C10 - Using resources Flashcards
Define a renewable resource.
Renewable resources are reproduced faster or at a similar rate than we use them.
Define a finite resource
We use them at a faster rate than we can replace them e.g fossil fuels.
What are the 3 risks of extracting finite resources?
Balancing social, economic and environmental factors:
e.g jobs and £, pollution, destroys habitats.
What usually happens to finite resources after extraction?
They undergo a man made process to make them useful
Define Sustainable Development
Taking into account needs of our current society and not damaging lives of future generations
What is the problem with extracting finite resources?
It uses a lot of energy and produces waste products.
Give a development to reduce energy needed during resource extraction.
Chemists developed a catalyst to reduce the amount of energy needed.
Why do we need to use bioleaching and phytomining?
Copper-rich ores are in short supply so we extract from low-grade ores.
Give a comparison between traditional methods of metal extraction and modern method
Traditional methods are very environmentally damaging but were faster
What is meant by a malachite?
A copper ore contains carbonate
Describe bioleaching in 3 steps
- Bacteria feed on low-grade ores
- Obtain copper ions from waste ores
- Displace copper ions from the leachate or use electrolysis.
Give a disadvantage of bioleaching.
It’s very slow - it can take years to extract just 50%.
Scientists are researching how to speed this up
How much copper is produced from bioleaching?
20% and likely to increase.
Describe phytomining in 3 steps:
- Grow plants in a soil containing x metal (plants absorb the metal + it grows in their leaves)
- Harvest plants to dry and burn in a furnace
- Extract soluble compounds from ash by displacement or electrolysis
Give 3 advantages of recycling metals.
- Uses less energy than sourcing new metals
- Cuts down on landfill waste
- Can melt and cast into new products
