10 Industrial Materials That Have Benefitted Humans
Industrial materials make it possible for large numbers of people to live lives of wealth, ease and comfort unimaginable before the industrial revolution.
1. Steel
Iron is a silver-grey element that naturally occurs on the planet. However, it can be made even stronger by adding carbon and other elements to create steel. This makes it an extremely versatile building material.
Its durability allows for bridges and railway lines to be built, improving transport efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. It is also used to make surgical instruments and other medical equipment due to its biocompatibility.
Steel has low production costs and requires less energy to produce than other metals. It can also be recycled and is incredibly durable, making it an eco-friendly choice. It’s used in wind turbines to provide clean, sustainable energy and in electric cars to improve their range. It’s also a crucial ingredient in the construction of power plants and mining operations. The Industrial Revolution would not have been possible without steel.
2. Portland Cement
When bricklayer Joseph Aspdin burned powdered limestone and clay in his kitchen stove in 1824, he couldn’t have imagined that his new building material would become one of the most widely used construction materials in the world. Portland cement, also known as concrete, binds aggregate to form a rock-like mass that can withstand huge forces and extreme weather conditions.
The process that creates cement is complex. Cement plants grind clinker, the main ingredient in portland cement, to a fine powder that contains calcium oxide and carbon dioxide waste. The carbon dioxide waste comes from burning coal and slag, which releases CO2.
Project Drawdown has developed an alternative cement solution that reduces embodied carbon emissions by improving the energy efficiency of kilns. It uses industrial waste from power plants, natural pozzolans, and calcined clays to produce a low-carbon alternative to regular portland cement.
3. Bakelite
Bakelite isn’t the first plastic, but it was the most successful – and it changed the way we think about synthetic materials. It was called “the material of a thousand uses,” and it wasn’t far off the mark.
In 1907, Belgian chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland developed phenol formaldehyde resin, known as Bakelite. It was moldable, didn’t melt or conduct electricity, and stood up to heat and chemical abuse.
It replaced natural products like ivory, wood, bone and metal – thus reducing animal extinction, cutting down on environmental degradation and freeing up more resources for use in building tools, furniture and cars. In fact, Bakelite’s success led to the creation of other phenolic resins like nylon and polystyrene. Eventually, more and better plastics were invented with fewer serious chemicals, but none as revolutionary as Bakelite. Until next time!
4. Nylon
Nylon is a synthetic man-made fibre that is made from petrochemicals and is often referred to as “artificial silk.” Its first commercial use came in the form of toothbrush bristles in 1938 but its first big break was when it replaced Asian silk for women’s stockings during World War II.
Nylon is all around us today in our toothbrushes, carpet, racket and guitar strings, surgical sutures and, of course, hosiery. It was discovered in the 1930s by chemist Wallace Carothers at the E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company laboratories in Delaware. His work centered on the study of polymers, large "building block" molecules, and their reaction to create a useful fiber. Carothers created nylon by combining hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid, with the number of carbon atoms distinguishing different types of nylon (as indicated by their numerical names, such as Nylon 66). These variations make them suitable for a multitude of applications.
5. Sheep’s Wool
The hair on sheep’s back, also known as wool, is made from a protein called keratin, which is the same protein found in our own hair. Its crimp and texture make it easier for the fibers to bind together, which helps to make wool fabric bulkier and more insulating than other materials.
Each wool fiber is like a coiled spring, and this gives it its resilience. It can stretch 50% and still bounce back, and it is also fire retardant, making it ideal for clothing.
Sheep’s wool is used in a variety of ways, from hats to binnies and rugs. It can even be used to replace peat in compost, as it acts as a slow-release source of nitrogen. It decomposes within a few years, returning valuable nitrogen-based nutrients to the soil. Moreover, it is also recyclable.
6. Pollution-Absorbing Brick
In order to combat air pollution, researchers have developed a new type of brick that can help filter harmful pollutants from the environment. This new type of brick is made from a special concrete that contains chemicals that can absorb air pollution and neutralize it. This brick can be used in a variety of construction projects to reduce the impact of pollutants on human health and the environment.
Pollution-absorbing bricks are designed to reduce the amount of pollution that is released from dirty brick kilns. The bricks use a technology called cyclone filtration, which is similar to the process of a vacuum cleaner, to suck pollution from the air and release clean air back into the atmosphere. The bricks were developed by assistant professor Carmen Trudell from the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
7. Glass
Glass is a common and widely used material that’s essential to many industries. It’s incredibly versatile and has been in use for millennia. It’s also a critical part of our modern lives, from computer screens and windows to jars that hold medicine and beer.
Glass is made from natural and abundant raw materials such as sand, soda ash, and limestone. These ingredients are melted at high temperatures to form a non-crystalline solid that’s brittle and impervious to the elements.
Its nonporous structure inhibits chemical interactions with the contents of the container, making it ideal for consumable products such as beer, wine, spirits, and jam jars. Unlike plastic containers, glass doesn’t contain additives like BPA and phthalates that can leach into food and beverages, harming our hormones and health. Glass also doesn’t contaminate soil or water, and it can be recycled endlessly without losing its purity.
8. Copper
Copper is used for electricity cables because it has excellent electrical conductivity and can be bent easily without breaking. It also carries heat well, which makes it useful in motor vehicle radiators and air-conditioning systems. It’s a major component in brass and bronze, which are widely used metals for building products and cookware, as well as gun metals and American coins. It’s also a popular material for plumbing and can be shaped into pipes, taps and sinks.
Copper has antimicrobial properties and kills bacteria and viruses on contact. It’s been incorporated into building materials like roofing and cladding, as well as into medical devices like blood pressure and temperature monitors that meld perfectly to curved skin. It is also an essential element in human health, facilitating nerve transmission and blood clotting. It also stimulates the immune system and promotes healing.
9. Brass
Brass has been around for generations and continues to be a key part of the modern economy. It has been used in all sorts of products, including musical instruments and electrical components. Brass is also used in a number of different manufacturing processes, including casting and machining. Both of these methods use a central design model that can be mass-produced to create varying versions of the same product.
All copper and brass alloys exhibit natural antimicrobial properties, making them inhospitable to dangerous bacteria and viruses like E-Coli, MRSA, Influenza A, and the human coronavirus. In fact, most brasses are bactericidal within minutes of contact with these harmful microorganisms. This makes brass ideal for healthcare equipment and surfaces. The bactericidal property of brass also contributes to its durability. Brass can withstand the test of time and is suitable for use in plumbing, heating, and lighting applications.
10. Plastics
Plastics are made from natural, organic materials like cellulose and petrochemical feedstocks like crude oil. Crude oil is processed in refineries to produce lighter compounds like naphtha, which can be used to make plastics.
Plastics can be recycled into new, useful items or repurposed as fuel for cars and trucks. They are much lighter than metals and glass, which reduces the amount of energy needed to transport them.
Despite some concerns about additives such as phthalates in toys for young children, most plastics are safe to use. Misguided anti-plastic legislation would jeopardize the quality of care in hospitals and medical facilities, undermine measures to prevent hospital-acquired infections, and harm efforts to keep world food supplies healthy by reducing sanitary food packaging that extends shelf life and helps reduce waste on farms. Plastics are a key to human survival.
