Using Resources

Question 1

How do humans use Earth’s resources?

Answer 1

for warmth, shelter, food, and transport

Question 2

What role does agriculture play in providing resources?

Answer 2

Agriculture supplements natural resources to provide food, timber, clothing, and fuels

Question 3

How are finite resources from Earth processed?

Answer 3

Finite resources from Earth, oceans, and the atmosphere are processed to provide energy and materials.

Question 4

What role does chemistry play in sustainable development?

Answer 4

• improving agricultural and industrial processes
• creating new products
• supporting sustainable development

Question 5

What is potable water?

Answer 5

water safe for drinking, with sufficiently low levels of dissolved salts and microbes

Question 6

How is potable water produced in the UK?

Answer 6

by choosing a fresh water source, passing it through filter beds, and sterilizing it using agents like chlorine, ozone, or ultraviolet light

Question 7

What are the methods of desalination?

Answer 7

• by distillation or processes using membranes, such as reverse osmosis
• Both methods require significant energy.

Question 8

Why is potable water not pure in the chemical sense?

Answer 8

contains dissolved substances, although safe to drink, and is not chemically pure

Question 9

What is the purpose of sewage treatment?

Answer 9

• aims to remove organic matter and harmful microbes from urban lifestyles
• industrial processes’ waste water before its release into the environment.

Question 10

What are the main steps in sewage treatment?

Answer 10

• screening and grit removal
• sedimentation to produce sewage sludge and effluent,
• anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge,
• aerobic biological treatment of effluent

Question 11

Why is treatment needed for agricultural waste water?

Answer 11

Agricultural waste water requires treatment to remove organic matter and harmful microbes

Question 12

How does the treatment of industrial waste water differ from sewage treatment?

Answer 12

may require removal of both organic matter and harmful chemicals, depending on the industrial processes involved.

Question 13

What are the steps involved in obtaining potable water from sewage?

Answer 13

• screening
• sedimentation
• aerobic biological treatment.

Question 14

Why are new methods for extracting copper needed?

Answer 14

Copper ores are becoming scarce, prompting the development of new extraction methods to replace traditional mining

Question 15

What are the alternative methods for extracting copper from low-grade ores?

Answer 15

phytomining
bioleaching

Question 16

Explain phytomining

Answer 16

• using plants to absorb metal compounds
• The harvested plants are then burned to produce ash containing metal compounds.

Question 17

Describe bioleaching

Answer 17

uses bacteria to produce leachate solutions containing metal compounds from low-grade ores

Question 18

How can metals be obtained from solutions of metal compounds in bioleaching?

Answer 18

solutions of metal compounds through displacement using scrap iron or by electrolysis.

Question 19

What does a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) evaluate?

Answer 19

assess the environmental impact of products throughout their life cycle, including extraction, manufacturing, use, and disposal.

Question 20

Name the stages included in a life cycle assessment

Answer 20

• extracting and processing raw material
• manufacturing and packaging
• use and operation
• disposal at the end of its useful life.

Question 21

Why is quantifying pollutant effects in LCAs challenging?

Answer 21

• involves value judgments and is less straightforward than measuring water use
• resource consumption
• energy sources

Question 22

What is the purpose of selective or abbreviated LCAs?

Answer 22

devised to evaluate a product, but they may be misused to support pre-determined conclusions, such as claims for advertising purposes

Question 23

Provide an example of a product that could be compared using a simple LCA

Answer 23

Shopping bags made from plastic and paper can be compared using a simple LCA

Question 24

How does the reduction in use, reuse, and recycling of materials by end users impact the environment?

Answer 24

reduces the use of limited resources, energy consumption, waste, and overall environmental impacts.

Question 25

Name materials that are produced from limited raw materials

Answer 25

Metals, glass, building materials, clay ceramics, and most plastics are produced from limited raw materials.

Question 26

What environmental impacts are caused by obtaining raw materials through quarrying and mining?

Answer 26

Obtaining raw materials from the Earth through quarrying and mining causes environmental impacts

Question 27

Give an example of a product that can be reused

Answer 27

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

Question 28

How can metals be recycled?

Answer 28

• melting and recasting or reforming into different products
• the amount of separation required depends on the material and the properties needed for the final product