Getting metals from rocks and the impact of extraction Flashcards
1
Q
what are ores?
A
metals with enough metal in it to be worthwhile extracting
2
Q
name 2 ways metal can be extracted
A
- electrolysis
- reduction
3
Q
what happens in reduction?
A
ore reduced by removing oxygen
4
Q
when is electrolysis used? give an example of metal used in this process
A
when metals are more reactive than carbon
- aluminium
5
Q
what is electrolysis?
A
breaking down a substance using electricity
6
Q
what happens if you put a reactive metal in a solution of a dissolved metal compound?
A
reactive metal will replace the less reactive metal
7
Q
what happens in bioleaching?
A
- bacteria used to separate copper from copper sulphide
- bacteria gets energy from bond between copper + sulfur
- this separates the copper from the ore
8
Q
what is phytomining?
A
- growing plants in soil that contains copper
- plants can’t use or get rid of copper so it builds up in leaves
- copper can be collected from the ash left in the furnace
9
Q
what does extraction use a lot of?
A
energy
10
Q
what are some bad things about metal extraction?
A
- noise
- loss of habitats
- deep mine shafts can be dangerous
11
Q
what are the good things about metal extraction?
A
- useful products can be made
- jobs
- money➡️services improved
12
Q
why is recycling metals important?
A
- mining & extracting metals uses lots of nerdy that comes from burning fossil fuels
- fossil fuels are running out & burning them contributes to acid rain and global dimming
