Smil Vaclav. Materials and Dematerialization: Making the Modern World

2d ed. — Wiley, 2023. — 320 p. — ISBN 9781394181209, 1394181205.World-renowned scientist Vaclav Smil examines a critical topic in the research and policy domain of sustainable resource use.
Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most efficient production processes and the highest practical rates of recycling may not be enough to result in dematerialization rates that would be high enough to negate the rising demand for materials generated by continuing population growth and rising standards of living.
Materials and Dematerialization considers the principal materials used throughout history, from wood and stone, through to metals, alloys, plastics and silicon, describing their extraction and production as well as their dominant applications. The evolving productivities of material extraction, processing, synthesis, finishing and distribution, and the energy costs and environmental impact of rising material consumption are examined in detail, along with the relationship between socio-economic development and resource use, including major technological and innovation aspects. The book concludes with an outlook for the future, discussing the prospects for dematerialization, potential constraints on materials, and an updated appraisal of material requirements and prospects during the coming decades.
Building on the success of his 2013 book, Vaclav Smil has thoroughly revised this landmark text to highlight advances that have taken place over the last decade, including a thorough review of statistics and references to 2022. This updated edition also includes new content to explicitly address material for global energy transition and for securing food for a still growing global population.Preface: Why and How.
What Gets Included.
How We Got Here.
Materials Used by Organisms.
Tools and Construction.
Soil Movements.
Biomineralizers.
Materials in Prehistory.
Tools.
Processed Materials.
Megaliths.
Textiles.
Ancient and Medieval Materials.
Wood.
Stone.
Clays.
Glass.
Non-ferrous Metals.
Iron.
Materials in the Early Modern Era.
Possessions.
Wood.
Metals.
Textiles.
Stone.
Creating Modern Material Civilization.
Construction.
Cement and Concrete.
Iron and Steel.
Copper and Aluminum.
Paper, Textiles, Gases.
Materials in the Twentieth Century.
Biomass.
Concrete.
Glass.
Steel.
Color Metals.
Silicon.
Plastics.
Fertilizers.
What Matters Most.
Biomaterials.
Fibers.
Wood.
Pulp and Paper.
Construction Materials.
Bricks and Aggregates.
Cement.
Concrete.
Metals.
Iron and Steel.
Aluminum.
Plastics.
Polyethylene.
Polypropylene.
Polyvinylchloride.
Industrial Gases.
Fertilizers.
Materials in Electronics.
Electronic-Grade Silicon.
How the Materials Flow.
Material Flow Accounts.
Accounts and Boundaries.
Global Material Flows.
US and European Material Flows.
Materials in the US Economy.
European Material Flows.
Materials in China’s Modernization.
China’s Delayed Economic Rise.
Concrete, Steel, Waste.
Energy Cost of Materials.
Energy Analyses.
Embodied Energies of Materials.
Life-Cycle Assessments.
LCA Benefits andProblems.
LCA and GWP.
LCA Guidance.
Recycling.
Benefits and Rates.
Plastics, Paper, E-Waste.
Are We Dematerializing?
Apparent Dematerializations.
Relative Dematerializations: Specific Weight Reductions.
Beverage Cans.
Engines and Turbines.
Electronics.
Consequences of Dematerialization.
Rebounds.
Materials for American Cars.
Materials in Flight.
Relative Dematerialization in Modern Economies.
Relative Material Consumption.
American Trends.
Decarbonization and Desulfurization.
Desulfurization.
Material Outlook.
Natural Resources.
Reserves and Resources.
Materials for Energy Transition.
Wasting Less.
Circular Economy.
Limits of Dematerialization.
Resources, Demand, Consumption.
Material Gaps and Attitudes.
Possible Changes.
References.
Index.