AQA GCSE Chemistry Trilogy: Reduce, Recycle & Reuce

Reduce, Recycle & Reuse:

RECYCLING: The process of collecting and processing materials so that they can be used again.

Aluminium:

• Is a recyclable metal
• ~ 8kg used per person annually
• 2% of all power is used to create aluminium
• Bauxite ore is mined and crushed to collect aluminium oxide (Al2O3). This is then made molten to extract the metal via electrolysis, which requires lots of energy

Recycling Metal is Important as:

• Ores are becoming extremely scarce
• It is expensive to extract metals from ores
• The obtaining and production of metals can damage the environment

Environmental Considerations:

Transportation and Digging:

• Requires burning of fossil fuels
• Increases greenhouse gas emissions

Scarring of the Landscape:

• Mining destroys habitats, reducing the biodiversity

Dust and Noise Pollution:

• Vehicles can produce dust and noise pollution
  • These can make life frustrating and have potential health risks

Toxic Waste Runoff:

• Water becomes polluted from rain through exposed ores and slag heaps
• The groundwater becomes filled with heavy metals

Open-cost mining → Requires lots of energy → Energy demands have environmental consequences → Recycling reduces our energy demands