Gold is used to make jewellery. Aluminium and steel are used to make drinks cans.
The table shows the energy needed to produce 1 tonne of metal from its ore and from recycled metal.
| Metal | Energy from ore / GJ | Energy from recycled metal / GJ |
|---|---|---|
| aluminium | 180 | 9 |
| steel | 20 | 8 |
Explain why gold jewellery stays shiny for many years.
Calculate the percentage of energy saved by recycling aluminium instead of producing it from ore. Use the equation: percentage saved=energy savedenergy from ore×100\displaystyle \text{percentage saved} = \frac{\text{energy saved}}{\text{energy from ore}} \times 100percentage saved=energy from oreenergy saved×100
Give two reasons, other than saving energy, why recycling metals is beneficial.
Give one disadvantage of recycling metals.
Recycling steel saves 60% of the energy. Suggest why recycling aluminium saves a much greater percentage of energy than recycling steel.
45 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 5.1 Obtaining and using metals, covering 5.1.1 The reactivity series of metals, 5.1.2 Displacement reactions as redox reactions, 5.1.3 Extracting metals from ores by reduction, 5.1.4 Biological methods of metal extraction, 5.1.5 Resistance to oxidation and recycling metals, and 5.1.6 Life cycle assessment. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.