c14 Earth's rescources

• renewable


  resources that can be replaced at the same rate at which they are used up
• finite 


  resources that are being used up faster than they can be replaced (LIMITED AMOUNT)
• Finite resources

  • coal
  • crude oil
  • natural gas
  • metals
  • nuclear power
• renewable resources

  • solar power
  • cotton
  • leather
  • wood
  • ethanol
• chemists provide new synthetic products which supplement or replace natural products to reduce reliance on them
• potable water


  water that is safe to drink and has low levels of bacteria/micro-organisms
• we get most of our water from fresh rain water that is treated so it is safe to drink
• filtration


  remove solids
• sterilisation


  kill micro-organisms
• treatments for water

  • passing untreated water through filter beds made of gravel and sand to remove solids
  • adding chlorine or ozone to sterilise the water
  • passing UV light through the water
• seawater contains high levels of dissolved salts
• drinking seawater damages a persons kidneys and can be fatal
• high levels of dissolved salt can be removed by desalination
• on a small scale desalination can be sone using special ultrafilters in a process known as reverse osmosis
• desalination is expensive.
• treating seawater

  • distillation
  • reverse osmosis
• reverse osmosis uses less energy than distillation but still uses a lot
• the high salt levels in sea water erodes equipment so it needs to be replaced
• treating waste water (sewage)

  1. water is pumped through grips to remove large solids
  2. the water stands in settlement tanks to form a layer of sediment and effluent
  3. the effluent is removed and treated by aerobic digestion
  4. the sediment is removed and treated by anaerobic digestion
  5. the treated sediment produces methane (energy) and digested waste (fertiliser)
  6. addition treatments include chemicals, UV radiation or membranes
  7. clean water is release back into the environment
• high grade ore 


  a rock that contains a high % of metal
• low grade ore 


  a rock that contains a low % of metal
• phytomining

  1. fast growing plants are planted on soils contaminated by copper
  2. the plant absorbs the copper ions and they travel up the plant by the roots
  3. the plant is burnt to an ash containing copper
  4. the ash is reacted with sulphuric acid once filtered copper sulphate is produced
  5. electrolysis of copper sulphate so the copper collects at the negative electrode