C10 - Using Resources

Natural resources form without any human input

Finite resources can’t form quickly enough to be considered replaceable.

An approach to development that takes into account the needs of people today without damaging the lives of future generations

A life cycle assessment is carried out to assess the environmental impact of a product in each stage of its life from start to end.

1) extracting 2) manufacturing 3) transportation / distribution 4) use of product 5) disposal of product

water that is safe to drink (not pure)

+ good for countries with a lack of water supply - requires lots of energy

• salt water is heated • water evaporates at 100 ℃ • water vapour rises and travels to condenser • water vapour cools and condenses • forms pure potable water

• sedimentation of small particles (settle at the bottom of the water) • filter out the sand and gravel • sterilisation to kill harmful bacteria/microbes

• chlorine • ultraviolet light • ozone

+ not many steps + doesn’t require lots of energy - requires a suitable water source

• screened - large objects and grit are filtered out • sedimentation - heavy solids move to the bottom, forming a sludge and lighter effluent floats on top • aerobic digestion of effluent - effluent is broken down by bacteria • anaerobic digestion of sludge - sludge is broken down by bacteria

+ reuses waste water + uses less energy than desalination - requires several steps - may require additional treatment (which involves harmful chemicals)

• which monomers they’re made from • the conditions used to make them

• made from ethene • at a moderate temperature under high pressure • flexible - good for bags and bottles

• made from ethene • at lower temperature and pressure • rigid - used for drainpipes

• contain individual polymer chains intertwined together (weak forces) • can melt • can be recycled

• contains monomers that can form cross links between the polymer chains - hold the chains together in a solid structure • can’t melt - just burns • can’t be recycled

non-metal solids with high melting points that aren’t made from carbon-based compounds

• soda lime • borosilicate

• made from sand, sodium carbonate and calcium carbonate • used for windows, containers etc. • most common type of glass

• made from sand and boron trioxide • used for ovenware • has a higher melting point than soda-lime glass

• made by shaping wet clay and heating in a furnace • hard, unreactive and resistant to heat

a material made up of 2 or more different materials