World Materials

Materials used in the world.
Jun 8, 2020Last updated: Jul 5, 2020

I think at some point, it is going to be worthwhile to map an extensive value chain from raw materials to finished products. Meanwhile, I'm collecting a flat list of items.

Also see Sustainable Materials of the Future.

Organisms

  • CO2_2
  • Key macronutrients - NPK
  • CaCO3_3 (calcite/aragonite) - marine biomineralizers
  • Si(OH)4_4 (silicic acid) - opal structures

Prehistoric

  • Obsidian, flint - cutting, piercing
  • Basalt, rhyolite, greenstone - pounding, pulverizing
  • yew, white ash, black locust, osage orange - bows
  • quicklime CaO - pottery
  • hydrated lime - whitewash, mortar, plaster
  • Cotton, wool

Medieval

  • Silt, Limestone
  • Copper, Tin - ornaments, military
  • Iron - tools, weapons, nails for ships, houses houses
  • Clay Bricks
  • Porcelain
  • Glass
  • Bronze, brass
  • Gunpowder - mixture of charcoal, sulphur, and potassium nitrate

Early Modern

  • Metallurgical coke - for "industrial" scale iron-smelting
  • Gold
  • Silver

Modern

  • Cylinder glass, crown glass --> Flat grass
  • Asbestos
  • Tin
  • Asphalt
  • Concrete, reinforced concrete
  • Steel
  • Aluminium - Bauxite (Al2_2O3_3)
  • Paper - with mechanical pulping, chemical pulping
  • Gas Liquefaction
  • Fuelwood & Wood
  • SiO2_2 - optical fibers, sandstone, quartz
  • Stainless steel - cutlery, surgical implants
  • Titanium
  • Copper - wiring, plumbing
  • Zinc
  • Lead - tetraethyl-lead to prevent engine knocking
  • Silicon
  • Plastic
    • Styrene
    • Cellulose Acetate
    • Polyvinylidine Chloride
    • Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon)
    • Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
    • Mylar
  • nitrogen
    • ammonia

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