Life Cycle Assessment, Recycling and Corrosion - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

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GCSE · Chemistry

C10b Life Cycle Assessment, Recycling and Corrosion

AQA 8464 · Calculator allowed · about 100 minutes
Total Marks
Name: _______________________________    Date: ____ / ____ / ______
Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.
1
Life cycle assessments (LCAs) are used to evaluate the overall environmental impact of a product, from manufacture to disposal.
(a)Which of these is NOT normally considered one of the four main stages of a life cycle assessment?(1)
  • A) Extracting and processing raw materials
  • B) Manufacturing and packaging the product
  • C) Advertising and marketing the product
  • D) Using the product and disposing of it at the end of its life
(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)
2
A company is designing new packaging and wants to understand its environmental impact before it goes into full production.
(a)State two reasons why the company might carry out a life cycle assessment (LCA) before launching the new packaging.(2)
(Total for Question 2 is 2 marks)
3
A drinks manufacturer sells water in single-use plastic bottles.
(a)Give one way the environmental impact of the bottle could be REDUCED.(1)
(b)Give one way the bottle could be REUSED.(1)
(c)Give one way the bottle could be RECYCLED.(1)
(Total for Question 3 is 3 marks)
4
Aluminium and copper can both be recycled instead of being sent to landfill.
(a)State two reasons why recycling metals such as aluminium and copper is important.(2)
(Total for Question 4 is 2 marks)
5
Iron and steel objects, such as garden tools, can corrode (rust) over time.
(a)State the two substances that must both be present for iron to rust.(2)
(b)Name the substance produced when iron rusts.(1)
(Total for Question 5 is 3 marks)
6
A student, Imran, wants to find out which conditions are needed for an iron nail to rust. He sets up four boiling tubes, each containing one iron nail:
Tube 1: water that has been boiled (to remove dissolved oxygen), with a layer of oil floating on top of the water.
Tube 2: tap water that has not been boiled, left open to the air.
Tube 3: anhydrous calcium chloride (a drying agent) surrounding the nail, in a stoppered tube containing dry air.
Tube 4: salt water, left open to the air.
He examines the nails after one week.
Figure (to be drawn): Four boiling tubes, each containing an iron nail, are set up as described in the prompt (boiled water with an oil layer; ordinary tap water open to the air; dry air with anhydrous calcium chloride, stoppered; salt water open to the air).
(a)State the independent variable in this investigation.(1)
(b)State one variable that Imran should control to make this a fair test.(1)
(c)State which TWO tubes would show little or no rusting after one week. For each tube you identify, explain why little or no rusting occurs, referring to the substances needed for rusting.(4)
(d)State which tube would show the most rusting, and explain why.(2)
(e)Imran only compared the nails by looking at them. Suggest how he could improve the investigation to collect quantitative (numerical) data, and explain why repeating each condition would improve the investigation.(3)
(f)Iron and steel garden railings are often coated in paint. Using the results of Imran's investigation, explain why painting is an effective way to reduce rusting, and explain what happens if the paint layer is scratched.(3)
(g)Give the general name for this type of rust-prevention method, which works by coating the metal to keep out oxygen and water.(1)
(Total for Question 6 is 15 marks)
7
Iron and steel objects can be protected from rusting using barrier methods.
(a)Name one barrier method that could be used to protect a steel bicycle frame from rusting.(1)
(b)Explain how this method prevents the bicycle frame from rusting.(2)
(Total for Question 7 is 3 marks)
8
Steel dustbins and farm gates are often galvanised - coated with a thin layer of zinc - to protect them from rusting.
(a)Explain how the zinc layer acts as a barrier to prevent rusting.(2)
(b)Steel is still protected from rusting even where the zinc coating is scratched, exposing the iron underneath. Explain why, referring to the reactivity of zinc and iron.(2)
(Total for Question 8 is 4 marks)
9
Engineers protect the steel used in underground gas pipelines from corrosion by connecting blocks of magnesium to the pipeline at intervals, using a wire.
(a)Explain how the magnesium blocks protect the steel pipeline from corroding. Refer to the reactivity of magnesium and iron in your answer.(2)
(b)Explain why the magnesium blocks need to be checked and replaced periodically.(2)
(Total for Question 9 is 4 marks)
10
Stainless steel is an alloy made by mixing iron with chromium and nickel. Pure iron is much softer and more easily bent than stainless steel.
Figure (to be drawn): Two particle diagrams. Diagram 1 (pure iron): identical circles, all the same size, arranged in neat, regular horizontal layers. Diagram 2 (stainless steel): mostly same-size iron circles in layers, but with some larger chromium and nickel circles among them that push the neighbouring circles out of line, distorting the regular layers.
(a)Using Diagram 1, explain why pure iron is soft and can be bent/shaped easily.(2)
(b)Using Diagram 2, explain why stainless steel is harder than pure iron.(2)
(Total for Question 10 is 4 marks)
11
Table 1 gives the composition and properties of four alloys.
Table 1
AlloyMain metals mixedProperty
Bronzecopper and tinhard and resistant to corrosion by seawater
Brasscopper and zincharder than copper, resists corrosion, has an attractive gold colour
Low carbon steeliron with a small amount of carbonquite soft and easily shaped
High carbon steeliron with a larger amount of carbonvery hard, but brittle
(a)Using Table 1, suggest which alloy would be most suitable for making a ship's propeller, and explain your choice.(2)
(b)Using Table 1, suggest which alloy would be most suitable for making the blade of a cutting tool, and explain your choice.(2)
(Total for Question 11 is 4 marks)
12
A locksmith makes a brass door handle with a total mass of 150 g. The handle contains 97.5 g of copper, and the rest of the mass is zinc.
(a)Calculate the mass of zinc in the door handle.(1)
(b)Calculate the percentage by mass of zinc in the door handle.(2)
(Total for Question 12 is 3 marks)
13
Scrap steel from old cars and appliances often contains a mixture of different steel alloys, as well as small amounts of other metals.
(a)Explain why recycling this mixed scrap steel can be more difficult than recycling scrap made of a single pure metal, such as aluminium drinks cans.(2)
(b)Suggest one method that could be used to separate magnetic steel scrap from non-magnetic metals, such as aluminium, before recycling.(1)
(Total for Question 13 is 3 marks)
14
Glass bottles can either be recycled or sent to landfill, with new glass manufactured from raw materials (sand, limestone and soda ash) to replace them.
(a)Explain two advantages of recycling glass bottles, rather than manufacturing new glass bottles from raw materials.(4)
(Total for Question 14 is 4 marks)
15
A student compares the carbon footprint of a reusable stainless steel water bottle with single-use plastic water bottles, using simplified life cycle assessment data in Table 2.
Table 2
ItemCO2e produced during manufacture (kg)
Reusable stainless steel bottle (one bottle, lasts several years)5.8
Single-use plastic bottle (one bottle)0.20
(a)Calculate the total mass of CO2e produced by manufacturing 30 single-use plastic bottles.(2)
(b)A student who carries the reusable bottle refills it instead of buying a new single-use plastic bottle each day. Calculate the minimum whole number of single-use plastic bottles that would need to be avoided for the total CO2e saved to be GREATER than the CO2e produced by manufacturing the reusable bottle.(3)
(c)State one factor, other than manufacturing, that this simplified data does not take into account, which could affect the total environmental impact of each type of bottle.(1)
(Total for Question 15 is 6 marks)
16
A drinks manufacturer commissions a life cycle assessment (LCA) comparing glass bottles with aluminium drinks cans. The LCA concludes that aluminium cans have a smaller overall environmental impact than glass bottles.

Evaluate the extent to which life cycle assessments, such as this one, can be considered fully objective and reliable when comparing the environmental impact of different products.
(Total for Question 16 is 6 marks)
17
Ammonia is manufactured industrially by the Haber process, in which nitrogen and hydrogen gases react together in a reversible reaction.
(a)Write the balanced symbol equation for the Haber process, including state symbols and the reversible reaction sign.(2)
(b)State the temperature, pressure and catalyst used in the industrial Haber process.(3)
(c)The forward reaction of the Haber process is exothermic, and the reaction reaches a dynamic equilibrium. Explain why a compromise temperature and pressure are used industrially, rather than the conditions that would give the maximum possible equilibrium yield of ammonia.(3)
(Total for Question 17 is 8 marks)
18
In an industrial Haber process reactor, 28 tonnes of nitrogen gas reacts with an excess of hydrogen gas. (Relative formula masses: N2 = 28, NH3 = 17)
(a)Calculate the maximum theoretical mass of ammonia that could be produced from 28 tonnes of nitrogen, assuming the reaction goes to completion.(3)
(b)Because the Haber process reaction reaches equilibrium rather than going to completion, only 15% of the theoretical maximum mass of ammonia is actually produced in a single pass through the reactor. Calculate the actual mass of ammonia produced from this 28 tonnes of nitrogen in one pass.(2)
(Total for Question 18 is 5 marks)
19
NPK fertilisers supply nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) compounds to help crops grow well.
(a)Explain why farmers apply NPK fertilisers to their fields.(2)
(b)Phosphate rock cannot be used directly as a fertiliser because it is insoluble in water. Describe how phosphate rock is processed to produce soluble phosphate compounds for use in fertilisers.(3)
(c)Name one source used industrially to provide each of the following nutrients in NPK fertilisers: (i) nitrogen (ii) phosphorus (iii) potassium.(3)
(Total for Question 19 is 8 marks)
20
Ammonium nitrate, NH4NO3, is a nitrogen-based fertiliser widely used by farmers. (Relative atomic masses: N = 14, H = 1, O = 16)
(a)Calculate the percentage by mass of nitrogen in ammonium nitrate.(3)
(b)A farmer buys a 25 kg bag of pure ammonium nitrate fertiliser. Calculate the mass of nitrogen contained in the bag.(2)
(Total for Question 20 is 5 marks)
21
A seaside town council maintains a steel pier partly submerged in seawater. To prevent corrosion, magnesium sacrificial anode blocks are bolted to the steel legs of the pier. Each magnesium block protects 15 m2 of steel surface and costs 85 pounds. The total steel surface area of the pier's legs that needs protection is 450 m2.
(a)Calculate the minimum number of magnesium blocks needed to protect the whole pier.(2)
(b)Calculate the total cost of the magnesium blocks needed.(2)
(Total for Question 21 is 4 marks)
Mark scheme · C10b Life Cycle Assessment, Recycling and Corrosion

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Question 9

Question 10

Question 11

Question 12

Question 13

Question 14

Question 15

Question 16

Question 17

Question 18

Question 19

Question 20

Question 21