Human Activities and Waste

waste

any discared or rejected material mainly from human activities and some other processes

solid waste

• wastes in solid form

• domestic, commercial, and industrial waste

biodegradable waste

capable of being decomposed by microorganisms

nonbiodegradable

cannot be degraded quickly through normal means

special waste

• needs unique regulatory requirements for disposal

• include clinical wastes and asbestos

liquid waste

• waste in liquid form

• ex: chemicals, oils, domestic washing

gas waste

any gaseous materials due to be discarded

toxic waste

causes injury or death when inhaled or ingested

flammable waste

can easily ignite and burn rapidly

corrosive waste

can burn the skin on contact and can erode away the surface of materials

reactive waste

can react with other substances to produce toxic vapors or explosions

natural waste

waste that comes from the environment

anthropogenic

• waste product by humans

• industrial, residential, argicultural, commercial, mining

recycling

involves the recovery and reprocessing of materials that have been used by consumers

incineration

involves the combustion of waste

composting

natural process of recycling decomposed organic materials into rich fertile soils known as composts

republic act 9003

known as the ecological solid waste management act of 2000

energy

• capacity to do work

• can be changed from one form to another

• can neither be created nor destroyed

energy resources

• can produce heat, power, life, move objects, or produce electricity

fuel

matter that stores energy

renewable energy

sources of energy which are renewed again and again at a faster rate through natural processes

solar energy

• ultimate source of energy in the ecosystem

• considered as the future source of energy

photovoltaic cell

phenomenon that converst solar energy into electricity

hydro energy

• uses moving water

• generates electricity by the gravitational force of the falling water

• uses water in dams in drive turbines

wind energy

rotating turbines generate electricity

biomass energy

dead organic matter or dead plants and animal parts

nonrenewable energy

• formed inside the earth’s crust at very high temperatues and high pressure

• takes a very long time to form

• ex: coal, petroleum, natual gas, timber, nuclear fuel

fossil fuel

• formed through heat and compression of forest waste and other organic matter

coal

• most abundantly found fossil fuel in the world

• meets 70% of the world’s total energy needs

petroleum

• natural underground fossil fuel

• formed due to decomposition of microplanktons

• creates crude oil

co2, h20, co2, and no2

components of coil

natural gas

• mixture of hydrocarbon gases trapped under the earth’s surface

• mainly composed of methane (ch4), propane (c3h8), and butane (c4h10)

two forms of natural gas

lpg (liquified petroleum gas), and cng (compressed natural gas)

nuclear energy

• present in nuclear power

• highly developed alternative for energy production in place of coal

nuclear fission

• happens when a large nucleus splits into lighter nuclei

• one amu of u-235 yields energy equal to burning 15 metric tons of coals.

nuclear fussion

reaction where two or more atomic nuclei form one more different atomic nuclei

exploration

• first step in process of mining

• finding high-quality ore

drilling and blasting

• second step in the process of minind

• getting the ore out of the ground

crushing and milling

• third step in the process of mining

• getting the mineral out of the ore

separation

• fourth step in the process of mining

• separating the mineral from the waste rock

refining

• fifth step in the process of mining

• cleaning the mineral or metal

distribution

• sixth step in the process of mining

• distributing the minerals and metals to where they are needed

processes of mining

exploration, drilling and blasting, crushing and milling, separation, refining, distribution

exploration, drilling and blasting, crushing and milling, separation, refining, distribution

processes of mining

igneous rocks

• also called magmatic rocks

• formed through cooling and solidification of magma or lava

plutonic rocks

• type of igneous rock

• large sized rocks

• formed within millions of years

extrusive rocks

• type of igneous rock

• invisible to the naked eye

• invisible to microscopic grains

• formed in seconds to months

intrusive rocks

• type of igneous rock

• visible to the naked eye

• small to medium grains

• formed through thousands of years

sedimentary rocks

• types of rocks formed by the accumulation or deposition of minerals or organic particles at the earth’s surface