LCA and recycling (10.2)

Question 1

Why are life cycle assessments (LCAs) carried out?

Answer 1

to assess the environmental impact of products

Question 2

4 stages

What are the stages assessed during LCAs?

Answer 2

• extracting and processing raw materials
• manufacturing and packaging
• use and operation during its lifetime
• disposal at the end of its useful life

including transport and distribution at each stage

Question 3

4 needed

What can be fairly easily quantified during LCAs unlike pollutant effects?

Answer 3

• Use of water
• resources
• energy sources
• production of some wastes

Question 4

Why are LCAs not a purely objective process?

Answer 4

Allocating numerical values to pollutant effects is less straightforward and requires value judgements

Question 5

What is the problem with selective or abbreviated LCAs?

Answer 5

They can be misused to reach pre-determined conclusions, eg in support of claims for advertising purposes

Question 6

Compare LCAs (all 4 stages) for shopping bags made out of paper and plastic?

Answer 6

Question 7

4 needed

What is the impact of the reduction in use, reuse and recycling of materials by end users (consumers)?

Answer 7

It reduces:

• the use of limited resources
• use of energy sources
• waste
• environmental impacts

Question 8

5 needed

What things are produced from limited raw materials?

Answer 8

• metals
• glass
• building materials
• clay ceramics
• most plastics

Question 9

Much of the energy for the processes (of producing materials) comes from what?

Answer 9

limited resources

Question 10

What does obtaining raw materials from the Earth by quarrying and mining cause?

Answer 10

environmental impacts

Question 10

What is a common example of a product that can be reused?

Answer 10

glass bottles

Question 11

How can glass bottles be reused after use?

Answer 11

Glass bottles can be crushed and melted to make different glass products

Question 12

Some products cannot be reused and so what happens?

Answer 12

they are recycled for a different use

Question 13

How can metals be recycled?

Answer 13

By melting and recasting or reforming into different products

Question 14

2 needed

The amount of separation required for recycling metals depends on what?

Answer 14

• the material
• the properties required of the final product

Question 15

Why is scrap steel added to iron from a blast furnace?

Answer 15

to reduce the amount of iron that needs to be extracted from iron ore.

Question 16

How would you reduce the amount of iron that needs to be extracted from iron ore?

Answer 16

By adding scrap steel to iron from a blast furnace

Question 17

Why is it good to recycle more plastics?

Answer 17

so less crude oil/energy is used

Question 18

Why is plastic going to landfill sites an issue?

Answer 18

They take centuries to decompose (non-biodegradable) and there are not enough landfill sites

Question 19

Why is separation of compound from ore important?

Answer 19

To concentrate the metal

Question 20

What is the benefit of having processes next to mines?

Answer 20

Less energy used in transporting materials

Question 21

Give on environmental and social/ethical impact of recycling?

Answer 21

Env: less landfill space used, less carbon dioxide emitted

Soc/Eth: saves resources

Question 22

1 mark

Why might (iron)l be extracted more than (aluminium)?

Answer 22

• uses less energy for extraction
• iron has more uses
• more demand for iron
• iron is stronger
• cheaper to extract
• easier to extract

answer likely to be in question - but this is a list just in case - only need to know one

Question 23

What do you call LCAs that are misused to reach pre-determined conclusions?

Answer 23

Selective or abbreviated LCAs