In: Chemistry
Recycling one aluminum can save enough energy to charge the average smartphone for 14 hours?
Recycling one aluminum can save enough energy to charge a TV for 3 hours?
Recycling one aluminum can give an indicudualy roughly the energy to recycle 19 more aluminum cans?
Can someone please show the calculations for these energy equivalents? Thank you!
The energy estimations are relative. So, here are the informations which can provide a basis for the above energy estimation.
Aluminum. Recycling of aluminum cans saves 95% of the energy required to make the same amount of aluminum from its original source. One ton of recycled aluminum saves 14,000 kilowatt hours (Kwh) of energy, 40 barrels of oil, 238 million Btu's of energy, and 10 cubic yards of landfill space.
These estimations can be figured from similar data obtained for metals, alloys or materials which can either be crystalline or amorphous as follows:
Steel. One ton of recycled steel saves 642 Kwh of energy, 1.8 barrels of oil, 10.9 million Btu's of energy, and 4 cubic yards of landfill space.
Glass. One ton of recycled glass saves 42 Kwh of energy, 0.12 barrels of oil (5 gallons), 714,000 Btu's of energy, 7.5 pounds of air pollutants from being released, and 2 cubic yards of landfill space. Over 30% of the raw material used in glass production now comes from recycled glass.