Introduction to Environmental Materials

Author: Liu Jianglong
Editor-in-Chief: Yang Yingguo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-07-01
Features: This book primarily introduces environmental materials science and technology and its development direction, covering topics such as: the impact of materials on the environment, the interaction between the environment and materials, the environmental load of materials and its evaluation methods and applications, and the fundamentals and classification of environmental materials. The book is divided into five chapters: 1. Introduction (Environment and Materials); 2. Environmental Characteristics of Chemical Elements; 3. Environmental Load of Materials; 4. Comprehensive Evaluation Methods for the Environmental Impact of Materials; 5. Fundamentals and Classification of Environmental Materials. This book is suitable for science and technology personnel engaged in research or production in industries such as metal materials, inorganic materials, polymer materials, materials engineering, materials processing, automotive, machinery manufacturing, tooling and die, casting, forging, welding, and heat treatment. It can also be referenced by senior undergraduate and graduate students in related university majors. The book presents innovative concepts, and anyone concerned with Earth's resources, environmental issues, and sustainable development can become an enthusiastic reader. Excerpt: In fact, the root cause of environmental problems lies in modern civilization, where humans have been consuming finite resources such as oil, coal, metals, and others unilaterally. From the perspective of the natural environment, there are two limitations regarding the metal materials required by humans. The first is that the metal resources on Earth are finite, meaning that metal materials are not infinitely extractable or inexhaustible. The second is that the Earth has a limited capacity to accommodate pollutants, such as waste carbon dioxide, slag from blast furnaces, and other by-products generated during the manufacturing, extraction, use, and recycling of materials. Reality demands that humans reevaluate past activities related to the development, use, and research of materials from an environmental protection perspective. In modern civilization, humans both seek a wide range of high-performance or high-functional materials and urgently require a good living environment to improve their quality of life and ensure the sustainable development of civilization. However, large-scale production of materials essential for human survival always entails some degree of ecological damage. As a result, the relationship between materials and the natural environment in the context of human development and survival has drawn the attention and emphasis of materials scientists. People are beginning to shift from the outdated mindset of neglecting the living environment in favor of pursuing high-performance, high-value-added materials, to exploring the development of materials and products that not only possess good performance or functionality but also consume fewer resources and energy and are more environmentally compatible.
1.2 Environmental Materials
1.2.1 The Concept of Environmental Materials
Between 1990 and 1991, Professor Ryoi Yamamoto of the Production Technology Research Institute at Tokyo University of Japan, while studying the relationship between materials and the environment, proposed the concept of "environmentally harmonized materials," which can also be translated as "environmentally conscious materials." It is commonly referred to as "environmental materials," with the English term being "ecomaterials." Environmental materials can be defined as materials that possess good performance and strong environmental coordination. Here are a few key concepts involved:
(1) The coordination with the environment is reflected in two aspects: materials with low environmental load values and materials with high recyclability and regenerability. In reality, it is impossible to develop or produce a material without any environmental load value; instead, the goal is to seek relatively lower environmental load values. On the other hand, as a resource, such materials should be fully recyclable and regenerable to achieve comprehensive cyclic utilization of material resources. In a sense, high recyclability and regenerability of materials are themselves one form of low environmental load.
(2) As a material, if its performance or functionality is disregarded and only its environmental coordination is pursued, then such a material has little intrinsic value to humans. Therefore, when defining environmental materials, this fundamental factor must be considered.
(3) The entire life cycle of the material should be taken into account. This has significant practical implications. The life cycle of a material refers to the complete process from raw material acquisition, production, processing, use, recycling, to disposal. For example, some polymer materials may have relatively low environmental pollution during their production process but significant environmental pollution during disposal. If one examines only a certain stage of these materials, they may appear environmentally coordinated, but their overall life cycle may not be. Clearly, the definition of environmental materials includes three aspects: it meets the basic requirements of humans for materials while also reflecting their concern and emphasis on the environment.
According to the definition, the essential characteristic of environmental materials lies in their low environmental load values throughout their entire life cycle. This definition of environmental materials was first proposed by Chongqing University. For a long time, the concept of environmental materials was vague and ambiguous. The pioneer of environmental materials, Professor Yamamoto, initially believed that environmental materials were those that reduced environmental load to the minimum and increased regenerability to the maximum (October 1993). He further noted that environmental materials differ significantly from traditional materials, as they are materials endowed with exceptional environmental coordination, or materials that directly possess functions such as purifying and restoring the environment (June 1994). In the same year, in September, Yamamoto reiterated these views. However, he also considered environmental coordination materials to be a guiding principle aimed at preventing environmental damage, protecting natural resources in human activities, and ensuring that materials have good performance (October 1994). In April 1995, Yamamoto again proposed that environmental materials are those with the lowest environmental load and the highest regenerability.