C10 Finite and Renewable Resources (pg 161) Flashcards
Where do Natural Resources come from?
Earth, Sea and Air
Natural resources form without human input. They include anything that comes from the earth, sea or air, give some examples?
(remember some natural resources will run out)
cotton for clothinoil for fuel
Some of these natural products can be replaced by synthetic products or improved upon by man-made processes. give some examples?
rubber is a natural product that can be extracted from the sap of a tree, however manmade polymers have now been made which can replace rubber in uses such as tyres.
Agriculture provides conditions hwere natural resources can be enhanced for our needs, give some examples?
the development of fertilisers have meant we can produce a high yield of crops. (ferilisers are sprayed onto growing crops, to keep insects from eating them).
Renewable resources reform at a similar rate to, or faster than, we use them, give some examples of a renewable resource?
timber is a renewable resource as trees can be planted following a harvest and only take a few years to regrow Other examples of renewable resources include fresh water and food.
What is Finite?
Non-renewable resources.
They aren’t formed quickly enough to be considered replaceable.
Finite resources include fossil fuels, and nuclear fuels such as uranium and plutonium.
Minerals and metals found in ores in the earth are also non-renewable materials.
After Finite resources have been extracted what happens next?
they undergo man-made processes to provide fuels and materials necessary for modern life.
for example, fractional disitillation (see pg 151) is used to produce useable products such as petrol from crude oil and metal ores are reduced to produce a pure metal (see pg 133).
The table below shows information for two resources, coal and timber. Identify which resource is which?
Energy Density Time it takes
(MJ/m³) to form
Resource 1 7600-11400 10 years
Resource 2 23000-26000 10⁶ years
(10⁶ is a shorthand way of showing 1000000. This is because 10⁶ = 10 x 10 x 10x 10x 10x 10 = 1000000)
The time it takes for Resource 1 to reform is 10⁵ times shorter than Resource 2 suggesting it is a renewable resourse.
resourse 1 is also a far less energetic fuel than Resource 2, so it is more likely to be timber than coal.
Resource 1 is timber and Resource 2 is coal
Many modern materials are made from faw, finite resources, give examples?
most plastics, metals and building materials
What has to be balanced regarding the effects of extracting finite resources?
People have to balance the social, economic and environmental effects.
Give some examples of balancing finite resources?
mining metal ores is good because useful products can be made. It also provides local people with jobs and brings money into the area.
However mining ores is bad for the environment as it uses loads of energy, scars the landscape, produces lots of waste and destroys habitats.
Using examples, state the difference between a finite and renewable resourse (2 marks)
A finite resource, such as e.g. crude oil, will take a long time to replenish (1 mark). On the other hand, a renewable resourse, such as e.g. timber, can be replaced within a relatively short time scale (1 mark).
