Explain why it is important to recycle metals such as aluminium rather than extracting them from their ores.
Written & reviewed by James Millett — Biology (Imperial College London), PGCE Science (University of Cambridge).
Aluminium is one of the most widely recycled metals in the world. Recycling aluminium uses only about 5% of the energy needed to extract the same amount of aluminium from its ore, bauxite.
Model answer (4 marks)
Recycling aluminium uses only about 5 % of the energy required to extract it from bauxite, so it saves a great deal of energy.
Extracting aluminium from ore is energy‑intensive, which means large amounts of fossil fuel are burnt and a lot of heat is produced.
Because bauxite is a finite, non‑renewable resource, mining it depletes the earth’s limited reserves.
Recycling therefore reduces the environmental damage caused by mining and quarrying, such as habitat destruction and soil erosion.
Finally, the lower energy demand of recycling means far fewer carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions are released into the atmosphere.
Extracting aluminium from ore is energy‑intensive, which means large amounts of fossil fuel are burnt and a lot of heat is produced.
Because bauxite is a finite, non‑renewable resource, mining it depletes the earth’s limited reserves.
Recycling therefore reduces the environmental damage caused by mining and quarrying, such as habitat destruction and soil erosion.
Finally, the lower energy demand of recycling means far fewer carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions are released into the atmosphere.
Examiner tips
- Use the word ‘energy’ and ‘carbon dioxide’ explicitly; link recycling to lower energy use and lower emissions.
- Show the contrast between 5 % energy for recycling and 100 % for extraction to justify the importance.
Common mistakes
- Confusing recycling with re‑smelting without mentioning the energy savings.
- Mentioning only the cost savings and ignoring the environmental and finite‑resource points.
Mark scheme (4 marks)
- Extracting metals from ores uses large amounts of energy / recycling saves energy
- Mining and extraction uses up limited / finite / non-renewable ore reserves
- Recycling reduces the environmental damage caused by mining / quarrying
- Recycling reduces carbon dioxide emissions / reduces greenhouse gas emissions linked to the energy-intensive extraction process
Key terms in this question
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