What are finite and renewable resources, and how can we use them sustainably?
Natural and synthetic resources; finite and renewable resources; sustainable development; and extracting metals from low-grade ores by phytomining and bioleaching.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Chemistry 4.10.1, covering natural and synthetic resources, the difference between finite and renewable resources, sustainable development, and how phytomining and bioleaching extract metals from low-grade ores.
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What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to distinguish natural and synthetic resources, explain the difference between finite and renewable resources, describe what sustainable development means, and describe how phytomining and bioleaching extract metals from low-grade ores. The big idea is that chemistry helps society use limited resources more sustainably.
Natural and synthetic resources
Finite and renewable resources
Sustainable development
Extracting metals from low-grade ores
As high-grade ores run out, new biological methods extract metals from low-grade ores that were once treated as waste:
- Phytomining: plants are grown on land containing metal; they absorb metal compounds into their tissues, then are burned to ash, from which the metal compound is extracted (for example by reaction with acid, then displacement or electrolysis).
- Bioleaching: bacteria act on the ore to produce a solution (leachate) containing metal compounds, from which the metal is extracted.
These methods avoid much of the environmental damage of traditional mining (large quarries, spoil heaps, energy use and pollution) and use ores that would once have been waste, but they are slow.
Try this
Q1. Explain the difference between a finite and a renewable resource. [2 marks]
- Cue. A finite resource is used up faster than it forms; a renewable one can be replaced as fast as it is used.
Q2. Describe how phytomining extracts a metal. [2 marks]
- Cue. Plants absorb metal compounds, then are burned to ash from which the metal is extracted.
Q3. Give one advantage of bioleaching over traditional mining. [1 mark]
- Cue. It can use low-grade ores and causes less environmental damage.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20194 marksCopper can be extracted from low-grade ores by phytomining and by bioleaching. Describe each method, and explain one advantage these methods have over traditional mining of high-grade ores.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark Paper 2 question on biological metal extraction.
Phytomining (1 mark): plants are grown on land containing low-grade copper ore; they absorb copper compounds and are then burned, and the metal is extracted from the ash. Bioleaching (1 mark): bacteria act on a low-grade ore to produce a solution (leachate) containing copper compounds, from which the copper is extracted. Advantage (2 marks): these methods can use low-grade ores that would otherwise be waste, and they cause less environmental damage (less rock moved, less land scarred, less energy and pollution) than traditional mining and smelting.
Markers reward a correct outline of each method and a genuine advantage such as using waste ores or reducing environmental damage.
AQA 20213 marksExplain what is meant by a finite resource and by sustainable development, and give one example of how chemistry helps society use resources sustainably.Show worked answer →
A 3-mark definition-and-application question.
Finite resource (1 mark): a resource that is being used up faster than it forms (or that does not reform), so it will eventually run out, such as fossil fuels and metal ores. Sustainable development (1 mark): meeting the needs of people today without harming the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Example (1 mark): chemists develop ways to use less of a resource, recycle materials, extract metals from low-grade ores, or make renewable substitutes (any valid example).
Markers reward both definitions and a sensible chemistry-based example.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462) specification — AQA (2016)