Smil Making the Modern World

Materials and Dematerialization
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-1-118-69797-9
Verlag: John Wiley & Sons
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 248 Seiten, E-Book

How much further should the affluent world push its materialconsumption? Does relative dematerialization lead to absolutedecline in demand for materials? These and many otherquestions are discussed and answered in Making the Modern World:Materials and Dematerialization.
Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependenton unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most efficientproduction processes and the highest practical rates of recyclingmay not be enough to result in dematerialization rates that wouldbe high enough to negate the rising demand for materials generatedby continuing population growth and rising standards of living.This book explores the costs of this dependence and the potentialfor substantial dematerialization of modern economies.
Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerializationconsiders the principal materials used throughout history, fromwood and stone, through to metals, alloys, plastics and silicon,describing their extraction and production as well as theirdominant applications. The evolving productivities of materialextraction, processing, synthesis, finishing and distribution, andthe energy costs and environmental impact of rising materialconsumption are examined in detail. The book concludes with anoutlook for the future, discussing the prospects fordematerialization and potential constrains on materials.
This interdisciplinary text provides useful perspectives forreaders with backgrounds including resource economics,environmental studies, energy analysis, mineral geology, industrialorganization, manufacturing and material science.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Smil, Vaclav

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface: Why and How ix
1. What Gets Included 1
2. How We Got Here 7
2.1 Materials Used by Organisms 8
2.2 Materials in Prehistory 11
2.3 Ancient and Medieval Materials 15
2.4 Materials in the Early Modern Era 22
2.5 Creating Modern Material Civilization 27
2.6 Materials in the Twentieth Century 34
3. What Matters Most 45
3.1 Biomaterials 46
3.2 Construction Materials 52
3.3 Metals 57
3.4 Plastics 62
3.5 Industrial Gases 65
3.6 Fertilizers 70
3.7 Materials in Electronics 72
4. How the Materials Flow 77
4.1 Material Flow Accounts 79
4.2 America's Material Flows 83
4.3 European Balances 87
4.4 Materials in China's Modernization 90
4.5 Energy Cost of Materials 94
4.6 Life-Cycle Assessments 103
4.7 Recycling 111
5. Are We Dematerializing? 119
5.1 Apparent Dematerializations 120
5.2 Relative Dematerializations: Specific Weight Reductions122
5.3 Consequences of Dematerialization 129
5.4 Relative Dematerialization in Modern Economies 137
5.5 Declining Energy Intensities 143
5.6 Decarbonization and Desulfurization 150
6. Material Outlook 157
6.1 Natural Resources 158
6.2 Wasting Less 165
6.3 New Materials and Dematerialization 168
6.4 Chances of Fundamental Departures 173
Appendix A Units and Unit Multiples 181
Appendix B US Material Production, GDP and Population,1900-2005 183
Appendix C Global Population, Economic Product, and Productionof Food, Major Materials, and Fuels 1900-2010 185
Appendix D Global Energy Cost of Major Materials in 2010 187
Appendix E 189
References 191
Index 223

Über Autor(innen)

VACLAV SMIL, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Manitoba, Canada