A drinks company is deciding whether to make its bottles from new PET or from recycled PET. The table shows data for making 1 tonne of bottles.
| New PET made from crude oil | Recycled PET | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy used / GJ | 80 | 20 |
| Carbon dioxide released / tonnes | 3.2 | 1.2 |
| Crude oil used / tonnes | 1.9 | 0 |
| Cost of collecting and sorting waste / £ | 0 | 250 |
| Suitable for bottles that hold drinks | always | only if cleaned to food standard |
Calculate the percentage reduction in energy used when recycled PET is used instead of new PET.
Calculate how many times more carbon dioxide is released making new PET than recycled PET. Give your answer to two significant figures.
Suggest why the recycled PET must be cleaned before it is used for drinks bottles.
Evaluate the use of recycled PET instead of new PET for making drinks bottles. Use information from the table and your own knowledge.
37 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 10.3 Polymers, covering 10.3.1 Addition polymerisation of alkenes, 10.3.2 Uses and properties of polymers, 10.3.3 Condensation polymers and polyesters, 10.3.4 Problems with polymers and recycling, and 10.3.5 Natural polymers: DNA, starch and proteins. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.