[Part 3]- C12- using resources ♻️

Question 1

What are the benefits of phytomining and bioleaching ?

Answer 1

• phytomining and bioleaching allow metals to be economically extracted from low-grade ores
• this is important because, the Earth’s resources of metal ores are limited

Question 2

What are life cycle assessments ?

Answer 2

• a life cycle assessment, is an assessment carried out to assess the environmental impacts of products

Question 3

What is the process of a life cycle assessment ?

Answer 3

• the environmental impact of extracting and processing raw materials, is first assessed
• the manufacturing and packaging of a product is then assessed
• after, the use and operation of the product during its lifetime is assessed
• and, the disposal at the end of the product’s life [including transport and distribution] are finally assessed

Question 4

Describe the first and second stage in the life cycle assessment of plastic shopping bags 🛍️

Answer 4

• extracting and processing raw materials- plastic bags are produced using chemicals from crude oil
• but both crude oil and wood need to be chemically processed- which requires large amounts of energy, and releases waste products

Question 5

What is an environmental impact of extracting crude oil ?

Answer 5

• ; crude oil is a non-renewable resource, and extracting crude oil can be harmful to habitats [e.g- an oil leak]

Question 6

Describe the first and second stage in the life cycle assessment of paper shopping bags 🛄

Answer 6

• extracting and processing raw materials- paper bags are made from wood from trees
• and trees are renewable, as more can be planted
• ; felling trees for wood is destructive to habitats [such as forests]

Question 7

What are the environmental impacts of processing wood ?

Answer 7

• but both crude oil and wood need to be chemically processed- which requires large amounts of energy, and releases waste products
• but making paper also requires large volumes of water

Question 8

What is the third stage in the life cycle assessment of plastic shopping bags? 🛍️

Answer 8

• use and operation- plastic bags are strong and are often reused [e.g- as bin liners]

Question 9

What is the third stage in the life cycle assessment of paper shopping bags ? 🛄

Answer 9

• use and operation- paper bags are not as strong as plastic bags, and tend to tear
• and paper bags are often only used once, before being thrown away

Question 10

What is the final stage in the life cycle assessment of plastic shopping bags? 🛍️

Answer 10

• disposal at the end of the product’s life- both plastic and paper bags have to be transported to recycling or landfill

Question 11

What is the final stage in the life cycle assessment of paper shopping bags ? 🛄

Answer 11

• disposal at the end of the product’s life- both plastic and paper bags have to be transported to recycling or landfill
• ; paper bags, are often heavier than plastic bags are take more energy to transport

Question 12

What is a promblem with plastic bags ?

Answer 12

• plastic is non-biodegradable, so it is not broken down by microorganisms
• this means, plastic bags remain in the environment for a [very] long time

Question 13

• Fill in the gaps: paper breaks down quickly especially when it is ___

Answer 13

• paper breaks down quickly especially when it is wet

Question 14

Why are plastic bags a major form of litter ?

Answer 14

• plastic bags remain in the environment for a [very] long time, as they are not bio-degradable
• this means, plastic can also fill up landfill

Question 15

Why are life cycle assessments not a purely objective process ?

Answer 15

• life cycle assessments can measure the use of water, and can also measure the production of some waste products
• ; life cycle assessments don’t provide a certainty of how damaging these are to the environment
• so, estimates or value judgements sometimes have to be made [that are not accurate]

Question 16

• Fill in the gaps: life cycle assessments can be ____, to support claims by advertisers

Answer 16

• life cycle assessments can be bias, to support claims by advertisers

Question 17

What are examples of materials produced from limited raw materials ?

Answer 17

• glass
• metals
• building materials
• clay ceramics
• and [most] plastics

Question 18

How are raw materials often obtained ?

Answer 18

• raw materials are often obtained by quarrying or mining; this causes environmental impacts

Question 19

What is quarrying ?

Answer 19

• quarrying, is the process of removing: rock, sand, gravel or other minerals from the ground in order to use them to produce materials for construction or other uses.

Question 20

What is mining ?

Answer 20

• mining, is the digging, moving and disposing of large amounts of rock

Question 21

What are three disadvantages of quarrying ?

Answer 21

• quarrying produces large amounts of dust [due to regular blasting]
• quarrying destroys habitats
• quarrying can lead to an increased number of respiratory conditions [such as asthma]

Question 22

What are two disadvantages of mining ?

Answer 22

• mining can release harmful chemicals into the environment
• it takes lots of energy to turn the raw materials extracted from mining, into useful products- ;this energy typically comes from limited resources such as fossils fuels, that lead to climate change

Question 23

What are some advantages of quarrying ?

Answer 23

• quarrying provides employment
• quarrying supports the local economy

Question 24

Why is it important we try to reduce our need for raw materials, by reusing or recycling ?

Answer 24

• reducing our need for raw materials, by reusing or recycling, helps to save limited resources and energy
• ; this also reduces the amount of waste produced- meaning there is a less harmful effect on the environment

Question 25

Can glass bottles be reused ?

Answer 25

- yes, products such as glass bottles can be reused or crushed and melted to make different glass products [e.g- jars]

Question 26

Can plastic bottles be recycled ?

Answer 26

- yes, plastic bottles can be recycled to make fleece jackets and carpets

Question 27

How can metals be recycled ?

Answer 27

- metals can be recycled, by melting them and recasting them into different products

Question 28

What is the promblem with recycling metals ?

Answer 28

- different metals usually need to be separated, before being recycled - ; this depends on the properties of the final product because, some scrap metal can be added to iron from a blast furnace

Question 29

How can the amount of iron we need to extract from iron ore, be reduced ?

Answer 29

- scrap metal can be added to iron from a blast furnace, to reduce the amount of iron we need to extract from iron ore