Using Resources
Natural resources for without human input. They include anything that comes from the earth, sea or
air, e.g. cotton. Some natural products can be replaced by synthetic products or improves upon by
man-made processes, e.g. rubber and polymers. Agriculture provides conditions where natural
resources can be enhanced for our needs.
Renewable resources reform at similar rate to, or faster than, we use them, e.g. timber, water, food.
Finite (non-renewable) resources aren’t formed quickly enough to be considered replaceable, e.g.
fossil fuels, nuclear fuels (uranium, plutonium), minerals and metals found in ores. After they have
been extracted, many finite undergo man-made processes to provide fuels and other things.
Manu modern materials are made from raw, finite resources, e.g. plastic, metal. People have to
balance the social, economic and environmental effects of extracting finite resources, e.g. mining
metals is good because useful products can be made, provides jobs and money but mining ores is
bad as uses loads of energy, scars the landscape, destroys habitat and produces lots of waste
Sustainable development is an approach to development that takes account of the needs of present
society while not damaging the lives of future generations. It’s unsustainable to use finite resources,
extract them as they use energy and create waste and also process them to make new things.
Extracting from low grade ores (contain a small percentage of the metal or its compound)
Bioleaching- bacteria are used to convert metal compounds in the ore into soluble metal
compounds, separating out the metal from the ore in the process. The leachate (solution
produced in the process) contains metal ions, which can be extracted by electrolysis or a
displacement with a more reactive metal.
Phytomining- it involves growing plants in the soil that contain the metal. The plant cannot
get rid of the metal so it gradually build up in the leaves. The plant can be harvested, dried
and burned in a furnace. The ash contains soluble metal compounds from which the metal
can be extracted by electrolysis or a displacement with a more reactive metal.
Traditional methods damage the environment, these methods have a much smaller impact but they
are very slow.
Mining and extracting metals takes a lot of energy, which mostly come from fossil fuels while
recycling uses less energy, conserves the finite resource and cuts down on waste in landfills. Metals
are usually recycled by melting them and then casting them into a new shape pf the new product.
Depending on what the metal will be used for after recycling, the amount of separation required can
change. A blast furnace is used to extract iron from its ore at a high temperature using carbon.
Glass recycling can help sustainability by reducing the amount of energy needed to make new glass
products, and also the amount pf waste created when glass is thrown away.
Glass bottle can be reused
Glass that cannot be reused is recycled, usually separated by colour and chemical
composition before recycling it
The glass is then crushed and then melted to be reshaped for use in glass products. It may
be used for a different purpose, e.g. insulating glass wool
A life cycle assessment (LCA) looks at every stage of a product’s life to assess the impact it would
have on the environment.
Natural resources for without human input. They include anything that comes from the earth, sea or
air, e.g. cotton. Some natural products can be replaced by synthetic products or improves upon by
man-made processes, e.g. rubber and polymers. Agriculture provides conditions where natural
resources can be enhanced for our needs.
Renewable resources reform at similar rate to, or faster than, we use them, e.g. timber, water, food.
Finite (non-renewable) resources aren’t formed quickly enough to be considered replaceable, e.g.
fossil fuels, nuclear fuels (uranium, plutonium), minerals and metals found in ores. After they have
been extracted, many finite undergo man-made processes to provide fuels and other things.
Manu modern materials are made from raw, finite resources, e.g. plastic, metal. People have to
balance the social, economic and environmental effects of extracting finite resources, e.g. mining
metals is good because useful products can be made, provides jobs and money but mining ores is
bad as uses loads of energy, scars the landscape, destroys habitat and produces lots of waste
Sustainable development is an approach to development that takes account of the needs of present
society while not damaging the lives of future generations. It’s unsustainable to use finite resources,
extract them as they use energy and create waste and also process them to make new things.
Extracting from low grade ores (contain a small percentage of the metal or its compound)
Bioleaching- bacteria are used to convert metal compounds in the ore into soluble metal
compounds, separating out the metal from the ore in the process. The leachate (solution
produced in the process) contains metal ions, which can be extracted by electrolysis or a
displacement with a more reactive metal.
Phytomining- it involves growing plants in the soil that contain the metal. The plant cannot
get rid of the metal so it gradually build up in the leaves. The plant can be harvested, dried
and burned in a furnace. The ash contains soluble metal compounds from which the metal
can be extracted by electrolysis or a displacement with a more reactive metal.
Traditional methods damage the environment, these methods have a much smaller impact but they
are very slow.
Mining and extracting metals takes a lot of energy, which mostly come from fossil fuels while
recycling uses less energy, conserves the finite resource and cuts down on waste in landfills. Metals
are usually recycled by melting them and then casting them into a new shape pf the new product.
Depending on what the metal will be used for after recycling, the amount of separation required can
change. A blast furnace is used to extract iron from its ore at a high temperature using carbon.
Glass recycling can help sustainability by reducing the amount of energy needed to make new glass
products, and also the amount pf waste created when glass is thrown away.
Glass bottle can be reused
Glass that cannot be reused is recycled, usually separated by colour and chemical
composition before recycling it
The glass is then crushed and then melted to be reshaped for use in glass products. It may
be used for a different purpose, e.g. insulating glass wool
A life cycle assessment (LCA) looks at every stage of a product’s life to assess the impact it would
have on the environment.
