AQA GCSE Chemistry: Combined Science

Topic Questions

10.2 Life Cycle Analysis & Recycling

1a2 marks

A life cycle assessment (LCA) analyses the overall environmental impact that a product may have throughout its lifetime. It can be broken down into four main stages. 

Add the missing stages to the life cycle assessment.

Raw Materials
 
_______________
 
_______________
 
Disposal
1b1 mark

Give one process / method that damages habitats while obtaining the raw materials for a product.

1c2 marks

Many everyday items are mass produced in large factories.

Suggest two ways that factories impact the environment.

1d3 marks

Factories are known to release various gases into the atmosphere.

Match the gas to the relevant environmental issue.

Draw one line from each gas to the environmental issue.

aqa-gcse-10-2e-q4d-gas--pollution

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2a1 mark

This question is about life cycle assessments.

Draw one line from each stage within a life cycle to an example of that stage.

lca-examples

2b2 marks

Plastic bottles are often made from two different polymers as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

aqa-gcse-10-2e-q2b-plastic-bottle

What is the raw material used to manufacture polymers such as poly(ethene) and poly(propene)?

2c2 marks

When a plastic bottle has reached the end of its useful lifetime it can be disposed of in a landfill or sent to a recycling facility.

Give two problems associated with sending plastic bottles to landfill.

2d2 marks

Give two problems associated with recycling plastic bottles.

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3a1 mark

Disposable plates can be made from different raw materials.

Table 1 shows information about two disposable plates.

Table 1

Polystyrene plates Coated paper plates 
Source of raw materials Crude oil Wood
Relative amount of energy used to make a cup Low High
Is it biodegradable? No Yes
Is it recyclable? Yes No


Explain two ways in which polystyrene plates are preferable to coated paper plates.

Use the information in Table 1 and your knowledge of life cycle assessments (LCAs).

3b2 marks

Give two advantages of using coated paper plates compared with polystyrene plates.

Use the information in Table 1 and your knowledge of life cycle assessments (LCAs).

3c1 mark

Table 1 provides information about the source of raw materials, manufacturing and disposal.

Which stage of the life cycle does Table 1 not show any information about? 

3d2 marks

Given the information from Table 1, are you able to determine which of the two plates has the least environmental impact?

Explain your answer.

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4a1 mark

In 2014, over 7.6 billion single-use plastic bags were given out by major supermarkets in the UK.

In 2015, the Government in the UK introduced a charge on single-use plastic bags in many shops across the country in order to reduce their use.

Most plastic bags are made from poly(ethene).

What is the name of the monomer that poly(ethene) is made from?

4b2 marks

Table 1 shows information on the life cycle assessment (LCA) of plastic bags and paper shopping bags

Table 1

  Plastic bags Paper bags
Raw material Crude oil Recycled paper or trees
Manufacture

Fractional distillation, cracking & polymerisation; Cheaper to make

Pulping paper; More expensive to make; Uses 4 times as much energy as the manufacture of plastic bags

Mass of 1 bag in g 6 55
Biodegradable No Yes
Reuseable Yes, many times Yes, limited number of times
Recyclable Yes but is costly and produces pollution Yes


For each type of bag, classify the raw material as renewable or non-renewable.

Plastic bags: ____________________

Paper bags: ____________________

4c2 marks

Explain two ways in which using paper bags instead of plastic bags is preferable.

Use the information in Table 1 to help you.

4d2 marks

Explain two ways in which using plastic bags instead of paper bags is preferable.

Use the information in Table 1 to help you.

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5a1 mark

This question is about aluminium.

Aluminium alloys can be used to make drink cans and kitchen foil.

What is the chemical symbol for aluminium?

5b2 marks

The 'alu' symbol on the kitchen foil in Figure 1 means that aluminium can be recycled. 

Figure 1

aqa-gcse-10-2e-q5b-kitchen-foil


Why should aluminium be recycled?

Tick () two boxes.

 To increase energy usage  
 To reduce the amount of waste  
 To increase methane emissions  
 To conserve raw materials  
5c1 mark

If waste materials, such as aluminium are not recycled, they are sent to landfill.

Circle one issue with this.

Landfill space is running out Landfill causes acid rain Landfill produces carbon dioxide

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1a4 marks

Plastic bags given out in supermarkets are made from poly(ethene).

Supermarkets began charging for plastic bags due to their manufacture releasing carbon dioxide and being made from resources that are non-renewable. 

Table 1 details methods of dealing with large numbers of used plastic bags. 

Table 1

Method Description of what happens
Burning Collected, transported and burned to produce energy
Reuse Customer can use the bag again 
Dump Collected along with other household waste and transported to landfill sites 
Recycle Made into new plastic items after being collected, transported, washed and melted

Using Table 1 and your own knowledge, give one advantage and one disadvantage of each method. 
1b3 marks

Explain how carbon dioxide enhances the greenhouse effect.

Give your answer in terms of short and long wavelength radiation.

1c3 marks

Poly(ethene is formed from the monomer ethene, shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1
ethene

Draw the repeating unit of poly(ethene).

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2a2 marks

Cups used for drinking can be made from different materials.

Table 1 shows information about paper and ceramic cups.

Table 1

  Paper cups Ceramic cups
Raw material Wood Mined clay
Energy required to manufacture 1 cup in MJ 0.5 14.1
Number of cups in a box 250 36
Average number of times used 1 1500
Biodegradable Yes No
Recyclable Yes No


Table 1
shows information about the energy required to manufacture a cup but does not give details of any other energy requirements during other stages of the life cycle.

Give two other pieces of information about the energy usage during the life cycle that would help to complete a life cycle assessment (LCA).

2b4 marks

Use the information from Table 1 and your knowledge to evaluate the use of paper and ceramic as raw materials to make cups.

2c2 marks

The information given in Table 1 did not provide any information about how much pollution is produced during any of the stages of the life cycle.

Allocating numerical values to indicate the pollutant effect of materials is not straightforward and requires a personal judgment.

What problems could this cause?

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3a3 marks

Read the newspaper article and answer the questions. 

Eco-friendly plastic milk bags launched!

Is this the end of the milk bottle?

Traditionally, milk bottles have been made from plastic or glass. 

Plastic bottles are made from poly(ethene) and usually contain 2 litres of milk. The milk bottle is discarded once the milk has been used. Poly(ethene) is produced by polymerising ethene. The ethene has come from the cracking of the naphtha fraction made from the fractional distillation of crude oil. Approximately 5% of used poly(ethene) is recycled. 

Glass milk bottles contain 0.5 litres of milk and the bottle is returned to be re-used once empty. Glass milk bottles can be re-used up to 24 times on average. There are almost unlimited amounts of the raw materials required to make glass bottles as they are made from a mixture of sand, limestone, soda and recycled glass. This mixture is heated in a furnace to about 1600 oC. Approximately 35% of used glass is recycled. 

New milk bags are made from poly(ethene) but use 75% less compared to making bottles. They contain 2 litres of milk and when the milk is used up the empty bag is discarded as waste.


Describe how the naphtha fraction is separated from crude oil by fractional distillation. 

3b1 mark

The naphtha fraction contains hydrocarbons with the formula C7H16.

Write a balanced symbol equation for the cracking of C16H34 to produce C7H16 and propene, C3H6.

3c4 marks

It has been claimed that milk bags will have less environmental impact than milk bottles.

Use information from the article and your own knowledge to make comparisons between milk bags and milk bottles.

3d2 marks

Describe a test, including the result, to distinguish between C7H16 and the alkene, C3H6.

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4a4 marks

There are many different types of container that can be used for soft drinks containers.

Table 1 shows a life cycle assessment data, for glass bottles and aluminium cans, that is incorrect in two places.

Table 1

  Glass bottles  Aluminium cans
Raw materials • Sand
• Soda ash
• Limestone
• Cryolite
Manufacturing

• They have to be produced at very high temperatures
• Their production releases greenhouse gases

• Large amounts of energy are required to melt the cryolite
• Their production releases greenhouse gases

Usage • Can be refilled • Usually used once
Disposal • Widely recycled and used to make new glass • Can be continually recycled as a source of aluminium


Identify the two errors in the life cycle assessment data and suggest suitable corrections.

4b2 marks

Suggest two ways that recycling aluminium cans has a positive impact on their life cycle assessment.

4c1 mark

A researcher looked at the life cycle assessment in Table 1 and suggested that the disposal section, in particular, was incomplete.

Suggest one piece of information that the disposal section of the life cycle assessment could contain.

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1a6 marks

Throwaway or disposable cups are made from either polystyrene or coated paper.

Relevant information on the life cycle assessments (LCA’s) of disposable cups is shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1

  Polystyrene cups Coated paper cups
Raw materials Crude oil Wood
Mass of 1 cup in g 1.8 8.4
Energy to produce 1 cup in kJ 225 575
Energy released when 1 cup is burned in kJ 79 169
Biodegradable No Yes
Recyclable Yes No


Evaluate the use of polystyrene compared with coated paper to make disposable cups.

Use the table above and your knowledge and understanding of LCAs to support your answer.

1b2 marks

A company is considering using glass cups instead of disposable cups. 

State two disadvantages of using glass cups.

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2a6 marks

The UK government has advised supermarkets to stop using plastic bags due to their environmental impact.

Most plastic bags are made from polythene. 

Table 2 below shows ways to deal with large numbers of waste shopping bags.

Table 2

Method What happens to the plastic bag
Burned Collected, transported and burnt to release energy
Reused Customer uses the bag again
Dumped Mixed with other household waste, collected, transported and
disposed of at a landfill site
Recycled Collected, transported, washed and melted to make new plastic items


Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the methods used to treat waste shopping bags.

You should use the information in the table and your knowledge in your answer

2b2 marks

Describe two disadvantages of using a life cycle analysis.

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3a4 marks

Aluminium is a very useful metal due to its low density and good electrical conductivity. It is also flexible and resistant to corrosion.

The main steps in the extraction of aluminium are shown in Figure 1.

Suggest the benefits of recycling aluminium, using the information in the flowchart help you.

Figure 1

10-2-life-cycle-analysis--recycling-medium-q3a

3b2 marks

Describe the process used to recycle metals.

3c4 marks

Pure aluminium is rarely used for the construction of large objects. Small amounts of other metals are usually mixed with aluminium.

Explain why.

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4a2 marks

The life cycle of a typical car body is shown in Figure 2.

Explain the benefits of the reduction by consumers of iron containing products.

Figure 2

10-2-life-cycle-analysis--recycling-medium-q4a

4b2 marks

Iron oxide (Fe2O3) is present in most ores of iron.

Complete and balance the equation for a reaction to produce iron from iron oxide.

_____ Fe2O3     +     _____ C     →     ___________     +     _____ CO2

4c2 marks

Iron produced in a blast furnace is converted into steel. 

Explain why in terms of sustainability.

4d3 marks

 At the end of its useful life, a car body can be:

  • reused
  • recycled
  • sent to a landfill

Give three reasons why a steel car body should be recycled rather than being sent to landfill.

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5a3 marks

Milk bottles can be made from glass or plastic.

Figure 3 shows the percentage of milk bottles made from glass between 1975 and 2010.

Figure 3

10-2-life-cycle-analysis--recycling-medium-q5a

Show the percentage of milk bottles made from materials other than glass between 1975 and 2010 by plotting the points and drawing a line on Figure 3.

5b6 marks

The table below gives information about milk bottles.

 

Plastic milk bottle

Glass milk bottle

Raw materials

Crude oil

Sand, limestone, salt

Bottle material

HD poly(ethene)

Soda-lime glass

Initial stage in
production of bottle
material

Production of naphtha fraction.

Limestone and salt
used to produce
sodium carbonate.

Number of times bottle can be used for milk

1

30

Maximum temperature
in production process

950 °C

1700 °C

Size of bottle

0.5 dm3, 1 dm3, 2 dm3, 3 dm3

0.5 dm3

Percentage of recycled material used 

10 %

50 %


Evaluate the use and production of bottles made from HD poly(ethene) and soda-lime glass.

Use the information given and your knowledge and understanding to justify your choice of material for making the milk bottles.

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