Enriching the Earth by Vaclav Smil

Enriching the Earth by Vaclav Smil

Dr. Smil is the world's authority on nitrogenous fertilizer.The industrial synthesis of ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen has been of greater fundamental importance to the modern world than the invention of the airplane, nuclear energy, space flight, or television. The expansion of the world's population from 1.6 billion people in 1900 to today's six billion would not have been possible without the synthesis of ammonia.In Enriching the Earth, Vaclav Smil begins with a discussion of nitrogen's unique status in the biosphere, its role in crop production, and traditional means of supplying the nutrient. He then looks at various attempts to expand natural nitrogen flows through mineral and synthetic fertilizers. The core of the book is a detailed narrative of the discovery of ammonia synthesis by Fritz Haber--a discovery scientists had sought for over one hundred years--and its commercialization by Carl Bosch and the chemical company BASF. Smil also examines the emergence of the large-scale nitrogen fertilizer industry and analyzes the extent of global dependence on the Haber-Bosch process and its biospheric consequences. 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 ammonia synthesis.

Vaclav Smil has authored 35 books and over 400 papers in the subjects of materials, energy, environmental and population change, food production and nutrition, technical innovation, risk assessment, and public policy. His research interests are diverse and include a variety of disciplines. He is a Member of the Order of Canada, a member of the Royal Society of Canada (Science Academy), and a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba. Foreign Policy named him one of the top 100 global thinkers in 2010. He was the first non-American to receive the American Association for the Advancement of Science Prize for Public Understanding of Science and Technology. He has served as a consultant for several US, EU, and international agencies, and has spoken at approximately 400 conferences and workshops in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Finally, in a Wired.com story in 2013, he had the honor of having Bill Gates say, There is no author whose books I look forward to more than Vaclav Smil.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780262693134
ISBN 10	0262693135
Title	Enriching the Earth
Author	Vaclav Smil
Series	The Mit Press
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	MIT Press Ltd
Year published	2004-02-27
Number of pages	358
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.