Materials for a Sustainable Future

Aimed at students, lecturers, researchers, and policy makers, this work describes current developments and points the way forward for new developments regarding materials in our society and how they relate to sustainability.

Sustainability is becoming more and more important in our everyday lives and this book is a non-exhaustive look at materials and how they relate to sustainability. This concerns not only the elements that could be in short supply in the near future, such as phosphorus, helium, some rare earths and platinum metals, but also the pollutants such as carbon dioxide and methane which are being produced in sufficiently large quantities to be a threat to our lives on Earth. Covering fives themes in twenty five chapters, one of the great advantages of this book is that the chapters have been written by scientists or engineers who are experts in their field and include up-to-date statistics, recent research, and references to the latest work. The book includes chapters concerning chemicals and materials that might soon be required in large quantities to help create a more sustainable way of life. These include: biomass needed to manufacture plastics; special compounds and membranes for water purification, water-splitting, photovoltaic cells, batteries and fuel cells; and special materials for buildings, glass technologies and for storing hydrogen. Aimed at industrialists and investors; policy makers in local and central governments; students, teachers, scientists and engineers working in the field; and finally editors, journalists and the general public who need information on the increasingly popular concepts of sustainable living, this book provides current information and points the way forward for new developments.