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The Earth's Resources (Life Cycle Assessments (Data is available for…
The Earth's Resources
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Water Safe to Drink
Reverse osmosis uses membranes to separate dissolved salts from salty water, but this method of desalination also uses energy to make the high pressures needed
Water can be purified by distillation but this requires large amounts of energy, which can make it expensive
Water is made fit to drink by passing it through filter beds to move solids and adding chlorine, ozone or by passing UV light through it (sterilizing) to reduce microbes
Treating Waste Water
The stages include screening to remove large solids and grit, sedimentation to produce sewage sludge, and aerobic biological treatment of the safe effluent released into the environment
The sewage sludge is separated, broken down by anaerobic digestion and dried
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Life Cycle Assessments
Data is available for the use of energy, water, resources and production of some wastes
However assigning numerical values to the relative effects of pollutants involves subjective judgements
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They analyse each of the stages of a life cycle, from extracting and processing raw materials to disposal at the end of its useful life
Life cycle assessments are carried out to assess the environmental impact of products, processes or services
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
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Recycling metals saves energy and our limited, finite metal ores (and fossil fuels)
There are social, economic and environmental issues associated with exploiting the Earth's limited supplies of raw materials, such as metal ores