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Materials Transition: Welcome back to “Science For Everyone”, ABP Live’s weekly science column. Last week, we explained how severe plastic pollution in India is, and what steps the government is taking to combat this threat to the environment. This week, we explain what materials transition is, and how this will help ensure a net-zero future.
Materials transition refers to the process of designing better materials to build products such that emissions are reduced not only during manufacturing, but also while using, disposing, or reusing products. The aim of materials transition is to evolve the landscape of current materials by making them more efficient, enhancing their circularity, and substituting materials which release a large amount of emissions, according to the World Economic Forum. Not only will materials transition facilitate emissions reduction, but will also increase the capacity for a scalable energy transition. Emissions can be tackled in a systematic manner throughout the world if there is a shift in the way materials are used to design, manufacture, and deploy products. Materials transition will enable direct and indirect material reuse and circularity.
In order to increase materials-induced efficiency, conventional materials must be replaced with advanced ones that are better in terms of toughness, weight reduction and durability. This will extend the lifetime of a product, and also optimise energy consumption.
For instance, instead of using steel reinforced bars, one can use a glass fibre reinforced polymer to build a concrete structure. This is because this will extend the lifetime of the concrete structure and reduce emissions associated with the installation, maintenance, and replacement of reinforced bars.
Material substitution, which is a part of materials transition, will replace emissions-intensive materials with more sustainable ones, and eliminate the emissions associated with the manufacturing and production of those materials.
Examples include replacing steel, cement, and glass with polymer concrete, fibreglass, engineered wood, and mass timber in products and applications, according to the World Economic Forum.
Materials circularity makes the process of materials transition a sustainable mechanism. This is because the materials and associated emissions are recycled and reused into products and forms of alternative energy. The Carbon Circular Economy framework’s reuse, recycle and remove requirements must be followed. This framework is an integrated and inclusive approach to transitioning toward more comprehensive, resilient, sustainable, and climate-friendly energy systems that support and enable sustainable development.
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