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Pete: Good question. Another thing to check out. Sophia: Mm, what about in-use, then? I assume
aluminium's better because it’s lighter, so you consume less fuel.
Pete: Yeah. And it should last longer, as well. Sophia: Mm, is that an environmental
consideration, though?
Pete: Well, yeah, because if things last longer, they need to be manufactured less often. So you
use less energy.
Sophia: True. But then, is the lifespan of a car determined by the life of its bodywork?
Pete: Ah. Good point.
Sophia: It’s usually determined by the chassis, or the engine, isn't it?
Pete: Is it?
Sophia: Mm, another one to be researched.
Pete: OK, what about post-use, then?

d In pairs, do an environmental audit for the following applications and materials. Use the
words and phrases in the box.
Application Materials
1 electrical wires in vehicles copper and aluminium
2 external walls in houses bricks and softwood
as far as I know ... I think so / I'd say so I'm (not) sure that's an important
consideration that needs to be researched coated derived mixed recovered recycled

II Categorising materials
GREEN BRAKES - A RED HOT TOPIC IN MOTOR RACING
As motor racing goes green. Formula 1 is aiming to lead automotive research in finding hi-tech
efficiency gains. One of the keys to this ecological drive is regenerative braking (also known as
kinetic energy recovery), which recovers energy generated during deceleration, and stores it as a
source of power for subsequent acceleration.
Regenerative brakes limit the energy loss inherent in traditional braking systems. In most
vehicles, conventional brakes comprise pads previously made from asbestos-based composites,
but now consisting of compounds* of exotic, non-hazardous materials, and discs made of
ferrous metal. The resulting friction generates heat, which is wasted. In performance cars, this
phenomenon is taken to extremes, and due to the high temperatures generated, brake discs are
often made out of ceramics.

The carbon discs and pads used on Formula 1 cars generate so much heat that they glow red hot.
High temperatures are, in fact, necessary for the effective operation of carbon brakes. But there's
still plenty of potential for recovering the kinetic energy, rather than merely dissipating it in the
form of heat.
The potential for recovering energy also extends to the heat generated by engines and exhaust
systems. This area has also been discussed as a possible area for future exploitation in motor
racing. Heat recovery might offer the added benefit of reducing heat soak (thermal absorption by
the chassis) as delicate alloy parts and sensitive non-metallic materials, such as polymers, are
susceptible to heat damage.

C Match the materials from the text (1 -7) to the descriptions (a-g).
1 compounds a materials that are not metal
2 exotic b iron and steel
3 ferrous c combinations of materials
4 ceramics d mixture of metals
5 alloy e plastic materials
6 non-metallic f minerals transformed by heat

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