Life Cycle Processes Lab   Name: ________________Period: ______ Date: ______

Mined: Coal = 1 billion tons, Pb = 100 million tons

I. Lead Acid Batteries: Pbs- Gelena  Scrap Recycling: Lead            Live Gold/Silver Prices
      Tetraethyl Lead Additive to Gasoline: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/of01-170/        Battery Council Institute

 

Read the information then the graphs then answer the questions below:

  1. Estimate the total amount of lead produced in 2004? ________________

  2. _______% of total lead consumption is storage batteries?

 

  1. Is primary or secondary smelter production greater in 2000? ______________

 

  1. It is estimated that in 1996 that ______% of all spent lead-acid batteries were recycled.

 

  1. There was _______________ tons of lead mined in 2000 (20-30 lbs in a battery of Pb),

    how many batteries were made?   (___________* 2000  tons of lead mined / 25 lbs)= ___________________batteries.

 

  1. What has happened to the TEL (Tetraethyl lead) levels in the atmosphere in 2000?_________

 

  1. Assuming the bulk (Estimated at 80% of total; the remaining 20 % remains in the vehicle or lubricants), how many tons of lead remains within 100 meters of the roadways in 1980 (80% * (1980= 60,000 tons)?______________

      II. Aluminum Alloy Beverage Cans: http://www.cancentral.com/  www.aluminum.org  Al Prices (Base Metals)

      See back of handout: Complete the following table and determine an average amount of weight of     
                                      each element Al, Mg, and Mn in the can.  Value of recycled cans: 1/31/06  is $1.25 a lb ($2466 a ton)
 
 Aluminum cost = $ ________ per lb.  65 billion cans were recycled. Use the average weight of can from back of handout*.
                      
(65,000,000,000  *________grams) / 1000 grams (Kg) =_________ * 2.2 pounds = __________lb* $_______ = $__________

III. Computers: Each computer weights about 60 pounds, so about 20 million computers were not recycled.
       http://www.goldsheetlinks.com/production.htm     http://www.epa.gov/region02/r3/problem.htm     Gold/Silver prices

 

  1. Compute the total value of gold and silver lost in the U.S. in 1999 by not recycling and recovering these precious metals in these computers. (24 million computers (720,000 tons) became “obsolete” in 1999, only 14 % were recycled.

    20 million computers were not recycled (720,000 tons) * 2000 lbs = ________________lbs (see b.)
  2. How much gold is used in computers annually)?
    1 troy ounce = 31.1 grams  and  14.583 Troy oz = 1 lb    32.15 troy ounces = 1 kilogram (Kilo)
    32,150 troy ounces = 1 metric ton (1,000 kilos)                1000 troy ounces = 31.1 kilograms

    Gold:   (24 million computers in lbs  ( _____a_______)  * .0016) = _________________lbs. Au.

    Silver: (24 million computers in lbs  ( _____a_______) * .00189) = _________________lbs.  Ag

    ____b___ lb. /14.583 Troy oz = _____________Troy oz* gold price  ($630)     = gold value $______________

    ____b___ lb/14.583 Troy oz  =______________ Troy oz* silver price ($13.86)  = silver value $_____________

 

  1.  How does this compare with production world in 1998 (87,373,000) troy oz. * ($568)) = $____________________
    Using the data in the table, estimate the recoverable scrap metal value of such a computer.$______
    How hard would it be to separate the various materials out of the computer to recycle? ________________________

Other Internet reference sites:
http://www.autosteel.org/                                                               http://www.carcarecouncil.org/index.shtml
http://www.plasticsresource.com/s_plasticsresource/alias.asp   http://www.uscar.org/