Graphite and Precursors

Graphite and Precursors

Author: Pierre Delhaes

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2000-12-21

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9789056992286

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Humans first used carbon as chars from firewood in ritual paintings and primitive metallurgical processes. Natural forms of carbon have been known since antiquity, yet the knowledge of the carbon element in chemistry and its technical applications on a larger scale are a relatively recent development. The industrial revolution in Europe two centuries ago led the way to the numerous applications of these graphitic forms that are still used today. Graphite and Precursors features short tutorial articles on different topics related to the science and technology of carbons intended for engineers, students of Materials Science and scientists who are seeking a fundamental understanding without "reinventing the wheel." This first volume of the World of Carbon book series focuses on graphite and its precursors, including its origin and various implications. The basic properties of hexagonal graphite are developed, and several theoretical and experimental approaches explain why this crystalline solid is fascinating in solid state physics. Also featured are the numerous applications connected to thermal, mechanical and chemical graphites, as well as their various industrial uses in polycrystalline form. Finally, carbon precursors are introduced.


Powerdown

Powerdown

Author: Richard Heinberg

Publisher: New Society Publishers

Published: 2004-09-01

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 9780865715103

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This stark look at prospects for a truly sustainable culture speaks frankly about how it is time to "Powerdown," or to reduce per-capita resource usage in wealthy countries, develop alternative energy sources, and much more.


Carbon

Carbon

Author: Kate Ervine

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2018-10-15

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1509501150

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Carbon is the political challenge of our time. While critical to supporting life on Earth, too much carbon threatens to destroy life as we know it, with rising sea levels, crippling droughts, and catastrophic floods sounding the alarm on a future now upon us. How did we get here and what must be done? In this incisive book, Kate Ervine unravels carbon's distinct political economy, arguing that, to understand global warming and why it remains so difficult to address, we must go back to the origins of industrial capitalism and its swelling dependence on carbon-intensive fossil fuels – coal, oil, and natural gas – to grease the wheels of growth and profitability. Taking the reader from carbon dioxide as chemical compound abundant in nature to carbon dioxide as greenhouse gas, from the role of carbon in the rise of global capitalism to its role in reinforcing and expanding existing patterns of global inequality, and from carbon as object of environmental governance to carbon as tradable commodity, Ervine exposes emerging struggles to decarbonize our societies for what they are: battles over the very meaning of democracy and social and ecological justice.


How Bad Are Bananas?

How Bad Are Bananas?

Author: Mike Berners-Lee

Publisher: Profile Books

Published: 2020-09-03

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 1782837116

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'It is terrific. I can't remember the last time I read a book that was more fascinating and useful and enjoyable all at the same time.' Bill Bryson How Bad Are Bananas? was a groundbreaking book when first published in 2009, when most of us were hearing the phrase 'carbon footprint' for the first time. Mike Berners-Lee set out to inform us what was important (aviation, heating, swimming pools) and what made very little difference (bananas, naturally packaged, are good!). This new edition updates all the figures (from data centres to hosting a World Cup) and introduces many areas that have become a regular part of modern life - Twitter, the Cloud, Bitcoin, electric bikes and cars, even space tourism. Berners-Lee runs a considered eye over each area and gives us the figures to manage and reduce our own carbon footprint, as well as to lobby our companies, businesses and government. His findings, presented in clear and even entertaining prose, are often surprising. And they are essential if we are to address climate change.


The Many Lives of Carbon

The Many Lives of Carbon

Author: Dag Olav Hessen

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2017-11-15

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1780238746

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In its pure form, carbon appears as the soft graphite of a pencil or as the sparkling diamond in a woman’s engagement ring. Underneath the surface, carbon is also the basic building block of the cells in our bodies and of all known life on earth. And at a molecular level, carbon bonds with oxygen to create carbon dioxide—a gas as vital to our life on this planet as it is detrimental at high levels in our atmosphere. As we face the climate change crisis, it’s now more important than ever to understand carbon and its life cycle. The Many Lives of Carbon is the story of this all-important chemical element, labeled C on our periodic tables. It’s the story of balance—between photosynthesis and cell respiration, between building and burning, between life and death. Dag Olav Hessen is our guide as we discover carbon in minerals, rocks, wood, and rain forests. He explains how carbon is studied by scientists, as well as its role in the greenhouse effect, and, not least, the impact of manmade emissions. Hessen isn’t afraid to ask the difficult questions as he confronts us with the literally burning issue of climate change. How will ecosystems respond to global change, and how will this feed back into our climate systems? How bad could climate change be, and will our ecosystems recover? What are our moral obligations in the face of excess carbon production? Neither alarmist nor moralistic, Hessen takes readers on a journey from atom to planet in informative, compelling prose.


The Story of Carbon

The Story of Carbon

Author: Mark Uehling

Publisher:

Published: 1995-01-01

Total Pages: 63

ISBN-13: 9780531202128

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Discusses the chemical element carbon: its forms, uses, and importance in our lives.


The Carbon Age

The Carbon Age

Author: Eric Roston

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2009-05-26

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0802717519

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Carbon is the chemical scaffolding of life and civilization; indeed, the great cycle by which carbon moves through organisms, ground, water, and atmosphere has long been a kind of global respiration system that helps keep Earth in balance. And yet, when we hear the word today, it is more often than not in a crisis context. Journalist Roston evokes this essential element, from the Big Bang to modern civilization. Charting the science of carbon--how it was formed, how it came to Earth--he chronicles the often surprising ways mankind has used it over centuries, and the growing catastrophe of the industrial era, leading our current attempt to wrestle the Earth's geochemical cycle back from the brink. Blending the latest science with original reporting, Roston makes us aware of the seminal impact carbon has, and has had, on our lives.--From publisher description.


The Big Thaw

The Big Thaw

Author: Eric Scigliano

Publisher: Braided River, the conservation

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781680512472

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Permafrost--dark, ice-flaked, permanently frozen ground that lies under tundra and boreal forests across our northern regions--covers more than 12 percent of the earth's land mass. It exists in places that seem otherworldly and unimaginably remote to most of us, but the changes taking place in the permafrost layer may ultimately affect the lives of every person on Earth. InThe Big Thaw, readers meet a diverse team of scientists and students who have been studying the permafrost and what lies beneath: a vast store of ancient carbon, more than four times the quantity found in all of today's forests, which is releasing carbon dioxide and methane as the permafrost melts. The release of all this carbon would alter Earth's climate forever. Braving endless hordes of mosquitoes, quicksand, and extreme temperatures, the researchers are racing against the clock to educate us all about the changes we must make in order to preserve Earth's carbon balance.


Generating Electricity in a Carbon-Constrained World

Generating Electricity in a Carbon-Constrained World

Author: Fereidoon Sioshansi

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2009-10-21

Total Pages: 633

ISBN-13: 0080889719

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The electric power sector is what keeps modern economies going, and historically, fossil fuels provided the bulk of the energy need to generate electricity, with coal a dominant player in many parts of the world. Now with growing concerns about global climate change, this historical dependence on fossil-fuels, especially those rich in carbon, are being questioned. Examining the implications of the industry's future in a carbon-constrained world, a distinct reality, is the subject of this book. Containing contributions from renowned scholars and academics from around the world, this book explores the various energy production options available to power companies in a carbon-constrained world. The three part treatment starts with a clear and rigorous exposition of the short term options including Clean Coal and Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technology, Coal, and Emission trading. Renewable energy options such as Nuclear Energy, Wind power, Solar power, Hydro-electric, and Geothermal energy are clearly explained along with their trade-offs and uncertainties inherent in evaluating and choosing different energy options and provides a framework for assessing policy solutions. This is followed by self-contained chapters of case-studies from all over the world. Other topics discussed in the book are Creating markets for tradable permits in the emerging carbon era, Global Action on Climate Change, The Impossibility of Staunching World CO2 Emissions and Energy efficiency. - Clearly explains short term and long term options - Contributions from renowned scholars and academics from around the world - Case-studies from all over the world