Using Earth’s resources Flashcards

1
Q

What do we use resources for?

A

Warmth
Shelter
Food
Transport

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2
Q

How do we produce resources?

A

Agriculture
Tree planting
Synthetic resources

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3
Q

Examples of agriculture

A

Growing cotton from a plant
So we can grow as much as possible for the needs

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4
Q

Examples of tree planting for fuel

A

Woodchips act as biofuel to power power stations

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5
Q

Examples of synthetic resources

A

Natural rubber = tree sap
Synthetic rubber = crude oil

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6
Q

Finite

A

Resources that cannot be replaced as quickly as they are used
For example fossil fuels and metals

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7
Q

Renewable

A

Resources that will never run out as they can be replaced as quickly as we use them
For example wood

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8
Q

What does drinking water have to require?

A

Low levels of dissolved salts
Low levels of microbes like bacteria

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9
Q

Potable water

A

Water that is safe to drink

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10
Q

Pure water

A

Has no dissolved substances in it
Just H2O molecules

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11
Q

Are potable and pure water the same?

A

No because potable water contains small dissolved substances in small amounts
Whereas pure water is 100% H2O

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12
Q

How does the Uk get most of our potable water?

A

Rain water because it contains low levels of dissolved substances

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13
Q

Where does rain water accumulate?

A

Aquifers
Lakes
Rivers
Reservoirs
= supplies of freshwater

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14
Q

How to produce potable water?

A

Choose a freshwater supply eg lake
Pass it through filter beds to remove leaves and dirt
Sterilise water to kill bacteria using chlorine, ozone or UV light

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15
Q

How to produce potable water if it’s too salty?

A

Use desalination
Reduces levels of dissolved minerals to a good level

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16
Q

Desalination methods

A

Distillation
Reverse osmosis = pass it through membranes

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17
Q

Cons of desalination methods

A

Use large amounts of energy so it’s expensive

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18
Q

Uses of water

A

Drinking
Personal hygiene (bath, shower)
Flushing the toilet
Washing laundry
Farming

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19
Q

What does waste water contain and why do we need to treat waste water?

A

It contains:
Large amounts of organic molecules such as urine and feces
Harmful bacteria

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20
Q

Stages of treating waste water

A

Sewage passed through mesh (screened) to remove solids and grit
Settle in large sedimentation tanks
Produces a liquid effluent and a solid sludge
The sludge sinks and is taken away to be digested by anaerobic bacteria
Without oxygen, the bacteria produces biogas fuel
This digested sludge used as fertilisers

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21
Q

Where is sewage first passed through and why?

A

Mesh to be screened and remove solid particles and grit

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22
Q

What does the sewage settle in and why?

A

Large sedimentation tanks to separate into liquid effluent and solid sludge

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23
Q

What does sludge do?

A

Sinks then taken away to be digested by anaerobic bacteria
Which, with no oxygen the bacteria produces biogas for fuel

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24
Q

What is the digested sludge used for?

A

Fertilisers in farming

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25
Q

What happens to the liquid effluent and why?

A

Bubbles air into the liquid supplying it with oxygen
So aerobic bacteria can begin to multiply
And thus digest the harmful microorganisms
This is because we need to discharge it back into the sea but before had too much harmful microorganisms

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26
Q

What happens if the waste water is from industry and needs to be treated?

A

It will contain harmful chemicals so it will have to have these harmful chemicals removed first

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27
Q

Easiest way to produce potable water

A

Use ground water from aquifers
Because once treated with chlorine it’s safe to drink

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28
Q

Cons of aquifers

A

Can be polluted with fertilisers from farms
So you need to test the water carefully

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29
Q

Cons of Making potable water from treated waste water

A

Requires many steps so only done if water is scarce

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30
Q

Cons of Making potable water from salt water

A

Requires a lot of energy so it’s expensive

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31
Q

How are most metals on earth found?

A

Reacted with oxygen = metal oxide
Aka ores

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32
Q

Use of copper

A

In electronic equipment like phones

33
Q

Metal ore

A

Contains enough metal in a rock to make it worth extracting
‘Economical’

34
Q

Low grade ores

A

Rocks contain small amounts of the metal

35
Q

Why are we mining low grade ores?

A

Because we are running out of higher grade metal ores

36
Q

Phytomining

A

Growing plants on land that contain the metal compound we are extracting

37
Q

Steps of phytomining

A

Plant absorbs metal compound in their tissue
Plants harvested and burnt
Ash contains high concentration of metal compound

38
Q

Bioleaching

A

Using bacteria to extract metals

39
Q

Steps of bioleaching

A

Bacteria mixes with low grade ore
Bacteria carries out chemical reaction and solution called leachate is produced
Leachate contains the metal compound we want

40
Q

But what happens at the end of both phytomining and bioleaching?

A

Has left us with the metal compound
Which we need to extract the metal from

41
Q

How can we extract the metal from the metal compound after bioleaching/ phytomining

A

Electrolysis
Displacement with a more reactive metal

42
Q

Pros of phytomining + bioleaching

A

Allows us to economically extract metals from low grade ores
Methods do not involve transporting/digging large amounts of rock

43
Q

Lifecycle assessment

A

Attempts to put a number/rating on the environmental impact of a product
Gives a rating at different stages of the products lifespan

44
Q

Stages of a lifestyle assessment

A

Production
Transportation
Use
Disposal

45
Q

Process of producing plastics

A

Use crude oil
Has to be extracted from oil refineries
These hydrocarbons must be separated then cracked
Then produce the polymer
Takes a lot of energy = use fossil fuels = climate change

46
Q

Process of metal extraction (high grade ore)

A

Has to dig up ore then transport it to be processed
Extract the metal = toxic waste products

47
Q

Plastic vs paper products

A

Plastic from crude oil = non renewable
Paper = renewable

Extracting crude oil = harmful in case of oil leak
Extracting wood = deforestation

Both need to be chemically processed = requires energy = release fossil fuels

Making paper requires water

Plastic is strong = reusable
Paper rips easily

Both have to be transported to be recycled/ landfill
Paper is heavier thus requires more energy

Plastic is not biodegradable
Paper is

48
Q

Cons of life cycle assessment

A

We can measure waste products/ amount of energy
But we can’t be certain how damaging those are to the environmental
So we have to make estimates which may not be accurate
May be biased

49
Q

Benefits of recycling

A

We can reuse resources
So we don’t have to extract more limited resources
Reduces waste = less harmful to environment

50
Q

Methods of recycling

A

Reusing it
Crushing and melting it to a new product

51
Q

How do we recycle metals?

A

Melt them then recast them into a new product

52
Q

Problem with recycling metals

A

We have to separate them before melting it, depending on the product

53
Q

Corrosion

A

Destruction of materials
Caused by chemical reactions the material has with substances in the environment

54
Q

Rusting

A

A type of corrosion that ONLY applies to iron and alloys of iron

55
Q

How to stop corrosion

A

Use a barrier between the material and environment
Such as grease or paint
Or coat it with metal (electroplating)
Galvanising

56
Q

Electroplating

A

A means of protecting materials from corrosion
By coating it with a metal
Such as aluminium

57
Q

Galvanising

A

Coating iron with zinc to protect it from rust
Acts as a barrier between material and environment
However if it gets scratched it still protects it as the oxygen reacts with the zinc since its more reactive

58
Q

Sacrificial protection

A

Using a more reactive to protect a less reactive metal as a barrier in corrosion
Eg galvanising

59
Q

Alloy

A

A mixture of metal and another element
Could be another metal or an element

60
Q

What is the hardness of alloys like and why?

A

Harder than normal metals
Because it has different sized atoms
Which disrupts the layers and stops it from sliding over each other

61
Q

Bronze

A

Alloy of copper and tin

62
Q

Bronze properties

A

Extremely hard and doesn’t corrode easily

63
Q

Bronze uses

A

Statues because it doesn’t corrode easily

64
Q

Brass

A

Alloy of copper and zinc

65
Q

Brass properties

A

Hard
But still malleable into different shapes

66
Q

Brass used

A

Instruments
Door handles

67
Q

Problem with gold

A

Used for jewellery but too soft

68
Q

What is gold alloyed with to make it harder?

A

Silver
Copper
Zinc

69
Q

Purity of gold in an alloy is measured in

A

Carats
24 carat gold = 100% pure gold

70
Q

Steel

A

Alloy of iron, certain amounts of carbon and other metals

71
Q

High carbon steel

A

Steel with a lot of carbon in it

72
Q

Properties of high carbon steel

A

Extremely hard
Brittle (breaks easily)

73
Q

High carbon uses

A

Cutting tools ie chisels

74
Q

Low carbon steel

A

Steel with lower amounts of carbon

75
Q

Properties of low carbon steel

A

Softer
Easily shaped

76
Q

Low carbon steel uses

A

Car bodies

77
Q

Problem with steel

A

Alloy of iron = prone to rust

78
Q

How to fix problem with steel?

A

Make stainless steel containing chromium and nickel
So hard + resistant to corrosion

79
Q

Aluminium alloys properties + uses

A

Low density = useful for aeroplane bodies