Still the Iron Age: Iron and Steel in the Modern World

Description

Although the last two generations have seen an enormous amount of attention paid to advances in electronics, the fact remains that high-income, high-energy societies could thrive without microchips, etc., but, by contrast, could not exist without steel. Because of the importance of this material to comtemporary civilization, a comprehensive resource is needed for metallurgists, non-metallurgists, and anyone with a background in environmental studies, industry, manufacturing, and history, seeking a broader understanding of the history of iron and steel and its current and future impact on society. Given its coverage of the history of iron and steel from its genesis to slow pre-industrial progress, revolutionary advances during the 19th century, magnification of 19th century advances during the past five generations, patterns of modern steel production, the ubiquitous uses of the material, potential substitutions, advances in relative dematerialization, and appraisal of steel’s possible futures, Still the Iron Age: Iron and Steel in the Modern World by world-renowned author Vaclav Smil meets that need. - Incorporates an interdisciplinary discussion of the history and evolution of the iron- and steel-making industry and its impact on the development of the modern world - Serves as a valuable contribution because of its unique perspective that compares steel to technological advances in other materials, perceived to be important - Discusses how we can manufacture smarter rather than deny demand - Explores future opportunities and new efforts for sustainable development in the industry Still the Iron Age Copyright Copyright_2016_Still-the-Iron-Age Preface and Acknowledgments Previous Works by The Author 1 Iron and Steel Before the Eighteenth Century Bloomery Iron Blast Furnaces Charcoal Premodern Steel Chapter 2 Rise of Modern Ferrous Metallurgy, 1700–1850 European and British Ironmaking before 1750 British Transition to Coke Larger Furnaces and Hot Blast Wrought Iron Chapter 3 Iron and Steel Before WW I, 1850–1914 Blast Furnaces Inexpensive Steel: Bessemer Converters and Open Hearths New Markets for Steel Steel in Transportation and Construction Chapter 4 A Century of Advances, 1914–2014 From WW I to the End of WW II America’s Postwar Retreat Japan in the Lead Chinese Dominance Chapter 5 Modern Ironmaking and Steelmaking New Blast Furnaces Direct Reduced Iron Basic Oxygen Furnaces Electric Arc Furnaces Continuous Casting Diffusion and Improvements 6 Materials in Modern Iron and Steel Production Materials for BFs and BOFs Iron Ore Metallurgical Coke Material Balances of Integrated Steelmaking Steel Scrap Material Balances of EAFs Chapter 7 Energy Costs and Environmental Impacts of Iron and Steel Production Energy Accounting Energy Cost of Steelmaking Air and Water Pollution and Solid Wastes Life Cycle Assessments 8 Ubiquitous Uses of Steel Infrastructures and Buildings Fuels and Electricity Transportation Industrial Equipment and Consumer Products Chapter 9 Looking Back A Century and a Half of Modern Steel Industry’s State Flows and Consumption Rates Steel Stocks 10 Looking Ahead Substitutions Lightweighting Substituting Coke with Charcoal Dematerialization Absolute Dematerialization New Processes Future Requirements Forecasts Appendix A: Units and Their Multiples and Submultiples Appendix B: Some Basic Terms Appendix C: Global and National Production of Pig Iron and Steel, 1800–2015 Appendix D: Production of Crude Steel, 1900–2014 (All figures in Mt/year) Index References