Recycling Metals (Edexcel GCSE Chemistry)

Recycling Metals

• Everyday materials such as metals are produced from natural but finite sources

• Some products made from these materials can be reused which saves energy and decreases the environmental impact

• Metals can be melted and recast into new shapes

• Sometimes the materials being recycled need to be kept separate, depending on what the use of the recycled material will be

• Iron for example can be recycled together with waste steel as both materials can be added to a blast furnace, reducing the use of iron ore

• Recycling has advantages and disadvantages

Economic Implications

• It is economically beneficial to recycle metals, especially those that are costly to extract such as aluminium

• Recycling is fast becoming a major industry and provides employment which feeds back into the economy

Environment

• Mining and extracting metal from ores has detrimental effects on the environment and ecosystems

• It is much more energy efficient to recycle metals than it is to extract them as melting and re-moulding requires less energy

• Recycling decreases the amount of waste produced, hence saving space at landfill sites and energy in transport

Iron & steel are metals widely used in construction

Raw Materials

• There is a limited supply of every material on Earth

• As global populations increase there is greater need for effective recycling methods to attain sustainable development

• Mining and extraction use up valuable fossil fuels, which contributes to climate change

Iron ore supplies can be conserved and will last longer if iron is recycled

Disadvantages

• Collection and transport of material to be recycled requires energy and fuel

• Workers, vehicles and worksites need to be organised and maintained

• Materials need to be sorted before they can be recycled which also requires energy and labour

• Products made from recycled materials may not always be of the same quality as the original