BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Recycling

Science
Recycling
The Earths resources are limited and it is important that we conserve as much as possible. One way to do this is to recycle waste products. Some forms of recycling happen in nature: the carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle allow these elements to be recycled.

Benefits of recycling
Resources on the Earth are limited, It's important that the way we behave now does not make life difficult or impossible for future generations. To achieve sustainable development , we need to carefully consider:

the need for economic development, where standards of living improve the environment and the resources it provides for us.
Recycling is an important way to help us achieve sustainable development. We can recycle many resources, including:

glass metal paper plastic. Glass

Glass is easily recycled. It can be melted and remoulded to make new objects, such as bottles. The energy needed to do this is less than the energy needed to make new glass from its raw materials. However, we need to sort different coloured glass ready for recycling, and transport it to the recycling plant.

Metal
Just like glass, it takes less energy to melt and remould metals than it does to extract new metals from their ores. Aluminium is a

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BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Recycling

valuable metal that melts at a relatively low temperature, and is particularly attractive for recycling. However, a lot of metals that we use are mixtures called alloys, and it can be difficult to sort different metals ready for recycling.

Paper
Paper is not melted when it is recycled. Instead, it is broken up into small pieces and reformed to make new sheets of paper. This takes less energy than making paper from trees. However, paper can only be recycled a few times before its fibres become too short to be useful, and the recycled paper is often only good enough for toilet paper or cardboard. But it can be used as a fuel or compost instead.

Plastic
Plastic can be recycled as fleece clothing so that we use less crude oil, the raw material required for plastic and a scarce resource that is running out. Different types of plastics have to be sorted out and this can be difficult. Recycling plastic also stops much of it ending up in landfill sites.

The carbon cycle

All cells - whether animal, plant or bacteria - contain carbon , because they all contain proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Plant cell walls, for example, are made of cellulose - a carbohydrate. Carbon is passed from the atmosphere, as carbon dioxide, to living things, passed from one organism to the next in complex molecules, and returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide again. This is known as the carbon cycle.

Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

Green plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by photosynthesis [ photosynthesis : The chemical change that occurs in the leaves of green plants. It uses light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose. Oxygen is produced as a by-product of photosynthesis. ]. The carbon
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BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Recycling

becomes part of complex molecules such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the plants.

Returning carbon dioxide to the atmosphere

Organisms return carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by respiration [ respiration : Chemical change that takes place inside living cells, which uses glucose and oxygen to produce the energy organisms need to live. Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of respiration ]. It is not just animals that respire. Plants and microorganisms do, too.

Passing carbon from one organism to the next

When an animal eats a plant, carbon from the plant becomes part of the fats and proteins in the animal. Microorganisms and some animals feed on waste material from animals, and the remains of dead animals and plants. The carbon then becomes part of these microorganisms and detritus feeders. The slideshow should help you to understand how the cycle works.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/edexcel/problems_in_environment/recyclingrev_print.shtml[10/21/2013 8:16:09 PM]

BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Recycling

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BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Recycling

Materials from living things decay because they are digested by microorganisms. This process happens faster in warm, moist conditions with plenty of oxygen. Decay can be very slow in cold, dry conditions, and when there is a shortage of oxygen. Now try a Test Bite.

Nitrogen cycle - Higher tier

Nitrogen is essential for the formation of amino acids in proteins. The nitrogen cycle is a model that explains how nitrogen is recycled. There's lot of nitrogen in air about 78 percent of the air is nitrogen. Because nitrogen is so unreactive, it cannot be used directly by plants to make protein. Only nitrates are useful to plants, so we are dependent on other processes to convert nitrogen to nitrates in the soil.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/edexcel/problems_in_environment/recyclingrev_print.shtml[10/21/2013 8:16:09 PM]

BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Recycling

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BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Recycling

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BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Recycling

1. Nitrogen gas is converted to nitrate compounds by nitrogen-fixing bacteria in soil or root nodules. Lightning also converts nitrogen gas to nitrate compounds. The Haber process converts nitrogen gas into ammonia used in fertilizers. Ammonia is converted to nitrates by nitrifying bacteria in the soil. 2. Plants absorb nitrates from the soil and use these to build up proteins. The plant may be eaten by an animal, and its biomass used to produce animal protein. 3. Urea and egested material is broken down by decomposers decomposer: An organism which eats dead organisms or animal droppings, and breaks them down into simple materials.. This results in nitrogen being returned to the soil as ammonia. 4. Decomposers also break down the bodies of dead organisms resulting in nitrogen being returned to the soil as ammonia. 5. In some conditions denitrifying bacteria in the soil break down nitrates and return nitrogen to the air. This is usually in waterlogged soil. Improving drainage reduces this effect, making the soil more fertile.

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BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Recycling

Now try a Test Bite - Higher tier. Back to Revision Bite

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