Material World is a well written account of the material needs of the modern economy and where such material needs are ultimately sourced from. This book reads like an entertaining version of a Vaclev Smil book and really should be included in more reading lists especially as there have been so many subsidy filled initiatives to re-orient supply chains on national security based agendas. The book goes through 6 materials that the author sees as being instrumental in human progress, some currently so and others more historically so. It is both entertaining and informative and most importantly contextualizes the material demand of modern society and how that continues to increase irrespective of green initiatives.
Material World starts with the most important substance for the modern electronic world, sand. In particular the author discusses the silicon needs of the planet and their origin in sand. Topics like reclaimed land is also briefly discussed and ultimately both geo engineering using sand as well as conversion of sand to raw silicon both show how critical sand is for the functioning world. The author discusses the scarcity of high quality silicon needed for silicon wafers, the security protocols associated with the best mines and the challenges of diversifying the supply chains when there are no substitutes for certain narrow supplies. Similar in style to Chip Wars, Material World describes through the authors personal journalism the ecosystems supporting the silicon/sand industry.
The author moves on to salt and its historic importance. Given the variety of critical use cases of sand in more ancient times, the value of sand has been significant for much of human history. There are claims that the salt trade catalyzed Western technological progress and surplus value from trading in salt was a foundation of some of Western Civilization. The writing is a bit dramatic but nonetheless the value of salt has been and remains undeniable though the ability to synthesize salt has changed the mining intensity of it over the last 100 years.
The author moves on to Iron and steel and the particular steps that took a difficult to engineer material into one that is the most depended upon metal for large scale construction. The author highlights the Bessemer process and how the blast furnace and coking coal changed the process of inefficient steel production which was deforesting England to one which vastly increased output and decreases costs. The author discusses grades of steel and their use cases and how there are still things to be studied for this metal today despite it being so abundantly available to us.
Copper is among the most needed metals for the electronic age for its conductive properties. The author journeys to Chile to visit copper mines and describes the consequence of the mining to the towns. It is both a story and a lesson about copper mining. Copper densities are in decline from available mines, the author discusses how there are new explorations focused on copper on the sea bed but the realistic cost of extraction makes this totally uneconomical. Thus we learn the copper needs of the economy will continue to grow with EV and electrification but we are faced with dwindling abundance. There is little doubt of the ability to ultimately mine more copper as it is abundant but the costs are not declining and the waste output per ton of copper extraction continue to grow.
The author moves on to oil and goes through the story of Saudi as well as fracking. Oils relevance remains extremely high despite talk of peak oil and EV renaissance. The Oil industry remains critical to the world economy and Oil remains a commodity very regionally dependent. The author discusses a little but about refining but a broad view of the history of Oil, its current areas of critical use and the supply side of the commodity with the major fields like Ghawar in structural decline.
Lastly the author discusses Lithium the newer material of critical importance. The author discusses the history of battery chemistry and Lithium's role in the growing EV ecosystem. The mining of Lithium represents an open problem and the author discusses a variety of extraction techniques as well as the story of Panasonic and Tesla. The author also discusses Cobalt and its use in battery chemistry as well as how this is sourced from Congo with little substitute highlighting our dependencies on fragile states. Thus the author weaves together a picture of the materials we need for our new energy goals and how there is a complex supply chain and political risks in delivering on the goals.
Material World was one of the more enjoyable books I have read recently and it is both story telling as well as fact delivering. One better understands the bottom up mining politics, top down supply chain frictions and overall demand dynamics determining the capital intensity now going into procuring more material goods. The author highlights how in sum it is hard to see us reaching our lower carbon goals given the low hanging fruit of resource extraction is behind us and the author discusses thoughts about trying to be more realistic of dealing with competing goals. Recycling needs to be increased given the inability to find from the ground all that we need at the cost that we need but the somber view is a needed perspective given this is a topic that is not discussed enough.
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: 
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
Frequently bought together
$21.49
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 4
In Stock
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
From the Publisher
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Reviews with images
Do you know the Material World?
Do you know what undergirds our everyday lives? What about humankind's relationship with the world? Ed Conway takes us from the ethereal world to the material world in his fascinating new book Material World- The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization. A world we overlook and take for granted but a world that has and will continue to transform our geopolitical map. He casts six main characters from the material world for us to follow. Ed Conway guides us through a rich journey of history, material breakthroughs, and, most notably, the incredible ingenuity of the human race. The six characters are sand, salt, iron, copper, oil, and lithium. Ed maps the fascinating material revolution with the critical energy transitions that have enabled us to evolve as a civilization continuously. If you want to have a deeper appreciation of the world around you, read this book, no matter what your profession.A couple of great quotes from the book are below:"The Chemicals revolution is perhaps the most-overlooked aspect of the industrial revolution, yet the development of chemical products arguably changed more lives than, for instance, the mass production of steel.""If what defines humans is our ability to collaborate and wield tools, then iron and steel are part of what makes us human. And if sand is the fabric for much of the world and salt is the magic ingredient that helps us transform our world, then iron is what enables us to do things, whether that is going places, building things, making products, or, for that matter, killing each other. Iron and steel are the common thread.""If steel provides the skeleton of our world and concrete its flesh, the copper is civilization's nervous system, the circuitry and cables we never see but couldn't function without.""If steel is the skeleton of the modern world and copper its veins, then oil is the food that sustains us. It provides us with energy, with the chemicals from which we make the fertilizers that keep half the planet alive".
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024
Top reviews from other countries
Shivam Jindal
Great book for almost every human on the planet!
Reviewed in India on January 21, 2024