TOPIC 10 - USING RESOURCES

Finite Resources

Resources from the Earth, oceans, and atmosphere that have a limited supply and will eventually run out.

Potable Water

Water that is safe to drink and must have sufficiently low levels of dissolved salts and microbes to be considered safe.

Desalination

Process of removing salt from seawater to make it suitable for drinking, which can be done through distillation or processes with membranes like reverse osmosis.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Evaluation of the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire life cycle, including extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, use, and disposal.

Corrosion

Destruction of materials by chemical reactions with substances in the environment, such as rusting in the case of iron, which can be prevented by applying coatings like greasing or electroplating.

Alloys

Mixtures of metals with small amounts of similar metals to enhance their properties, such as making them harder for everyday use, like bronze (copper and tin) or stainless steel (chromium and nickel).

Thermosoftening Polymers

Polymers made of individual, tangled chains that melt when heated due to weak intermolecular forces, requiring less heat energy to break the chains.

Thermosetting Polymers

Polymers with cross-links between chains that do not melt when heated, providing more strength and stability compared to thermosoftening polymers.

The Haber Process

Industrial process to produce ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen, used in the manufacturing of nitrogen-based fertilizers to enhance agricultural productivity.

NPK Fertilizers

Fertilizers containing compounds of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, essential for plant growth and can be produced through various integrated processes using raw materials like ammonia and phosphate rock.