Paper 2 - Using Resources

Question 1

What is sustainable development?

Answer 1

Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of the future generation

Question 2

What is potable water?

Answer 2

Portable water is drinkable water

Question 3

What sterilising agents are used for potable water?

Answer 3

Sterilising agents that are used for potable water include chlorine, ozone and ultraviolet light

Question 4

What sewage treatments are there?

Answer 4

Sewage treatments include :

• Screening + grit removable
• Sedementation
• Anaerobic digestion

Question 5

What is smelting + its uses + benefits?

Answer 5

Smelting is a displacement reaction for less reactive metals (less than carbon in the reactivity series), which are low in cost

Question 6

What is the process of phytomining?

Answer 6

Phytomining:

1) . Plants grow in soil containing copper
2) . Cooper ions absorbed into plants
3) . Plants are burnt - metal compounds in ash

Question 7

How can we increase the rate of phytomining?

Answer 7

We can increase the rate of phytomining by using fast growing plants

Question 8

What is bioleaching?

Answer 8

Bioleaching is using living organisms (bacteria) to extract metal

Question 9

Describe the process of bioleaching

Answer 9

Bioleaching process :

1) . Bacteria breaks down copper ores
2) . Porduces a leachate
3) . Acid solutions containing copper
4) . Electrolysis

note : bioleaching is very slow

Question 10

What are the advantages of recycling?

Answer 10

The advantages of recycling are:

• Less crude oil to make plastics
• Less energy need
• Reduced landfill
• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions

Question 11

What are the disadvantages of recycling?

Answer 11

The disadvantages of recycling are:

• Requires energy for collection and transport
• Sorting materials > depends on the purity of materials
• Metal may need to melt and cool - transport needed

Question 12

What is the process that we undergo to treat groundwater?

Answer 12

To treat groundwater:
Mesh (remove large debris) > Sand and gravel filtration (to remove any smaller solid bits) > Sterilisation (to kill off any harmful bacteria or microbes using chlorine gas, ozone or UV light)

Question 13

What are the two methods of desalination?

Answer 13

The two processes of desalination are distillation and reverse osmosis

Question 14

What is desalination?

Answer 14

Desalination is carried out in areas without much freshwater to make seawater potable

Question 15

What is distillation?

Answer 15

Distillation is boiling water to separate it from dissolved salts

Question 16

What is reverse osmosis?

Answer 16

Reverse osmosis is passing the water through a membrane that only allows water molecules through

Question 17

What is the process of treating wastewater?

Answer 17

The process of treating wastewater are as follows:

1) . screening
2. sedimentation
3. aerobic digestion of organic matter > released back in the environment
4. anaerobic digestion of organic matter > natural gas + fertiliser

Question 18

What are the three key elements in fertilisers?

Answer 18

The three key elements in fertilisers are nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium

Question 19

What is corrosion?

Answer 19

Corrosion is where metals react with substances in their environment and are gradually destroyed

Question 20

What is rusting?

Answer 20

Rusting is corrosion of iron by water and air

Question 21

What are the three ways to prevent rusting?

Answer 21

The three ways to prevent rusting are:

1) . Barrier methods (paint, grease etc)
2) . Sacrificial method (Attaching a more reactive metal to iron)
3) . Galvanisation (barrier+sacrificial)

Question 22

What does sewage treatment provide us with?

Answer 22

Sewage treatment can provide us with fertiliser and renewable energy

Question 23

What are the disadvantages of water being purified by distillation?

Answer 23

The disadvantages of water being purified by distillation is that is can be expensive due to high energy required