Enriching the Earth: Fritz Haber, Carl Bosch, and the Transformation of World Food Production - Rilegato

Smil, Vaclav

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 026219449X ISBN 13: 9780262194495

Casa editrice: Mit Pr, 2000

Riassunto

The industrial synthesis of ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen has been of greaterfundamental importance to the modern world than the invention of the airplane, nuclear energy, spaceflight, or television. The expansion of the world's population from 1.6 billion people in 1900 totoday's six billion would not have been possible without the synthesis of ammonia.In Enriching theEarth, Vaclav Smil begins with a discussion of nitrogen's unique status in the biosphere, its rolein crop production, and traditional means of supplying the nutrient. He then looks at variousattempts to expand natural nitrogen flows through mineral and synthetic fertilizers. The core of thebook is a detailed narrative of the discovery of ammonia synthesis by Fritz Haber -- a discoveryscientists had sought for over one hundred years -- and its commercialization by Carl Bosch and thechemical company BASF. Smil also examines the emergence of the large-scale nitrogen fertilizerindustry and analyzes the extent of global dependence on the Haber-Bosch process and its biosphericconsequences. Finally, it looks at the role of nitrogen in civilization and, in a sad coda,describes the lives of Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch after the discovery of ammoniasynthesis.

Su questo libro

Product Description:

Book by Smil Vaclav

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Mit Pr
• Data di pubblicazione: 2000
• ISBN 10: 026219449X
• ISBN 13: 9780262194495
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 338