Part 2

• What is the LCA


  Life cycle assessment

  Looks at the whole life of a product and decides its environmental impact
• Categories of the LCA


  1. Getting materials for products
  2. Making the product
  3. Using the product
  4. Getting rid of the product
• Objective parts of the LCA: water used, waste produced..
• Subjective parts of the LCA: polluting effects...
• Ways to dispose of products


  1. Add to landfill
  2. Incinerate
  3. Reused
  4. Recycled
• Negatives of landfills


  Can cause habitat loss

  Some items stay in landfills as they don't biogdegrade
• Negatives of incineration


  Harmful pollutants released to atmosphere
• How can some metals be extracted from their ores?


  Reduction

  Electrolysis
• Why arent reduction or electrolysis used?


  They require lots of energy
• What 2 ways can we extract copper from low grade ores

  Phytomining

  Bioleaching
• Phytomining steps


  1. Grow plants near the ore
  2. Harvest the plants
  3. Burn the plants
  4. Ash left contains the metal compound
  5. Process the ash by electrolysis or displacement with scrap metal
• Bioleaching steps


  1. Grow bacteria near the ore
  2. Bacteria produce solutions that contain the metal compound
  3. Process the solution by electrolysis or displacement with scrap metal