C14.6 - Reduce, reuse, recycle Flashcards
What is ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’?
‘Reduce, reuse and recycle’ is a message in green campaigns asking us to take action to help the environment
‘Reduce, reuse and recycle’ is a message in green campaigns asking us to take action to help the environment.
The aim of these campaigns
'Reduce, reuse and recycle' is a message in green campaigns asking us to take action to help the environment The aim of these campaigns is to reduce: 1. Our use of limited resources 2. Our use of energy 3. The waste we produce
'Reduce, reuse and recycle' is a message in green campaigns asking us to take action to help the environment. The aim of these campaigns is to reduce: 1. Our use of limited resources 2. Our use of energy 3. The waste we produce. What will happen if we can manage this?
If we can manage this, then every individual’s impact on the environment will also be reduced
What are all produced from limited supplies of raw materials?
- Metals
- Glass
- Building materials
- Clay ceramics
- Most plastics
are all produced from limited supplies of raw materials
What does converting raw materials into the finished products require?
To convert raw materials into the finished products requires a lot of energy
To convert raw materials into the finished products requires a lot of energy.
Where does much of the energy used in the processes come from?
Much of the energy used in the processes comes from limited resources also, often fossil fuels
Examples of products that can be reused
Examples of products that can be reused are:
- Glass bottles
- Car parts
Examples of products that cannot be reused, but can be recycled for a different use
Examples of products that cannot be reused, but can be recycled for a different use are:
- Glass bottles can be crushed and melted to make different glass products
- Cars at the end of their life cycle can also be crushed and melted to make different car products
What does recycling cans do?
Recycling cans saves energy, as well as our limited supplies of metal ores
Recycling cans saves energy, as well as our limited supplies of metal ores.
What does it also do?
Recycling cans saves energy, as well as our limited supplies of metal ores
It also reduces pollution
In the UK, how much aluminium does each person on average every year?
In the UK, each person uses on average around 8kg of aluminium every year
Why is it important to recycle aluminium?
It is important to recycle aluminium to help conserve the Earth’s reserves of aluminium ore
Why is important to recycle aluminium to help conserve the Earth’s reserves of aluminium ore?
It is important to recycle aluminium to help conserve the Earth’s reserves of aluminium ore, because in the UK, each person uses on average around 8kg of aluminium every year
Recycle
Recycling is the process in which waste materials are processed to be used again
How is aluminium extracted?
Aluminium is extracted from molten aluminium oxide at high temperatures using electrolysis
Aluminium is extracted from molten aluminium oxide at high temperatures using electrolysis.
What does the process require?
Aluminium is extracted from molten aluminium oxide at high temperatures using electrolysis
The process requires huge amounts of electrical energy
What does recycling do?
Recycling saves energy and therefore money
Aluminium is extracted from molten aluminium oxide at high temperatures using electrolysis.
The process requires huge amounts of electrical energy.
What does recycling aluminium do?
Since recycling aluminium does not involve electrolysis, recycling saves energy and therefore money
What is the energy saving when comparing recycled aluminium with aluminium extracted from its ore?
When comparing recycled aluminium with aluminium extracted from its ore, there is a 95% energy saving
The process of scrap aluminium becoming ingots
The process of scrap aluminium becoming ingots:
- Scrap aluminium
- Feed conveyor
- Shredder
- Decoater
- Melting furnace
- Tilting holding furnace
- Filtration unit
- Direct chill casting unit
- Shredder
- Ingots
What does the recycling of aluminium involve?
The recycling of aluminium still involves melting the scrap metal, but still uses a lot less energy than extracting aluminium from its ore, bauxite
What do we also recycle, other than aluminium?
Other than aluminium, we also recycle iron and steel
Other than aluminium, we also recycle iron and steel.
Examples
Other than aluminium, we also recycle iron and steel
For example:
1. From the bodywork
2. and engines of scrap cars
3. ‘Tin cans’ are another source of scrap iron
What are tin cans?
Tin cans are another source of scrap iron
They are usually steel cans with a very thin coating of tin to prevent rusting
Tin cans are another source of scrap iron.
They are usually steel cans with a very thin coating of tin to prevent rusting.
What are the cans easy for?
Tin cans are easy for waste centres to separate from other domestic rubbish, as they are magnetic
How much energy does using recycled steel save of the energy used to extract iron and turn it into steel?
Using recycling steel saves about 50% of the energy used to extract iron and turn it into steel
How is much of the energy in the production of steel from iron ore supplied?
Much of the energy in the production of steel from iron ore is supplied by burning fossil fuels, such as natural gas used to heat the air entering a blast furnace
Blast furnace
Blast furnaces are the huge reaction vessels used in industry to extract iron from its ore
Using recycling steel saves about 50% of the energy used to extract iron and turn it into steel.
Much of the energy in the production of steel from iron ore is supplied by burning fossil fuels, such as natural gas used to heat the air entering a blast furnace.
Therefore, what does recycling help save?
Therefore, recycling helps save the dwindling supplies of the non-renewable fuels
Much of the energy in the production of steel from iron ore is supplied by burning fossil fuels, such as natural gas used to heat the air entering a blast furnace.
What arise whenever fossil fuels are burned?
Pollution problems arise whenever fossil fuels are burned, so using less energy helps reduce these effects
The pollutants produced by fossil fuels
The pollutants produced by fossil fuels include:
- Sulfur dioxide
- Carbon dioxide
- Carbon monoxide
- Unburnt hydrocarbons
- Particulates
What can copper be?
Copper can be recycled, but the process is more difficult as copper is often alloyed with other metals
Copper can be recycled, but the process is more difficult as copper is often alloyed with other metals.
An example
Copper can be recycled, but the process is more difficult as copper is often alloyed with other metals
For example, in brass, the copper is mixed with zinc
What does impure copper from recycling have to be?
Impure copper from recycling has to be purified for use in electrical wiring, unless it has been reclaimed solely from old electricity wires
How can high-quality copper from wires be recycled?
High-quality copper from wires can be recycled by melting and/or reusing it
How can scrap copper be recycled?
Scrap copper can be recycled as a copper alloy, but for many uses it must be pure
Scrap copper can be recycled as a copper alloy, but for many uses it must be pure.
When does extraction by electrolysis of the copper scrap work?
Extraction by electrolysis works if the copper scrap has a high proportion of copper
Scrap copper can be recycled as a copper alloy, but for many uses it must be pure.
Extraction by electrolysis works if the copper scrap has a high proportion of copper.
If the proportion of copper in the copper scrap is low, when does electrolysis only work?
If the proportion of copper in the copper scrap is low, electrolysis only works if pure copper is added to increase the percentage of copper
Scrap copper can be recycled as a copper alloy, but for many uses it must be pure.
Extraction by electrolysis works if the copper scrap has a high proportion of copper.
If the proportion of copper in the copper scrap is low, electrolysis only works if pure copper is added to increase the percentage of copper.
What does this make the process?
This makes the process expensive
What does recycling metals reduce?
Recycling metals reduces the need to mine the metal ore and conserves the Earth’s limited reserves of metal ores
Recycling metals reduces the need to mine the metal ore and conserves the Earth’s limited reserves of metal ores.
What does it also prevent?
Recycling metals reduces the need to mine the metal ore and conserves the Earth’s limited reserves of metal ores
It also prevents any pollution problems that arise from extracting the metal from its ore
Recycling metals reduces the need to mine the metal ore and conserves the Earth’s limited reserves of metal ores.
It also prevents any pollution problems that arise from extracting the metal from its ore.
An example
Recycling metals reduces the need to mine the metal ore and conserves the Earth’s limited reserves of metal ores
It also prevents any pollution problems that arise from extracting the metal from its ore
For example, open-cast mining or quarrying is often used to get copper ore from the ground and iron and aluminium ores are mainly mined like this too
The effects of open-cast mining or quarrying
The effects of open-cast mining or quarrying:
- Huge pits that scar the landscape are made, creating noise and dust and destroying the habitats of plants and animals
- The mines also leave large heaps of waste rock
- The water in an area subjected to the mining of metal ores can also be affected
One of the effects of open-cast mining or quarrying is that the water in an area subjected to the mining of metal ores can also be affected.
Explain this
One of the effects of open-cast mining or quarrying is that the water in an area subjected to the mining of metal ores can also be affected
As rain drains through exposed ores and slag heaps of waste, the groundwater can become acidic
What must happen when ores are mined?
When ores are mined, they must be processed to extract the metals
When ores are mined, they must be processed to extract the metals.
Sulfide ores
When ores are mined, they must be processed to extract the metals
For example, sulfide ores are heated to high temperatures in smelting
When ores are mined, they must be processed to extract the metals.
For example, sulfide ores are heated to high temperatures in smelting.
What will any sulfur dioxide gas that escapes into the air do?
When ores are mined, they must be processed to extract the metals
For example, sulfide ores are heated to high temperatures in smelting
Any sulfur dioxide gas that escapes into the air will cause acid rain
When ores are mined, they must be processed to extract the metals.
What happens in the extraction of iron?
In the extraction of iron, carbon dioxide is given off, which can contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect and global warming issues
Why is recycling metals so important?
Recycling metals is so important to reduce the factors when metals are processed when they are mined, because for example, any sulfur dioxide gas produced that escapes into the air, after sulfide ores are heated to high temperatures in smelting, will cause acid rain
Also, in the extraction of iron, carbon dioxide is given off, which can contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect and global warming issues
What does recycling help to reduce?
Recycling helps to reduce the pollution problems that result from the energy needed to process metal ores
