How Humans Are Affecting the Natural Resources of the World / Plastic Water Bottle Unit

Question 1

Explain the water cycle…
Where does the energy to drive this cycle come from?

Answer 1

-precipitation from clouds goes to hill/mountain
-this becomes runoff which can either go to plants to transpire or goes to infiltration (to the groundwater aquifer
-the percip can go to the ocean (biggest reservoir) to evaporate
-becomes condensation in clouds
ENERGY COMES FROM SUN

Question 2

What are the two main sources of water (where does our water come from)

Answer 2

Groundwater and Surface Water

Question 3

How is it distributed around the world?

Answer 3

Through various pipe systems and wells or from local lakes, reservoir, and oceans.

Question 4

Water treatment?

Answer 4

• Filtration
• Infiltration
• Distillation

Question 5

Where does water come from?

Answer 5

• Rain
• City water systems
• Wells

Question 6

Usage of water?

Answer 6

• Showers
• Cleaning
• Drinking
• Swimming

Question 7

How does city water/sewage water get treated?

Answer 7

• Water flows into sewer
• Sewer takes water to water treatment plant
• Water goes to the primary sedimentation tank (tank removed solids)
• Water goes to an aeration tank (removes toxic chemicals)
• Then goes to secondary treatment (biological treatment process that removes organic chemicals)
• Lastly it goes to the chlorine tank(primary disinfection) before it is drained back into the world or used for other water related tasks

Question 8

What are watersheds?

Answer 8

An area of land that drains many different bodies of water and other elements that produce water like rainwater (they can be very large or very small)

Question 9

Why are watersheds important/what do they do?

Answer 9

It helps the water quality and streamflow of flowing waters that have been affected by humans for example

Question 10

-How does a septic tank work
-how contaminants are removed from the water
how and where is it returned to the earth.

Answer 10

-The gross water goes into the inlet baffle (entering tank)
-Substance gets separated into scum, liquid, and sludge. (Greases and oils float to the top. Heavier solids sink to the bottom.)
-Water from the septic tank (should be emptied every 2-3 years) then goes to leach field

Question 11

What is a Water Table and what is the importance of this?

Answer 11

top of the aquafer that moves up and down (filters through soil, sediment, and rocks)

Question 12

Water sources for plastic water bottles?

Answer 12

• Springs
• Groundwater
• Alps
• Rivers/oceans
• Tap water

Question 13

Drought concerns about water?

Answer 13

• Water bottle companies take water from drought areas to produce water bottles
• People with wells have a hard time getting water when there is a drought

Question 14

Production of plastic water bottles?

Answer 14

• It takes 3x the amount of water in a plastic water bottle to create a plastic water bottle
• Takes a lot of oil to produce plastic water bottles
• Fracking

Question 15

Nonrenewable sources? (numbers)

Answer 15

• The different numbers on plastic affect how the plastic is disposed

Question 16

What is fracking?

Answer 16

• Find gas rich layer
• Drill a deep hole
• Pump chemicals to weaken area around oil
• Pump oil out from ground
• Bring pumped oil to a facility

Question 17

What is the difference between planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence?

Answer 17

planned obsolescence-designing a product to fail after 6-7 years so the consumer will buy a new one

perceived obsolescence-this is when your item does not actually go bad or break, the media convinces you that you need a new one.

Question 18

Fractional distillation (lowest to highest)

Answer 18

Process that separates crude oil to make useful oils from it
- Petroleum gas (propane)
- Gasoline
- Naphtha (plastic)
- Diesel (powers big trucks)
- Fuel oil (boats)
- Lubricating oil
- Bitumen (wax and tar)

Question 19

What is a linear economy?

Answer 19

a lined system where the item that goes in and out will not go back in and will be disposed of.

Question 20

What is plastic recycling?

Answer 20

Depending on the number on the plastic bottle the item can be recycled and turned into the same item it was before so it can be reused

Question 21

What is downcycling?

Answer 21

When plastic is made into something else that isn’t it’s original form

Question 22

Polymer and monomer?

Answer 22

• Monomer is a single unit (the reason why plastic can’t decompose fully)
• Polymere are links and chains of units (most common to make plastic water bottles is polyethylene terephthalate)

Question 23

What is an example of plastic pollution (hint: its a garbage patch) and be specific!?

Answer 23

-The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
7.7 million square miles of ocean currents that are pulling in plastic that gets circulated in the middle

Question 24

What is density?

Answer 24

The measure of the compactness of matter (mass divided by volume equals density) (the larger the volume the lower the density)

Question 25

What are nonrenewable resources?

Answer 25

Oil and natural gas are nonrenewable sources so when plastic is made from either of those it causes problems for recycling because oil and natural gas can’t be recycled

Question 26

Plastic costs?

Answer 26

• 1-2 dollars per 1 bottle of water
• 2-3 dollars for a gallon of water
• Many natural resources are being taken from the earth to create plastic water bottles