C10 Ai Flashcards
What is combustion?
The process where all of the fuel burns, producing soot (carbon) and releasing some of the fuel into the atmosphere.
Combustion can lead to environmental damage due to emissions.
What are finite resources?
Resources that are remade very slowly (or not at all) and can be used up quicker than they can be replaced.
Examples include fossil fuels, nuclear fuels, minerals, and metals.
What are renewable resources?
Resources that can be remade at least as fast as we use them, meaning they can be replaced fairly quickly.
Examples include wood and cotton.
What is an example of a man-made product?
Barriers made from natural products or processes.
This includes products that are derived from natural resources but altered by human activities.
What does the development of fertilizers allow us to do?
It allows us to improve the ground for crops grown in a given area.
Fertilizers enhance soil quality and productivity.
How long does it take for coal to form compared to wood and cotton?
Coal takes a much longer amount of time to form compared to wood and cotton, which are renewable resources.
Wood and cotton can form in 120-180 days, while coal takes millions of years.
Fill in the blank: Finite resources include _______.
fossil fuels, nuclear fuels, minerals, and metals.
These resources are limited and cannot be replenished quickly.
True or False: Renewable resources can be used up without consideration for their replacement.
False.
It is important to consider the sustainability of using renewable resources.
What is the significance of understanding the time it takes for resources to form?
It helps in managing and utilizing resources sustainably.
Knowledge of resource formation time aids in conservation efforts.
What does 10° represent in the context of resource formation?
It is a quick way of showing 1,000,000.
This notation indicates exponential growth or large quantities.
State the difference between finite and renewable resources.
Finite resources cannot be replaced quickly, while renewable resources can be replenished at a sustainable rate.
Understanding this difference is crucial for resource management.
What does sustainable development mean?
Thinking about the needs of people today without damaging the lives of people in the future.
What are the energy and waste implications of extraction processes?
Extraction processes can use lots of energy and produce lots of waste.
How can we be more sustainable regarding finite resources?
By using less finite resources.
What is one method to reduce the use of finite resources?
Reusing and recycling materials.
What is the benefit of recycling metals?
It often uses much less energy than making new metals.
List the benefits of recycling.
- Uses less energy
- Saves finite resources
- Reduces waste sent to landfill
What is necessary before recycling different metals?
Sometimes different metals won’t need to be completely separated.
What can be added to iron in a blast furnace?
Waste steel and iron can be added together.
What is a blast furnace used for?
To extract iron from its ore at a high temperature using carbon.
How does reusing or recycling glass contribute to sustainability?
Reduces the amount of energy used for making new glass.
Fill in the blank: Glass bottles can often be reused without _______.
[reshaping]
What happens to glass products that cannot be reused?
They are recycled for a different use instead.
What process is used to recycle glass?
The glass is crushed and melted, then reshaped to make other products.
True or False: Recycling saves limited finite materials and saves energy.
True
What is life cycle assessment?
It assesses the impact of raw materials before manufacturing.
What is the relationship between extraction and raw materials?
Extraction uses raw materials to turn them into products.
What is the primary focus when recycling metals?
To reduce the energy required compared to making new metals.
What do Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) show?
Total environmental costs of a product
LCAs assess the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle.
What is the first stage in the Life Cycle Assessment process?
Getting the raw materials
This involves extracting raw materials from the environment.
What environmental impact can extraction of raw materials have?
Damage to the local environment
Mining metals is a common example of environmental damage during extraction.
What energy-related issue arises from extracting raw materials?
High energy consumption leading to pollution
Extraction processes often require significant energy, contributing to environmental pollution.
What is often necessary before raw materials can be used?
Processing to change their shape and properties
This is essential to turn raw materials into useful materials.
What can be a consequence of the manufacturing process?
Use of a lot of energy and resources
Manufacturing and packaging of products can be resource-intensive.
What pollutants can result from chemical reactions in manufacturing?
Waste products
Some waste products can be converted into useful chemicals, reducing pollution.
How can the use of a product impact the environment?
Releases greenhouse gases and harmful substances
For example, burning fuels contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
What is a potential environmental issue with fertilizers?
Draining into streams and rivers
This can harm aquatic plants and animals.
What is a factor to consider regarding product usage?
Duration of use and number of uses
Products that are used for a long time can lead to less waste.
What happens to products at the end of their life cycle?
They are often disposed of in landfill sites
This can lead to land and water pollution.
What pollution can occur from waste transportation to landfills?
Release of pollutants like carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide
Transportation of waste contributes to atmospheric pollution.
What is one method of product disposal that causes air pollution?
Incineration
Burning products can release harmful pollutants into the air.
What are LCAs useful for?
Showing how to improve products to reduce environmental damage
LCAs help identify areas for improvement in product design.
Fill in the blank: The four stages of a life cycle assessment include getting the raw materials, ______, using the product, and product disposal.
Manufacture and packaging
What is the purpose of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?
To evaluate the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle
LCAs consider stages such as raw material extraction, manufacturing, usage, and disposal.
What are the raw materials for plastics?
Compounds extracted from crude oil
Plastics are produced through fractional distillation, cracking, and polymerization.
What is a key advantage of using paper bags?
They can be reused several times
Paper bags can also be used for other purposes, such as bin liners.
What is a disadvantage of plastic bags in terms of waste?
They usually only used once and take up space in landfill
Plastic bags can pollute land and are often not biodegradable.
True or False: Plastic bags are usually biodegradable.
False
While not biodegradable, LCAs suggest they may be less harmful to the environment.
What energy comparison is made between plastic and paper bags?
Plastic bags take less energy to make
This contributes to their lower environmental impact in certain aspects.
Fill in the blank: If something is biodegradable, it can be broken down _______ by microorganisms.
naturally
What is one challenge in measuring the effects of products in LCAs?
Subjectivity in assessing visual pollution
The attractiveness of litter is difficult to quantify.
What does it mean if an LCA is biased?
It favors one point of view in a way that isn’t backed up by facts
Bias can occur due to the subjective nature of assessments.
What is a selective LCA?
An assessment that only shows some impacts of a product
This can lead to incomplete or biased representations of environmental effects.
What are two reasons why a life cycle assessment may be biased?
- Subjective measurements
- Selective reporting of impacts
What is potable water?
Water that is safe for drinking
Potable water must meet specific standards for safety and quality.
What is potable water?
Water you can drink
Potable water is essential for human survival and is not pure.
True or False: Potable water contains only H2O molecules.
False
Potable water can contain various dissolved substances.
What are the pH requirements for potable water?
Between 6.5 and 8.5
This range ensures safety for drinking.
What is surface water?
Water that collects in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs
Surface water is susceptible to drying up.
What is ground water?
Water that collects in rocks underground
Ground water is less likely to dry up compared to surface water.
What is the first step in treating fresh water?
Filtration
Filtration involves passing water through a wire mesh.
What is the purpose of sterilisation in water treatment?
To kill harmful bacteria or microbes
This can be achieved using chlorine gas, ozone, or ultraviolet light.
Fill in the blank: When it rains, water can collect as _______ or ground water.
surface water
List the methods used for sterilising water.
- Bubbling chlorine gas
- Using ozone
- Using ultraviolet light
Each method effectively eliminates harmful microorganisms.
What is the primary source of fresh water in warm areas like the south-east UK?
Ground water
Ground water is more reliable as it does not dry up quickly.
What is the role of filter beds in the water treatment process?
To capture tiny solid bits in the water
Filter beds are made from grains of sand and gravel.
What is desalination?
The process of removing salts from seawater to make it potable water
Desalination is essential in countries with limited freshwater supplies.
What is the primary reason some countries use seawater for potable water?
Insufficient surface or groundwater resources
This is common in very dry countries.
What is the first step in the distillation process to purify seawater?
Heating the seawater until it evaporates
The evaporation converts water into gas, which is crucial for distillation.
What equipment is used in the distillation process?
A round-bottomed flask, a condenser, and a Bunsen burner
These components work together to heat and condense the water.
What is the pH of a neutral solution?
7
Pure water is an example of a neutral solution.
What happens to steam in the condenser during distillation?
It cools down and condenses back into liquid water
Cold water is pumped around the condenser to facilitate this process.
What indicates that salts were present in the seawater after distillation?
The presence of crystals in the round-bottomed flask
Crystals indicate that salts did not evaporate with the water.
What is reverse osmosis?
A process that uses membranes to separate water molecules from salts
It allows water to pass through while trapping salts.
Why are distillation and reverse osmosis not commonly used where fresh water is available?
They require a lot of energy, making them expensive
This cost factor limits their use in areas with alternative fresh water sources.
Fill in the blank: Neutral solutions are neither acidic nor _______.
alkaline
True or False: Distillation can be used to test and purify a sample of water in the lab.
True
What should be done if the pH of a water sample is too high or too low?
Neutralize it by adding acid or alkali
The aim is to adjust the pH to 7.
What is the role of membranes in seawater purification?
Membranes have tiny holes that allow only certain substances to pass through
This selective permeability is crucial for effective purification.
What is the first stage of waste water treatment at a sewage treatment plant?
Screening to remove large bits of material and grit.
This includes items like twigs, plastic bags, and small bits of stone and sand.
What happens during the sedimentation stage of waste water treatment?
Heavier solids sink to the bottom to produce sludge, while lighter effluent floats on top.
The effluent is the liquid waste that is removed for further treatment.
What is the process used to break down organic matter in waste water?
Biological aerobic digestion.
This process involves bacteria breaking down organic matter, including other microbes in the water.
What does anaerobic digestion produce?
Methane gas, which can be used as an energy source.
The remaining waste after anaerobic digestion can be used as fertilizer.
True or False: Aerobic digestion occurs with oxygen.
True.
True or False: Anaerobic digestion occurs without oxygen.
True.
What additional treatment is required for waste water containing toxic substances?
Extra stages including adding chemicals, UV radiation, or using membranes.
These methods help to ensure that the water is safe before being returned to the environment.
Fill in the blank: Waste water treatment uses __________ energy than the desalination of salt water.
less.
This makes sewage treatment a viable option in areas with limited fresh water.
What type of waste water is generated from domestic activities?
Sewage, which includes waste from baths, toilets, and sinks.
This is carried by sewers to sewage treatment plants.
What is the main concern regarding drinking water that has been treated from sewage?
People generally dislike the idea of drinking water that used to be sewage.
What type of waste water is produced by agricultural farming?
Agricultural waste water, which can contain pollutants and health hazards.
This includes harmful microbes and organic matter.
What is the purpose of waste water treatment?
To remove pollutants and harmful microbes to prevent health problems.
What is organic matter in waste water primarily composed of?
Carbon compounds that come from the remains and waste of organisms.
