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Aluminum
My latest audiobook dropped this afternoon. This is #83. Don’t stop me, I’m on a roll.
This time I got to do science. Soil to Foil: Aluminum and the Quest for Industrial Sustainability has plenty in it to make anyone who remembers high school science classes happy. There is also a lot of good information on the history and operation of mineral extraction, and it is presented without a lot of enviro hand-wringing; we need this stuff, so what are good ways of getting it and using it that make sense for both the immediate need and the long term? I found it accessible and non-political.
From the blurb: Soil to Foil tells the extraordinary story of aluminum. Saleem H. Ali reveals its pivotal role in the histories of scientific inquiry and technological innovation as well as its importance to sustainability. He offers compelling portraits of the scientists and innovators who discovered new uses for this remarkable element, ranging from chemistry and geoscience to engineering and industrial design. Ali argues that aluminum exemplifies broader lessons about stewardship of nonrenewable resources. Soil to Foil shows that the story of aluminum’s use and misuse helps us rethink how to sustainably manage the resources of our planet.