnt hydrocarbons 5. Particulates

Question 32

What can copper be?

Answer 32

Copper can be recycled, but the process is more difficult as copper is often alloyed with other metals

Question 33

Copper can be recycled, but the process is more difficult as copper is often alloyed with other metals. An example

Answer 33

Copper can be recycled, but the process is more difficult as copper is often alloyed with other metals For example, in brass, the copper is mixed with zinc

Question 34

What does impure copper from recycling have to be?

Answer 34

Impure copper from recycling has to be purified for use in electrical wiring, unless it has been reclaimed solely from old electricity wires

Question 35

How can high-quality copper from wires be recycled?

Answer 35

High-quality copper from wires can be recycled by melting and/or reusing it

Question 36

How can scrap copper be recycled?

Answer 36

Scrap copper can be recycled as a copper alloy, but for many uses it must be pure

Question 37

Scrap copper can be recycled as a copper alloy, but for many uses it must be pure. When does extraction by electrolysis of the copper scrap work?

Answer 37

Extraction by electrolysis works if the copper scrap has a high proportion of copper

Question 38

Scrap copper can be recycled as a copper alloy, but for many uses it must be pure. Extraction by electrolysis works if the copper scrap has a high proportion of copper. If the proportion of copper in the copper scrap is low, when does electrolysis only work?

Answer 38

If the proportion of copper in the copper scrap is low, electrolysis only works if pure copper is added to increase the percentage of copper

Question 39

Scrap copper can be recycled as a copper alloy, but for many uses it must be pure. Extraction by electrolysis works if the copper scrap has a high proportion of copper. If the proportion of copper in the copper scrap is low, electrolysis only works if pure copper is added to increase the percentage of copper. What does this make the process?

Answer 39

This makes the process expensive

Question 40

What does recycling metals reduce?

Answer 40

Recycling metals reduces the need to mine the metal ore and conserves the Earth's limited reserves of metal ores

Question 41

Recycling metals reduces the need to mine the metal ore and conserves the Earth's limited reserves of metal ores. What does it also prevent?

Answer 41

Recycling metals reduces the need to mine the metal ore and conserves the Earth's limited reserves of metal ores It also prevents any pollution problems that arise from extracting the metal from its ore

Question 42

Recycling metals reduces the need to mine the metal ore and conserves the Earth's limited reserves of metal ores. It also prevents any pollution problems that arise from extracting the metal from its ore. An example

Answer 42

Recycling metals reduces the need to mine the metal ore and conserves the Earth's limited reserves of metal ores It also prevents any pollution problems that arise from extracting the metal from its ore For example, open-cast mining or quarrying is often used to get copper ore from the ground and iron and aluminium ores are mainly mined like this too

Question 43

The effects of open-cast mining or quarrying

Answer 43

The effects of open-cast mining or quarrying: 1. Huge pits that scar the landscape are made, creating noise and dust and destroying the habitats of plants and animals 2. The mines also leave large heaps of waste rock 3. The water in an area subjected to the mining of metal ores can also be affected

Question 44

One of the effects of open-cast mining or quarrying is that the water in an area subjected to the mining of metal ores can also be affected. Explain this

Answer 44

One of the effects of open-cast mining or quarrying is that the water in an area subjected to the mining of metal ores can also be affected As rain drains through exposed ores and slag heaps of waste, the groundwater can become acidic

Question 45

What must happen when ores are mined?

Answer 45

When ores are mined, they must be processed to extract the metals

Question 46

When ores are mined, they must be processed to extract the metals. Sulfide ores

Answer 46

When ores are mined, they must be processed to extract the metals For example, sulfide ores are heated to high temperatures in smelting

Question 47

When ores are mined, they must be processed to extract the metals. For example, sulfide ores are heated to high temperatures in smelting. What will any sulfur dioxide gas that escapes into the air do?

Answer 47

When ores are mined, they must be processed to extract the metals For example, sulfide ores are heated to high temperatures in smelting Any sulfur dioxide gas that escapes into the air will cause acid rain

Question 48

When ores are mined, they must be processed to extract the metals. What happens in the extraction of iron?

Answer 48

In the extraction of iron, carbon dioxide is given off, which can contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect and global warming issues

Question 49

Why is recycling metals so important?

Answer 49

Recycling metals is so important to reduce the factors when metals are processed when they are mined, because for example, any sulfur dioxide gas produced that escapes into the air, after sulfide ores are heated to high temperatures in smelting, will cause acid rain Also, in the extraction of iron, carbon dioxide is given off, which can contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect and global warming issues

Question 50

What does recycling help to reduce?

Answer 50

Recycling helps to reduce the pollution problems that result from the energy needed to process metal ores