C10 - Using Recources

Question 1

Describe the difference between natural and synthetic resources.

Answer 1

• Natural resources can be grown or
  found as they are e.g. wood
• Synthetic resources have to be made by humans e.g. plastics

Question 2

Describe the difference between
finite and renewable resources.

Answer 2

• Finite resources are being used up
  faster than they can be replaced. They
  will run out e.g. fossil fuels.
• Renewable resources can be replaced at the same rate they are used e.g. crops to make biofuels.

Question 3

Give some examples of natural
products that are supplemented or
replaced by agricultural and synthetic
products.

Answer 3

Natural resource: Use - Alternative
synthetic product
Wool: clothes/carpets - Acrylic fibre
Cotton: clothes/textiles - polyester
Silk: clothes - nylon
Linseed oil: paint - Acrylic resin
Rubber: Tyres/washers - Various polymers
Wood: construction - PVC/composites

Question 4

What is potable water?

Answer 4

Potable water is water that is safe to
drink.
It does not have to be pure.

Question 5

How is ground water made potable?

Answer 5

Ground water made potable by:
- Choosing an appropriate source of
fresh water
- Passing the water through filter beds
- Sterilising

Question 6

How can salty water be made potable?
What are the disadvantages of this?

Answer 6

Salty water can be made potable by
desalination.
Desalination can be done by distillation or by processes that use membranes
such as reverse osmosis.
These processes require a lot of
energy

Question 7

What are the 4 steps of waste
water treatment?

Answer 7

The 4 steps of waste water treatment
are?
1 - Screening and grit removal
2 - Sedimentation to produce sewage
sludge and effluent
3 - Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge
4 - Aerobic biological treatment of
effluent

Question 8

What are the stages of a life
cycle assessment?

Answer 8

The 4 stages of a life cycle assessment
are:
1 - extracting and processing raw materials
2 - manufacturing and packaging
3 - use and operation during its lifetime
4 - disposal at the end of its useful life,
including transport and distribution at each stage.

Question 9

Give an example of resources that can be reduced, reused or recycled.

Answer 9

REDUCE:
We can reduce the amount of plastics we use by using alternative materials
REUSE:
Plastic bags and bottles can be reused
RECYCLE:
Aluminium and steel can be recycled into new products for a different use

Question 10

What are 2 alternative methods
of extracting metals from low grade ores?

Answer 10

PHYTOMINING uses plants to absorb metal compounds. The plants are harvested and then burned to produce ash that contains metal compounds.
BIOLEACHING uses bacteria to produce leachate solutions that contain metal compounds.
The metal compounds can be processed by displacement using scrap iron or by electrolysis to obtain the metal
Both these processes take a lot of time.