Using Resources Flashcards
What four things do humans use Earth’s resources for?
Warmth, shelter, food and transport.
What natural products can be prolapsed with synthetic materials?
Wood → uPVC
Wool → polyester
Silk → nylon.
What is the difference between finite and renewable resources?
Finite resources can not be replaced. Renewable resources can be replaced at the same or greater rate than consumption.
What is sustainable development?
Development that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
What is a low-grade ore?
Ores containing a small percentage of the metal or its compound.
What is phytomining?
Grow plants in areas of low-grade ore. Harvest and burn the plants. React ash with sulphuric acid to produce metal sulphate solution. Extract metal from sulphate salt by displacement or electrolysis.
What is bioleaching?
Bacteria grown in areas of low grade ore. Leachate is produced containing metal salt solution. Metal is extracted from its salt by displacement or electrolysis.
What are the benefits of recycling and reusing?
It conserves natural resources, reducing waste, saving energy and mitigating climate change.
What is the life-cycle assessment?
It evaluates the environmental impacts associated with all stages of a product, process, or service’s life cycle, from raw material extraction to disposal.
What are the four stages of the life-cycle assessment?
Extraction and processing of raw materials, manufacture and packaging, use and operation during lifetime and disposal at the end of useful life (including transport).
How can copper be purified for use in technological society?
React it with sulphuric acid to make copper sulphate. Use electrolysis of copper sulphate and use impure copper as the anode and pure copper as the cathode.
What factors must be considered for each stage of the life cycle assessment?
The use of water, resources and energy.
What is the main motivation for reduce, reuse and recycle?
Finite resources and sustainability.
What is the difference between reusing and recycling?
Reuse means to use again in its original form. Recycle involves processing to re-form the raw material.
What is potable water?
Drinkable water.
What is the difference between pure and potable water?
Pure water is water molecules only. Potable water has sufficiently low levels of dissolved salts and microbes for human consumption.
What are the stages in producing potable water?
Choosing an appropriate water source, passing water through filter beds and sterilisation.
How can water be sterilised?
Using chlorine, UV light and ozone.
What are the four stages of waste water treatment?
Screening and grit removal, sedimentation to produce sewage sludge and effluent, anaerobic digestion of sludge (using bacteria) and aerobic biological treatment of effluent (using bacteria).
What is distillation?
Used to separate liquids based on their boiling points, involving heating, evaporation, and condensation of the liquid, to obtain potable water.
What is the process of filtration?
Using fine and coarse filters to remove debris from water.
What are the two types of desalination?
Distillation and reverse osmosis.
What is the process of reverse osmosis?
Forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane to separate water molecules from dissolved impurities and contaminants, resulting in purified water.
