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GCSE Chemistry > C14 - The Earth's Resources > Flashcards

C14 - The Earth's Resources Flashcards

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1
Q

What do we rely on the Earth’s resources for?

A

1) To make new products

2) To provide us with energy

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2
Q

What are Finite/Non-renewable resources?

A

Resources that cannot be replenished at the rate that they are being used - will eventually run out.

E.g Fossil Fuels - Coal, Oil and Gas.

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3
Q

What are Renewable Resources?

A

Resources that can be replaced as they are used up.

E.g Nuclear Power, Biofuels, Wave Power, Wind Power etc..

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4
Q

What is Sustainable Development?

A

Meeting the needs of the current generations, without compromising future generations.

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5
Q

Why can estimates of the time left for fossil fuels to run out only be rough estimates?

A

Because of the uncertainty involved in the calculations.

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6
Q

What are synthetic products?

A

Alternative products made by chemists to limit the use of the earth’s natural resources.

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7
Q

What is an alternative synthetic product for cotton?

A

Polyester

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8
Q

What is an alternative synthetic product for wood?

A

PVC

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9
Q

What is an alternative synthetic product for silk?

A

Nylon

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10
Q

What is water that is fit/safe to drink called?

A

Potable water

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11
Q

What is water that contains 100% water and nothing else called?

A

Pure water

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12
Q

What is the water in the seas and oceans called?

A

Sea water

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13
Q

What is the water in underground rocks called?

A

Ground water

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14
Q

What is the water in rivers, lakes, glaciers, ice caps and streams called?

A

Fresh water

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15
Q

What is the water that has been used in homes, industry and agriculture called?

A

Waste water

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16
Q

Does potable water contain microbes and/or dissolved substances?

A

Microbes - No (or Low)

Dissolved Substances - Low

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17
Q

Does pure water contain microbes and/or dissolved substances?

A

Microbes - No

Dissolved substances - No

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18
Q

Does sea water contain microbes and/or dissolved substances?

A

Microbes - Yes

Dissolved Substances - Yes (high)

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19
Q

Does ground water contain microbes and/or dissolved substances?

A

Microbes - Yes

Dissolved Substances - Low

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20
Q

Does fresh water contain microbes and/or dissolved substances?

A

Microbes - Very Low

Dissolved Substances - Low

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21
Q

Does waste water contain microbes and/or dissolved substances?

A

Microbes - Yes (high)

Dissolved Substances - High

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22
Q

What are the 4 methods of obtaining potable water?

A

Fresh Water:

1) Filtration
2) Sterilisation

Salt Water:

3) Distillation
4) Reverse Osmosis

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23
Q

How can fresh water be filtered?

A

Water passes through filter beds (usually sand) and is collected.

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24
Q

How can fresh water be sterilised - 3 ways?

A

Microbes can be killed by:

  • Adding chlorine OR
  • Treating with ozone OR
  • Using UV light
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25
Q

How is sea water desalinated by distillation?

A

Sea water is boiled and some of the vapour is then cooled and condensed into water.

The salty water then leaves and is put back in to be further distilled.

26
Q

How is sea water desalinated by reverse osmosis?

A

A semi-permeable membrane is placed between sea water and pure water.

High pressure is exerted on the sea water causing osmosis to occur in reverse (concentrated to dilute).

The dissolved substances can’t pass through the membrane.

27
Q

What do both methods of desalination require?

A

Large amounts of energy for heating and pressure.

28
Q

Where is waste water treated before being released back into the environment?

A

Sewage works

29
Q

What is the overall purpose of sewage treatment?

A

To remove all organic matter, harmful microorganisms and chemicals from the water.

30
Q

What is the first stage of sewage treatment?

A

Screening and grit removal.

31
Q

What happens next in the primary sedimentation tanks?

A

Organic waste sinks to the bottom as sludge.

32
Q

What is the remaining water called throughout each stage of sewage treatment?

A

Effluent

33
Q

What happens after organic matter has been removed?

A

The effluent is sent to ‘aeration’ tanks where air is introduced to kill harmful bacteria.

34
Q

What happens after aeration?

A

Good bacteria sink to the bottom as sludge in the final setting tanks.

Treated water is NOW returned to the environment.

35
Q

How is the remaining sludge treated?

A

It is anaerobically digested by bacteria.

36
Q

What is the final stage of sewage treatment?

A

The digested sludge is burnt for heat and electricity generation.

Can also be used as fertiliser.

37
Q

What are Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs)?

A

An assessment that assesses the environmental impact of a product, process or service.

38
Q

What are the 5 stages of a products life cycle that an LCA analyses?

A

1) Raw Material Extraction & Processing
2) Manufacture and Packaging
3) Use & Reuse
4) Disposal
5) Transport & Distribution (at all stages).

39
Q

What are the objective factors taken into account for an LCA?

A

objective = fact

Anything where there is a data available:

  • use of energy
  • use of water
  • use of resources
  • production of waste
40
Q

What is one example of a factor that is difficult to quantify?

A

The effects of pollutants.

41
Q

What are non-objective judgements called?

A

Value judgements - scores that an individual has to come up with to measure impact.

42
Q

What is the problem with using value judgements?

A

Value judgements are subjective

43
Q

What can we say about LCAs given that they contain a mix of objective and subjective judgements?

A

LCAs are not purely an objective process.

44
Q

How are LCAs scored for each of the 5 life cycle stages?

A

Scored from 1-10

1 = Least serious environmental impact
10 = Most serious environmental impact
45
Q

What is the overall LCA score made up of?

A

The total score of all 5 stages.

The lower the score, the better the impact on the environment.

46
Q

What must an LCA have been for it to be considered valid?

A

It must have been peer-reviewed - some companies will use a selective or abbreviated LCA in their advertising.

47
Q

What is the difference between carbon footprint and LCAs?

A

An LCA analyses the total environmental impact - not just greenhouse gases.

48
Q

What has a lower/better LCA score out of a plastic bag and a paper bag?

A

Surpisingly, a plastic bag would have a lower/better score!

Remember - LCAs are subjective and not objective.

49
Q

What are the earth’s limited raw materials?

A
  • Metals
  • Building materials
  • Plastics
  • Glass
  • Ceramics
50
Q

What limited resources does the energy used to extract the raw materials come from?

A

Coal, oil and gas

51
Q

Why do we need to reduce the use of limited resources?

A

Both the materials and the energy resources are finite - we can’t let them run out.

52
Q

What are the environmental impacts of quarrying and mining?

A
  • Noise
  • Dust
  • Visual pollution
  • Acidic water - water mixes with metal ores
  • Destroys habitats
53
Q

What does sustainable development require?

A

That we reduce resource use.

54
Q

Why are chemists important in sustainable development?

A

Chemists can develop new products and processes - e.g synthetic products and catalysts to reduce the energy needed

55
Q

What do the 3 R’s - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - help to do?

A

1) Reduce the demand for limited materials and energy

2) Reduce the amount of waste produced

56
Q

How does reusing products reduce the use of our limited resources?

A

Reusing carrier bags and glass bottles - e.g bring carrier bags to the supermarket.

Less demand for new products.

57
Q

How can glass bottles be recycled?

A

Crushing and melting

58
Q

How can metals be recycled?

A

Melting and recasting.

59
Q

How is iron extracted from its ore?

A

At a blast furnace

60
Q

How is steel (an alloy of iron) - recycled?

A

Adding scrap steel to a blast furnace - helps reduce new iron being extracted.

GCSE Chemistry (17 decks)

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