Reuse and Recycling Flashcards
what is sustainable development?
an approach to development that takes account the needs of present society while not damaging the lives of future generations
how ca we reduce the use of finite resources?
-we can use less
-chemists can develop and adapt processes that use lower amounts of finite resources and reduce damage to the environment e.g. chemists have created catalysts that reduce the energy needed for certain industrial processes
what are the ways of extracting copper from low-grade ores (ores without much copper in) to improve its sustainability?
-bioleaching and phytomining
-they have a much smaller environmental impact to the environment than traditional methods but a disadvantage is that they are slow
what is bioleaching?
-Certain bacteria can break down low-grade ores to produce an acidic solution
containing copper ions. The solution is called a leachate and the process is called bioleaching
-copper from the lechate can be extracted e.g. by a displacement reaction
.
what is phytomining?
-this involves growing plants in soil that contains copper.
-the plants can not use or get rid of the copper so it gradually builds up in the leaves
-the plants can be harvested, dried and burned in a furnace
- The ash contains soluble copper compounds from which copper can be extracted by electrolysis or displacement using scrap iron
why is recycling metals so important?
-mining and extracting metals takes lots of energy which comes from burning fossil fuels
-recycling metals uses much less energy than is needed to mine and extract new metal, conserves the finite amount of each metal in earth and cuts down on the amount of waste getting to sent to landfill
how are metals usually recycled?
-they are usually recycled by melting them and casting them into the shape of the new product
-depending on what the metal is used for after recycling the amount of separation required for recyclable metals can change e.g. waste steel and iron can be kept together as they can both be added to iron in a blast furnace to reduce the amount of iron ore required
why is recycling glass so important?
it can hep with sustainability by reducing the amount of energy needed to make new glass products and also the amount of waste created when glass is thrown away
How can glass be reused and recycled?
-glass bottles can often be reused without changing the shape
-some glass forms are recycled and separated by colour and chemical composition beforehand. The glass is then crushed and melted to be reshaped for use in glass products such as bottles or glass wool for wall insulation
