topic 10 continued

Question 1

why is extracting metals bad

Answer 1

as it uses a lot of energy

-produces large amounts of toxic waste

Question 2

how is metal extracted

Answer 2

• the ore has to be dug out of the mine and transported for processing
• the metal has to be extracted from the ore and this can produce large amounts of toxic waste

Question 3

how are plastic bags produced

Answer 3

using chemicals from crude oil

Question 4

how are paper bags made

Answer 4

from wood from trees

Question 5

why is crude oil bad

Answer 5

• it is non-renewable

- extracting crude oil can be harmful to habitats eg. if there is an oil leak

Question 6

why are felling trees bad

Answer 6

as it is extremely destructive to habitats such as forests

Question 7

what process do crude oil and wood need to go through

Answer 7

they need to be chemically processed

Question 8

why is chemical processing bad

Answer 8

• requires a lot of energy

- releases waste products

Question 9

what does making paper require

Answer 9

large amounts of water

Question 10

how are paper bags bad- they require …

Answer 10

they require lots of energy to be transported as they are heavier

Question 11

what is the disadvantage of plastic

Answer 11

it is non-biodegradable - it is not broken down by microorganisms so this creates lots of litter

Question 12

how are most metals found

Answer 12

in the earth’s crust already reacted with other elements

Question 13

give an example of a popular metal

Answer 13

copper

Question 14

what does a metal ore contain

Answer 14

enough metal to make it economical to extract the metal

Question 15

what is the problem with copper ores

Answer 15

they are running out

Question 16

as copper ores are starting to run out what are we going to have to do next

Answer 16

extract copper from low-grade ores

Question 17

what do low-grade ores contain

Answer 17

a very small amount of copper

Question 18

what is the drawback from extracting copper from low-grade ores

Answer 18

it is very hard to extract the copper economically from the ores`

Question 19

what is phytomining- (plants)

Answer 19

plants are grown on land containing the metal compound that we want

Question 20

what do phytomining plants do (2)

Answer 20

• absorb the metal compound and they concentrate it in their tissue
• the plants are then harvested and burned

Question 21

what does the ash (burned and harvested phytomined plants) contain

Answer 21

a high concentration of the metal compound

Question 22

what does bioleaching use

Answer 22

bacteria

Question 23

what happens in bioleaching

Answer 23

bacteria are mixed with low-grade ore

Question 24

what does the bacteria do in bioleaching

Answer 24

the bacteria carry out chemical reactions and they produce a solution called a leachate

Question 25

what does the leachate contain

Answer 25

a metal compound that we need

Question 26

what do phytominign and bioleaching both allow us to do

Answer 26

economically extract metals from low-grade ores

Question 27

how do we recycle metals

Answer 27

by melting them and then recasting them into different products

Question 28

what is the problem of recycling metals

Answer 28

different metals need to be separated before recycling- this depends on the properties of the final product

Question 29

what can some scrap steel be added to

Answer 29

iron from a blast furnace- this reduces the amount of iron we need to extract from the iron ore

Question 30

how can glass bottles help sustainability `

Answer 30

by reducing the amount of energy needed to make new glass products, and also the amount of waste created when used glass is thrown away`

Question 31

by what 2 ways is glass separated by

Answer 31

colour and chemical decomposition

Question 32

what has been developed to reduce the amount of energy required for industrial processes

Answer 32

catalysts

Question 33

what is the problem with life cycle assessments (2)

Answer 33

• they can be bias

- doesn’t fully show the effects of the products