Problem
I. How does the government define the term Strategic Metals ? Why are they a problem which government might worry about? How is the term strategic metals related to the term Mineral Reserves ?
II. What is the carbon cycle ? Describe it with an example or two in a short paragraph. What is the Nitrogen cycle ? Describe it with an example or two in a short paragraph.
III. Try to give a short definition of the term Energy. Then give at least four forms of energy.
IV. The lesson discusses the mineral asbestos. One of its major properties is that it is a good heat insulator, especially in its fibrous form, and it used to be used in this fibrous form for insulating hot water pipes. Today it is no longer used. What is the disease which can be caused by breathing of asbestos fibers ? Is this disease related to the disease silicosis which is often developed by hard-rock miners ? Why or why not ?
V. Where is most of the iron of the planet Earth? Where is most of the aluminum?
VI. What elements make up most of the stars in our universe?
VII. Ores are minerals which contain metal ions in the rock. It requires amounts of energy to separate the metal from the rock and purify it, sometimes not too much, but in some cases, like aluminum, very large amounts of energy. It takes much less energy to melt pre-purified aluminum and reuse it. What does this say about most metals in today's world ?
VIII. When it comes to acid rain, the carbon dioxide-related rain is not a major problem because the carbon dioxide does not dissolve in water droplets in clouds very well. On the other hand, the nitrogen oxide- and sulfur oxide-caused acid rain is a major problem because these gases DO dissolve in clouds very easily. So the next question becomes, where do these gases come from ?
i. Nitrogen oxides come from fires which burn at very high temperature using air as the oxygen source, especially in enclosed spaces. Where is fuel burned with air in very small volumes at high speed, which could also burn the nitrogen in air, a source of exhaust gasses you probably use every day ?
ii. ANY fuel which contains sulfur will burn the sulfur in the fuel to create sulfur oxides, which are a source of acid rain. Most coal and most crude oil contain sulfur compounds. What will happen to the cost of using the fuel when it is required that the sulfur be removed from the fuel or that the sulfur be removed from the burned gases ?
iii. Many metal ores contain large amounts of sulfur. When the ore is heated, part of the old smelting process, the sulfur reacts with oxygen in the air to make the sulfur oxides which cause acid rain. Today most of these open-air smelters in the US have been shut down. State an opinion about whether this is a good change or not and support it.