Today yielded not only a very exciting chemistry lab for Rebekah, but also an opportunity to apply concepts learned in the classroom to environmental awareness!
The objective of the lab was to recycle Aluminum! Aluminum is the 3rd most abundant element in the earths crust. It is widely used to dye fabrics, clarify sugar, and is even an ingredient in baking powder. However, a tremendous amount of energy is required to harvest it from the original ore. Making 1 pound of aluminum (about 34 cans) from bauxite ore requires 27 000 kilojoules of energy!
Aluminum does not decompose quickly, and the unused metal ends up as waste disposal. The amount of scrap aluminum is rapidly increasing while the availability of the natural ore is decreasing. The average lifespan of an aluminum can tossed on a roadside is 100 years! Because of this there is much interest in the recycling of commercial products to conserve resources, minimize waste disposal and prevent pollution in the environment.
Recycling an aluminum can uses 95% less energy than initially creating it from raw materials and has considerable benefits. Reprocessing 1 can saves enough energy to run a T.V. for 3 hours and a 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours, while recycling 40 cans conserves the same amount of energy as 1 gallon of gasoline!
If you knew that....
- One hundred percent of a recycled aluminum can ends up as another aluminum can in as little as 60 days
- An aluminum can has no limit to the number of times it can be recycled
- Aluminum is the most recyclable of all materials: it is four times more valuable than other recycled consumer materials
- Throwing away a single aluminum can is like pouring out six ounces of gasoline
... Would you still throw that can in the trash?
We are happy to say that the Chemistry Department at the University of Manitoba has an “Alum Recovery” container where students can help be environmentally conscious while have fun learning challenging concepts in chemistry. J
According to Science Direct, Atmospheric Environment, aluminum production requires large amounts of electrical energy, leading to emissions of as much as 14 tons of carbon dioxide per ton of aluminum. The Planet Magazine of Western Washington University's Huxley College of the Environment places that number at 8 tons with a more efficient approach to primary smelting. Australia has managed to drop their emission 49% down to 2.6 Tonnes of CO2 per Tonne of Aluminum.
The Manitoba Ferret Association members collect, on average 700 pounds of aluminum per month for a total of 8,400 pounds each year. That's 4.2 TONS!
The C02 off gas from primary smelting (we will take the middle ground of 8 tons of CO2 per ton of Aluminum produced) is:
4.2 X 8 tons = 33.6 Tons of CO2
Recycling Aluminum uses 95% LESS energy
33.6 T - 95% = 1.7 T
33.6 - 1.7 = 31.9 Tons of CO2 kept out of the environment by recycling and not primary smelting!
Hats off to the MFA for their part in being green and earning $1,000 towards the expenses of running the shelter. Who would imagine that saving a ferret and saving the planet would go hand in paw?
Ref:http://ww1.aluminum.org/Template.cfm?Section=Why_recycle
http://planet.wwu.edu/archives/2006/articles/fall/popping-the-top.html
http://www.rocksandminerals.com/aluminum/process.htm
http://www.manitobaferrets.ca/index2.html
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