C10 (resources) Flashcards
what do humans use resources for?
- warmth
- shelter
- food
- transport
give examples of resources produced by agriculture:
- cotton, from a plant. modern agriculture allows us to grow enough to meet the needs of the planet
- planting trees, which can be used for timber/fuels. e.g. many power stations run on bio-fuels such as wood chips
give an example of how we’ve replaced natural resources with a synthetic alternative:
- rubber
- natural rubber comes from the sap of a tree
- synthetic rubber is produced using crude oil, and about 2/3 of the rubber used globally is synthetic
give examples of finite resources:
- fossil fuels (we use millions of kilograms every day)
- metal (huge amounts are extracted from the Earth’s crust)
what does it mean to be sustainable?
meeting our needs without preventing future generations from meeting theirs
how does chemistry play an important role in our use of resources?
- artificial fertilisers allow us to grow more food with the land available
- provides water that is safe to drink
- processes such as phytomining and bioleaching help us to extract metals more efficiently
what does drinking water require in order to be safe for human consumption?
- sufficiently low levels of dissolved salts (e.g. sodium chloride, magnesium, calcium ions)
- cannot have high levels of microbes (e.g. bacteria)
water that is safe to drink is called potable water
what is the difference between potable and pure water?
- pure water in the chemical sense contains no dissolved substances at all
- potable water does, just in quite small amounts
where is most of our freshwater provided from in the UK?
rainwater, as it contains low levels of dissolved substances (dissolves gases as it falls through the air)
- this water collects in the ground in aquifers, and in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs
- it is freshwater, not potable water
how do we produce potable water?
DESCRIBE THE FILTRATION STAGE
- screening removes large solid particles i.e. grit by passing the water through filter beds
- sedimentation allows the small solid particles to sink to the bottom of the settlement tank, forming sewage sludge while the liquid (effluent) remains above
- adding aluminium sulfate clumps together the remaining solids so that they also sink to the bottom and all solids are removed
how do we produce potable water?
DESCRIBE THE CHEMICAL TREATMENT STAGE
- use chlorine and UV light to get rid of harmful bacteria/microbes
- test the water and balance the pH, which needs to be at pH 7 for safe consumption
- the water is stored in large tanks and is released into homes, businesses and factories
what do countries with no fresh water access do to get potable water?
- in the UK we have a lot of fresh water access, with low levels of dissolved minerals
- in many places, fresh water is scarce, and the only available water may be too salty and contain too many dissolved minerals to drink (e.g. sea water)
- potable water is produced by desalination
what is desalination?
reduces the levels of dissolved minerals down to an acceptable level for potable water
describe reverse osmosis:
apply pressure to salt water to push it through a semi-permeable membrane, where the water gets through but the salt doesn’t
describe the method for distillation:
- boil the water at 100 degrees celsius, so it vapourises
- the vapour rises, and condenses into a separate chamber to the salt
- the salt has a different boiling/melting point, so it doesn’t evaporate with it
describe some methods of desalination:
- distillation
- reverse osmosis, by passing the water through membranes
what are the disadvantages of the methods of desalination?
require very large amounts of energy, which is expensive
- not done here in the UK, but done in the Middle East with little access to freshwater. they have more money (from their oil), and more solar energy to power the process
what are the main human uses of water?
- only a small percentage used for drinking
- large amount of water is used for personal hygiene e.g. baths and showers
- water is also used for flushing toilets and washing clothes
- a lot of water is also used in agriculture
what is negative about waste water, and how can we fix it?
- contains many organic molecules (e.g. urine, faeces). also contains harmful microorganisms (e.g. bacteria)
- the water must be treated before being released back into the environment
describe the stages of waste water treatment:
- the sewage is screened by passing through a mesh, removing solids and pieces of grit
- the sewage can settle in large sedimentation tanks, producing a liquid effluent and a semi-solid sludge which sinks
- this sludge is taken away and digested by anaerobic bacteria, and this produces biogas which can be burned for electricity or as bio-fuels. the digested sludge forms sludge cakes can be used as fertilisers for farming
- the liquid effluent still contains organic molecules and harmful microorganisms. air is bubbled through the liquid, allowing aerobic bacteria to multiply, which digest the molecules and microorganisms
- the liquid effluent can be safely discharged into nearby rivers/the sea
what happens to water used in industry?
- a lot of water is used in industry, e.g. in making paper and chemicals
- when this water is treated, any harmful chemicals and organic matter must first be removed
- after this, the water can then safely enter general sewage treatment
describe the method of producing potable water from groundwater aquifers:
this is usually safe to drink, once treated with chlorine
- however, aquifers can sometimes by polluted e.g. with fertilisers from farms, so the water from aquifers must be tested carefully
describe producing potable water directly from waste water (e.g. sewage):
this is only done in places where water is scarce, as it takes many purification steps
describe producing potable water from salt water:
must be desalinated. this requires a lot of energy and is expensive
how are most metals found in the Earth’s crust?
already reacted with other elements, e.g. oxygen
how is copper used?
- very important
- used in electronic equipment, e.g. phones, electrical wiring, plumbing pipes
- however, it’s becoming scarce, as it’s a finite resource
how is copper typically extracted?
- through mining, melting, and electrolysis
- energy is required, the machinery is expensive
- huge environmental impact on biodiversity, due to deforestation
- CO2 emissions
what is a metal ore?
a compound that contains enough metal to make it economical (cost-effective) to extract the metal
what are low grade ores?
ores that contain a very small amount of the desired metal, meaning it’s harder to extract the metal economically from these ores
describe the method of phytomining:
- plants are grown on the land (e.g. industrial waste sites) containing the copper compound, usually in the form of low grade ores
- the plants’ roots absorb the copper compound, and concentrate it in their tissue, through translocation
- the plants are then harvested and burned. the copper from the leaves reacts with oxygen in the air to form a copper oxide, collect the ash
- react the ash with sulfuric acid to get copper sulfate
- electrolyse it, extract the copper
what are the pros and cons of phytomining?
pros:
- can obtain copper in areas with low grade copper ores
- better than deforestation of massive rainforests for mining (less air pollution)
cons:
- energy is required in electrolysis, costly
- expensive to obtain sulfuric acid
- burning the plants releases CO2
- slower process
describe the method of bioleaching:
- bacteria are mixed with the low grade ore
- the bacteria carry out chemical reactions and produce a solution called the leachate (a liquid that has passed through an organism), containing the metal compound we want
what are the pros and cons of bioleaching?
pros:
- cheap, as it’s simply
- environmentally friendly, unlike smelting (traditional mining) which produces carbon and sulfur
- can be used in low grade ores when high grade ores are limited in availability
cons:
- very slow process
- efficiency in which the bacteria converts the copper ore into a copper metal is very low, so lots of waste is produced
how could we extract copper from a copper ore/compound?
- we can displace the copper using iron, as iron is more reactive than copper. we usually use scrap iron as it’s cheap
- we can also extract the copper using electrolysis
what are the positives of phytomining and bioleaching?
- allow us to economically extract metal from low grade ores. this is important as the resources of metal ores are limited
- do not involve digging, transporting and disposing of large amounts of rock, unlike in traditional mining
what is a life-cycle assessment?
attempts to put a number on the environmental impact of a product
what are the 4 main stages when carrying out the life cycle assessment of a product?
- assess the environmental impact of extracting and processing the raw materials
- manufacturing the product and its packaging
- using the product during its lifetime
- disposing the product at the end of its life
describe stage 1 of the life cycle assessment:
all the raw materials we need come from the Earth’s crust, atmosphere, oceans, or living organisms. obtaining these materials has an impact on the environment, e.g.
- using up limited resources such as ores and crude oil
- damaging habitats through quarrying, mining, or felling trees
describe stage 2 of the life cycle assessment:
manufacturing can impact the environment, such as through:
- using up land for factories
- the use of machines and people
describe stage 3 of the life cycle assessment:
the impact of its use on the environment depends on the type of product. cars will have a big impact, a wooden chair will have less, unless it needs cleaning/repair
- a toy could require lots of batteries. the production of batteries produces a lot of toxic waste
describe stage 4 of the life cycle assessment:
- using up land for landfill sites
- whether any of the product can be recycled or reused
- the harmful chemicals contained must be disposed of carefully, and this may require a lot of energy
- it also takes energy to transport used products for disposal (e.g. to landfill/recycling centre)
describe the formation of plastics:
- the oil must be extracted from the ground then transported to oil refineries
- the hydrocarbons must be separated then cracked
- the polymer must be produced
- all of these processes take a lot of energy, which is generated by burning fossil fuels, leading to climate change
describe the extraction of metals:
the ore must be dug out of the mine and transported for processing. the metal must then be extracted from the ore and this can produce large amounts of toxic waste products