10. Using resources (clay ceramics, alloys, phytomining)

Question 1

Give 5 alloys

Answer 1

• bronze
• brass
• gold
• aluminium
• steels

Question 2

What are the uses of bronze?

Answer 2

used for making statues and decorative objects

Question 3

What are the uses of brass?

Answer 3

producing water taps and door fittings

Question 4

What are the uses of gold?

Answer 4

jewellery

Question 5

What are the uses of aluminium alloys?

Answer 5

they are low density and used in aerospace manufacturing

Question 6

What are steels?

Answer 6

alloys of iron that contain specific amounts of carbon and other metals

Question 7

What are the properties of high and low carbon steel?

Answer 7

high carbon steel: strong but brittle
low carbon steel: softer and more easily shaped

Question 8

How are the properties of polymers determined?

Answer 8

the properties of polymers depend on what monomers they are made from and the conditions under which they are made

Question 9

Describe the structures of thermosetting and thermosoftening polymers?

Answer 9

• thermosetting polymers do not melt on heating
• thermosoftening polymers soften easily on heating and can be remoulded

Question 10

How is glass made?

Answer 10

Made by heating a mixture of sand, sodium carbonate and limestone

Question 11

What is most of the glass we use called?

Answer 11

soda-lime glass

Question 12

How are clay ceramics made?

Answer 12

by shaping wet clay and then heating in a furnace

Question 13

How are composites formed?

Answer 13

fibres or fragments of one material are surrounded by a binder/matrix material that holds these fibres/fragments together

Question 14

What is sustainable development?

Answer 14

Development that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Question 15

What do new methods of mining avoid in terms of disadvantages of traditional mining?

Answer 15

avoids the disadvantages of traditional mining methods of digging, moving and disposing of large amounts of rock

Question 16

What is phytomining?

Answer 16

• phytomining uses plants to absorb metal compounds from the soil
• the plants are harvested and then burned to produce ash that contains the metal compounds

Question 17

What is bioleaching?

Answer 17

bioleaching uses bacteria to produce leachate solutions that contain metal compounds

Question 18

What are the main advantages and disadvantages of phytomining and bioleaching?

Answer 18

these methods need less energy than traditional methods, and can work on low concentration ores but are slow to carry out

Question 19

Describe the stages of LCAs?

Answer 19

• extracting and processing raw materials
• manufacturing and packaging
• use and operation during its lifetime
• disposal at the end of its useful life, including transport and distribution at each stage

Question 20

What is an advantage of recycling?

Answer 20

• less pollution
• conserved energy for extraction saved
• less mining
• less quarrying

Question 21

What are the disadvantages of recycling?

Answer 21

• collection problems
• difficult to separate
• cost of transport

Question 22

What is corrosion?

Answer 22

the destruction of materials by chemical reactions with substances in the environment. eg. rusting

Question 23

How can corrosion be prevented?

Answer 23

• by applying a coating that acts as a barrier, such as greasing, painting or electroplating
• these methods stop the air or water coming into contact with the metal

Question 24

What 2 things are necessary for iron to rust?

Answer 24

air and water

Question 25

Describe sacrificial protection?

Answer 25

• if two metals are in contact, the more reactive metal will corrode instead of the less reactive one.
• eg. zinc is used to galvanise iron