USING RESOURCES
USING THE EARTH’S RESOURCES AND ABTAINING
POTABLE WATER
USING THE EARTH’S RESOURCES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Sustainability: development that meets the needs of current generations without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Renewable resources: resources that can be replaced at the same rate that they are used
o Biofuels from plants, ethanol from fermentation of sugar cane
Finite resources: resources that are used faster than they can be replaced
o Fossil fuels, metal ores
Materials that can be recycled:
o Glass: crushed and melted to make other glass products
o Metal: melted and recast into different products
Recycling is positive as, though it requires energy it usually requires less than what is needed
to mine and extract a metal from its ore
POTABLE WATER
Potable water: water that is fit to drink
Potable water is not pure water as it contains low levels of dissolved salts and microbes
PROCESS OF PRODUCING POTABLE WATER:
o Large objects are removed by filtering
o Sand and soil are allowed to settle out
o Aluminium sulphate is added which makes small particles clump together and settle
o Sterilised using chlorine, ozone or UV light to remove hazardous microbes
WASTE WATER TREATMENT
PROCESS:
o Water is screened to remove large solid objects
o Chemicals are added which cause solid sediments to form and settle out of the
mixture
o Bacteria feed on remaining organic matter to remove them and break them down
aerobically
o Sludge is anaerobically digested by microorganisms at between 35-55 degrees
Biogas is a product of anaerobic digestion
USING THE EARTH’S RESOURCES AND ABTAINING
POTABLE WATER
USING THE EARTH’S RESOURCES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Sustainability: development that meets the needs of current generations without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Renewable resources: resources that can be replaced at the same rate that they are used
o Biofuels from plants, ethanol from fermentation of sugar cane
Finite resources: resources that are used faster than they can be replaced
o Fossil fuels, metal ores
Materials that can be recycled:
o Glass: crushed and melted to make other glass products
o Metal: melted and recast into different products
Recycling is positive as, though it requires energy it usually requires less than what is needed
to mine and extract a metal from its ore
POTABLE WATER
Potable water: water that is fit to drink
Potable water is not pure water as it contains low levels of dissolved salts and microbes
PROCESS OF PRODUCING POTABLE WATER:
o Large objects are removed by filtering
o Sand and soil are allowed to settle out
o Aluminium sulphate is added which makes small particles clump together and settle
o Sterilised using chlorine, ozone or UV light to remove hazardous microbes
WASTE WATER TREATMENT
PROCESS:
o Water is screened to remove large solid objects
o Chemicals are added which cause solid sediments to form and settle out of the
mixture
o Bacteria feed on remaining organic matter to remove them and break them down
aerobically
o Sludge is anaerobically digested by microorganisms at between 35-55 degrees
Biogas is a product of anaerobic digestion
