Your Questions About Recycling

The Expert answers:

Recycling neds to be a circle. One of the problems is getting people to buy the recycled goods.. Another economic problem is finding a market for the collected recycled materials.
Collection is a problem if there is no pick up in the community.
Storage is a problem sometimes. The people that chop up and meltdown the recycled materials do not care if there is a little food on them. Unfortunately for storage, there is an insect and rodent problem if there is food present.
Education can help in the training of people to buy recycled goods. There are many new things out now that are excellent products. They need to be made aware of the importance of completing the cycle.

The Expert answers:

Complete the cycle, buy recycled.

Without the demand for recycled products recycling programs will fail.

The Expert answers:

Nitrogen is constantly being recycled in the nitrogen cycle. Here is how:

1. The atmosphere contains about 78% nitrogen gas, N2. This is very unreactive so it can’t be used directly by plants or animals.
2. Nitrogen is needed for making proteins for growth, so living organisms have to get it somehow.
3. Plants get their nitrogen from soil, so nitrogen in the air has to be turned into nitrogen compounds before plants can use it. Animals can only get proteins by eating plants or other animals.
4. Decomposers break down proteins in rotting plants and animals, and urea in animal waste, into ammonia. So the nitrogen in these organisms is recycled.
5. Nitrogen fixation is the process of turning N2 from the air into nitrogen compounds in the soil which plants can use. There are two main ways this happens:
a) Lightning- there’s so much energy in a bolt of lightning that it’s enough to make nitrogen react with oxygen in the air to give nitrates.
B) Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in roots and soil.
6) There are four different types of bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle:
a) Decomposers- decompose proteins and urea and turn them into ammonia.
B) Nitrifying bacteria- turn ammonia in decaying matter into nitrates.
C) Nitrogen-fixing bacteria- turn atmospheric N2 into nitrogen compounds plants can use.
D) Denitrifying bacteria- turn nitrates back into N2 gas. This is of no benefit to living organisms.

The Expert answers:

You should recycle as much as possible and complete the cycle by buying recycled goods. Even more important is reduce and reuse. Avoid single use and disposable items as much as possible. I also consider the final destination of a product I’ll buy, I avoid plastics as much as possible.

A great book about the topic is Cradle to Cradle.

The Expert answers:

The recycling process of earth materials that takes place on our tectonically active planet. Igneous rocks represent melted sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. They weather to become sedimentary rocks, or undergo metamorphism to become metamorphic rocks. Sedimentary rocks undergo metamorphism and become metamorphic rocks, or are melted and become igneous rocks. They can also weather and become a new sedimentary rock. Metamorphic rocks can weather to become sedimentary rocks, or be melted and become igneous rocks.

Http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rock.html

Without active plate tectonics the rock cycle would be severely restricted or not exist at all. On the moon there is no igneous activity other than the short instances where a meteorite impact melts rock. Weathering is slow to non-existant and largely consists of damage caused by meteorite impacts. If there is metamorphic rock on the moon, it is likely to remain in that state for a very long time. On Mars there has been a functioning active rock cycle in the past, with evidence of large volcanoes (igneous rock) and current observations of moving sand dunes (sediment). Metamorphic rocks have not been observed but probably do exist. However, because Mars and the Moon do not have active plate tectonics there are almost no processes to drive the rock cycle. Http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/science/mineralogy.html

Sand dunes on Mars:
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/space/stories/mars-sand-dunes-move-surprisingly-fast

The Expert answers:

I hope this helps: The carbon-oxygen cycle is where resperation comes from. Carbon and oxygen are independent of each other, but are very closely connected as well as interdependent on each other. Life on planet Earth continues due to the presence of organic as well as inorganic nutrients present in the nature. It is very important for these nutrients to be continuously recycled. If this doesn’t happen, all the nutritive resources in the world will get extinguished completely. No nutrients means no life on Earth. So, in order for the life cycle of every living being, unicellular or multicellular organism to sustain, recycling of the nutrients is very important. One of the important cycles is the carbon-oxygen cycle.
The Process of Carbon-Oxygen Cycle

There are four steps involved in the completion of this cycle. These methods are discussed below:

Photosynthesis
Plants undergo photosynthesis that helps them produce energy and food for themselves. During this process, plants take in carbon dioxide (CO2) and absorb water (H2O) with the help of their roots. The chlorophyll present in the leaves and the energy from the sun, helps convert CO2 and H2O into Oxygen O2, sugar and water vapor. Oxygen (O2) is released by the plants as a by-product into the atmosphere.

Formula for Photosynthesis
CO2 + H2O + Light ———-> (CH2O) + O2

The carbon dioxide from air and water from the soil in presence of light (energy) is taken by the plants and converted into carbohydrates and oxygen as by-products.

Respiration
Just as plants carry out photosynthesis, animals carry out respiration. Respiration occurs when animals take in oxygen from the air along with simple sugars from their food. This helps in release of carbon dioxide, water and energy from the animal body. During cellular respiration, animals require O2 while inhalation. When they exhale the waste product of cellular respiration, they release CO2 into the atmosphere again.

Formula for Respiration

(CH2O) + O2 ———-> CO2 + H2O + Energy

The carbohydrates taken from food like plants or carbon-based compounds along with oxygen are converted to carbon dioxide which is released into the air along with water and energy during respiration.

Combustion
It is a process of burning that occurs naturally in the nature. For example, volcanic eruptions are natural combustion processes where carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere due to burning. Nowadays, there are many environmental pollutants that cause an increase in the amount of CO2 in the air. These include cars, factories, burning of woods, coals, nuclear energy, gas, etc. This irresponsible combustion and release of excessive carbon dioxide and other harmful gases in the environment is the major contributing factor for today’s global warming.

Decomposition
After the death of any living organism, i.e., unicellular or multicellular organism, it gets decomposed. This decomposition means insects, fungi and bacteria (together called decomposers), help in breaking down the cellular components of the dead organism into its basic elements. These elements include water, calcium, nitrogen, carbon and oxygen. Thus, decomposers help in release of oxygen and carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere as their metabolic waste products.

The entire cycle can be summarized as, plants taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen during photosynthesis. This oxygen released is taken up by animals who release carbon dioxide after carrying out respiration. Thus, the recycling of carbon and oxygen in the atmosphere will continue as long as respiration and photosynthesis occur. This also proves that, to sustain life, plants are very important as they are the major contributors to the amount of oxygen present in the atmosphere. Although both cycles occur independently, they are, in a small way, interconnected to each other.

The Expert answers:

1.Carbon enters the cycle in the form of CO2. An enzyme adds each CO2 molecule to a RuBP molecule, forming three unstable six-carbon molecules. The RuBP is being recycled through the cycle (3 5Cs) and 3 CO2s are added to the RuBP (3 6Cs).
2.The three six-carbon molecules break immediately into six three-carbon molecules called 3-PGA (6 3Cs). This is because the bonds in the six carbon molecules are unstable and become stable when they are broken.
3.ATP and NADPH from the light reactions provide energy and electrons to convert the 3-PGA to G3P, the direct product of photosynthesis. Just makes them excited, does not break apart or change form.
4.Carbon exits the cycle in one molecule of G3P. Plant cells use the G3P to make glucose and other organic compounds. You need two G3P in order to make glucose or fructose. One of the 6 3Cs is taken out of the cycle.
5.Fifteen carbon atoms remain in five G3P molecules. They are recycled but still have high energy (5 3Cs)
6.ATP provides energy for enzymes to rearrange the G3P molecules to regenerate RuBP. ADP and NADP+ are returned to the light reactions. (back to 3 5Cs)

The Expert answers:

Keep the Cycle going

What’s your EARTH WORTH? Recycle.

The Expert answers:

The carbon cycle recycles all the carbon on the planet for use in biosphere and living organisms, carbon is huge in the workings of the world, if it could not be reused/recycles what would the implications be on life on earth? The water cycle has more of a climate impact which may cause changes for living organisms so you could discuss how the changes impact the world (geographically, biologically). I do not want to give you an answer but a means to trigger some direction for you to answer.