C14: 14.1 - Finite and renewable resources

Question 1

what do humans use the Earth’s resources for

Answer 1

to provide warmth, shelter, food and transport.

Question 2

Natural resources, supplemented by what provide what

Answer 2

Natural resources, supplemented by agriculture, provide food,
timber, clothing and fuels

Question 3

what type of alternatives have chemists developed for natural products gathered form environmet

Answer 3

developed synthetics alternatives to natural products

Question 4

what can we classify natural resources into

Answer 4

finite (non-renewable) and non-finite (renewable)

Question 5

Finite resources from the Earth, __________ and _________ are
processed to provide what?

Answer 5

Finite resources from the Earth, oceans and atmosphere are
processed to provide energy and materials.

Question 6

Chemistry plays an important role in improving agricultural and
industrial processes to provide what?

Answer 6

to provide new products and in sustainable development - development that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Question 7

what do you mean by sustainable development of materials

Answer 7

development that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Question 8

example of natural product and its synthetic alternative (and what they are)

Answer 8

• Rubber : extracted from the sap of trees (called latex)
• Alternative : Synthetic polymers - replaces rubber in many products

Question 9

example of where appliance of scientific advancement has also allowed us to maximise the production of natural products

Answer 9

use of fertilisers to enhance crop yield is an example of this

Question 10

wool - use and alternative synthetic product

Answer 10

• use - clotes, carpets
• alternative synthetic product - acrylic fibre e.g. poly(propene)

Question 11

cotton - use and alternative synthetic product

Answer 11

• use - clothes,textiles
• alternative synthetic product - polyester

Question 12

silk - use and alternative synthetic product

Answer 12

• use - clothes
• alternative synthetic product - nylon

Question 13

rubber - use and alternative synthetic product

Answer 13

• use - tyres, washers
• alternative synthetic product - various synthetic polymers

Question 14

wood - use and alternative synthetic product

Answer 14

• use - construction, furniture
• alternative synthetic product - PVC, composites (MDF - medium-density fiberboard: a type of board made from very small pieces of wood that have been pressed and stuck together, used for making furniture)

Question 15

what is meant by renewable resources and give eg

Answer 15

resources which can be replenished or replaced in a finite time in a human timescale (e.g. crops used to make biofuel)

Question 16

example of a renewable resource (e.g. comes from wood)

Answer 16

• timber
• trees and forests can be replanted after the wood has been harvested, although they do take years to replenish

Question 17

what do you mean by Finite or non-renewable resources

Answer 17

those that don’t reform quickly enough or don’t reform at all

Question 18

eg of finite resources

Answer 18

• metal ores - used to extract metal
• minerals from Earth’s core
• crude oil - used to make polymers + petrochemicals
• limestone - used to make concrete + cement
• crude oil - to make petrol/diesel/kerosene we use for transport

Question 19

ways in which industries are moving towards renewable resources to reduce exploitation of non-renewable resources

Answer 19

• ethene (made from crude oil) - starting material for polymers
• ## but ethene can also be made from ethanol => made by fermenting glucose from sugar crane/beet => so using renewable crop as raw material => makes plastics like poly(ethene) more sustainable
• ## use of wood chips instead of fossil fuels to fuel power stations => linked to planting new trees programme
• Building materials e.g. limestone can often be non-renewable, but recycling and re-using materials => ensure future building built sustainably w/o exploiting finite material

Question 20

what makes resources less sustainable after extraction and give examples

Answer 20

• After extraction, many resources require further processing to make desired products => which require energy => less sustainable
  Examples : reduction of metals from ores and the fractional distillation of crude oil

Question 21

cons of extraction of non-renewable resources

Answer 21

• carries risk
• Earth’s natural resources are being depleted + large amounts of energy being consumed in process of extraction

Question 22

example of exam/tb question : use orders of magnitude to evaluate the significance of data