Concrete Up-dates

This post follows naturally from my two previous posts on CO2 reduction in Concrete manufacturing and use throughout it's life-span. The figure opposite sums-up much of what has be written previously and is taken from a full well presented article in the NYT of 11 April 2009 entitled Concrete Is Remixed With Environment in Mind.

As often quoted in my pages (Napoleon) "A good drawing is worth more than a long discourse" the reader is cordially invited to consult the figure-click to enlarge.

The article is an excellent paper for public understanding of cement and concrete. All sort of careful chemistry is going on: Some add silica fume industrial waste which improves impermeability and gives reinforced steel bars corrosion protection from road salts. Some add titanium oxide to accelerate oxidation which breaks down organic airborne pollutants so producing a permanently attractive white surface.

NYT reporter Henry Fountain, goes much further than the scientists reported in my earlier post and introduces NYT readers to the much more heartening and ambitious aim of "reversing the manufacturing CO2 emissions equation" to achieve a negative carbon emissions, or overall absorption during the "concrete life-cycle", by both reducing the emissions during production and absorption of CO2 during it's useful life.

"Some researchers want to eventually eliminate Portland cement entirely and replace it with other cements to produce zero-carbon, or even carbon-negative, concrete."

Dr. Brent R. Constantz, company founder, of Calera does not describe Calera as a cement company:

“We’re primarily driven by the need to capture large amounts of CO2 and sequester it,”

NB. The high standard fall-out from Dr. Constantz, background in cements, having made specialty products for use in orthopedic surgery. But he

Back-ground from from NYT- cement manufacture basic process:

"Portland cement is at the heart of concrete’s environmental problems. About a ton of CO2 is emitted for every ton of cement produced. The basic manufacturing process involves burning limestone and other minerals at about 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit(about 1480°C) to create an intermediate product called clinker.

“Essentially, we’re trying to make the same minerals that they did in 1825,” said Mr. Stehly, who is head of a committee addressing sustainability issues at the American Concrete Institute.

The cement industry, particularly in the United States and Europe, has reduced CO2 emissions through the use of more efficient kilns and processes, and is now allowed to add some ground unburned limestone to the clinker, reducing the actual cement in the mix. But about half of the CO2 from cement cannot be eliminated — it is produced in the reaction, called calcination, that occurs as the limestone (which consists of calcium carbonate) is being burned."



NYT points to two innovative companies, strongly engaged in this adventure:

1. Calera Corporation, is developing a process to bubble gas-fired electric power plant flue gases through seawater or other brackish water, using the CO2 in the gases to precipitate carbonate minerals for use as cement or aggregates in concrete. The process mimics, to some extent, what corals and other calcifying marine organisms do.

2. Carbon Science associated with Novacem, a British start-up, is developing a cement that does not use carbonates and can make concrete that absorbs carbon dioxide.

1. Calera Corporation,

At a site adjacent to a gas-fired electricity generation plant in Moss Landing, Calif., the Calera Corporation is developing a process to bubble power plant flue gases through seawater or other brackish water, using the CO2 in the gases to precipitate carbonate minerals for use as cement or aggregates in concrete. The process mimics, to some extent, what corals and other calcifying marine organisms do.

Calera calculates that producing a ton of these minerals consumes half a ton of CO2, so the resulting concrete could potentially be carbon negative — sequestering carbon dioxide permanently.

Brent R. Constantz, the company’s founder, has a background in cements, having made specialty products for use in orthopedic surgery. But he does not describe Calera as a cement company. “We’re primarily driven by the need to capture large amounts of CO2 and sequester it,” he said.

The company probably will begin by making aggregate, because the barriers to making a commercially acceptable product are lower than with cement. Even with aggregate, any new product must meet standards and must be accepted by the concrete industry, which can be conservative. “Any time you introduce anything new,” Dr. Constantz said, “it’s a challenge.”

More about Calera in Scientific American[pdf].

2. Carbon Science associated with Novacem, a British start-up, is developing a cement that does not use carbonates and can make concrete that absorbs carbon dioxide.


"To reduce concrete’s carbon footprint to near zero or less, different approaches are needed. Novacem, a British start-up, is developing a cement that does not use carbonates and can make concrete that absorbs carbon dioxide. Carbon Sense Solutions, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, wants to bubble CO2 through wet cement, sequestering the gas through carbonation (a process that occurs naturally, though very slowly, under normal conditions)."

My professional house journal, Materials World, almost a year earlier (7 months ago) in their news report entitled Concrete carbonation,MW 01 Oct. 2008 described the above second highly innovative company(2) in a balance way.

The pros (a) and cons(b)
a)The pros:

Combustion flue gases will be redirected to the curing process. The resulting effluent is scrubbed of CO2 in under an hour. The gas is stored in the concrete as calcite with no further reactions occurring.

‘Calcite, otherwise known as limestone, is the process feedstock for cement. We are simply reverting it back to its natural and most stable state. You can call this cradle-to-cradle engineering,’ says Robert President of Carbon Sense Solutions. The material is said to store up to half the weight of cement as CO2.

Niven is guarded about revealing more about the process, but says, compared to previous efforts at concrete carbonation, this work involves ‘a new reactor design that achieves complete carbonation, faster processing and improved material properties [faster early strength development, lower permeability, reduced shrinkage cracking and efflorescence resistance]’.

b) The cons:

However, concrete and cement science expert Dr Charles Fentiman of Fentiman Consulting in Southwater, UK, is sceptical about the ability to achieve complete carbonation during curing. He reserves judgement until the work is taken out of the laboratory and shown to overcome the practical problems that have impeded academics and industry for decades.

He says, ‘This seems to be an idea of making concrete elements and giving a warm cure in CO2. [But] in my experience, as soon as cement hydration starts, the CO2 coats everything and blocks further hydration. It does accelerate hardening, but then ongoing strength development is low and the concrete remains porous because hydration is blocked’.

Fentiman explains that academics have previously tried to overcome this through super-critical carbonation after the concrete has cured and the cement hydrated. However, ‘this would greatly slow the manufacturing process and the extra cost would need to be covered by the end user’.

Prepare for the worst but hope for the Best.

Link: Innovation_Two Commented Videos not to be Overlooked_Your Company (profit and loss) and even Country (Survival) bottom lines in Greatest Danger!

Link
Conversations-on-Innovations: Innovation_Two Commented Videos not to be Overlooked_Your Company (profit and loss) and even Country (Survival) bottom lines in Greatest Danger

Concrete Thinkers_Putting CO2 emissions into perspective_but how sucessful are they in this?

In my previous post, I recommended, from my scant readings of non-metallic materials, The Portland Cement Association ,Concrete Thinkers _ page and mentioned in my post, what I saw as short comings in several science news releases from the scientific community.

Specifically, I felt that the scientific teams mentioned lacked commitment and resolve in setting their sights and hence their objectives to the highest levels, ie. choosing near zero-carbon emissions and not categorically "zero-carbon emissions". [Either the scientists in question appeared to lack commitment and resolve in setting their objectives or having seen how difficult getting results from the lab. to full scale in industrial ( socio-economic) practice preferred to remain modest and prudent, I did not know. But we shall see in posts to follow that more ambitious approaches seek not only to achieve zero-emissions but carbon negative standards ie. CO2 absorption rather than emissions.]

Back to Concrete Thinkers site,while it does give a good summary of the state of the art, progress and approaches which now lead to 2% or less CO2 emissions with referenced white papers, the paragraph which caught my eye for future reference was as in the title of my current post title "Putting CO2 emissions into perspective". Upon a second reading with intent to blog I found the paragraph guilty of many of the faults over and above the use of non- International standard Organisation (ISO) units. The paragraph leads the reader to believe that one will gain a much more balance view of activities leading to specific and CO2 emissions based on units and comparable chores (daily,annual etc.) Meaningless comparisons, activities are not comparable between one another, no comparable standard activity is taken when common energy units are an obvious choice and these could be related to some common daily "global" activity cf. Prof David J.C. MacKay's approach referenced below:

Read Concret Thinkers page with some specific critical comments as follows:

"The manufacture of cement produces about 0.9 pounds of CO2 for every pound of cement. Since cement is only a fraction of the constituents in concrete, manufacturing a cubic yard of concrete (about 3900 lbs) is responsible for emitting about 400 lbs of CO2.[1] The release of 400 lbs of CO2 is about equivalent to[2]" [refs.1,2 refer to papers on their site]:

* The CO2 associated with using 16 gallons of gas in a vehicle (what sort of vehicle!!!)
(16x3.79 litres = 60.64 litres and if your Limousine gives you 100 kms per 5 litres then, => 60.64 /5)x100 = 1212.8kms and say at a speed of 100km/h Then you get 12.12h driving pleasure!)

* The CO2 associated with using a home computer for a year (24h a day connected?)
* The CO2 associated with using a microwave oven in a home for a year (a few minutes or 1 h, lets say per day?)
* The CO2 saved each year by replacing 9 light bulbs (N° of W (Watts and KWh?) in an average house with compact fluorescent light bulbs (Units please?)

Other sources responsible for CO2 emissions include: [I have given the conversion factors below to play with but....

* 28,400 lbs for an average U.S. house in a year
* 26,500 lbs for two family vehicles in the U.S. in a year
* 880,000 lbs for a 747 passenger jet traveling from New York to London

The reason concrete is responsible for 1.5 to 2% of the U.S. anthropogenic CO2 (that is, due to humans) is due to the vast quantities of concrete used in the world around us.

Metrics - Conversion
lbs, US: 1 pounds (lbs) (avoirdupois) is equal to 0.45 kilograms

Yards cu: 1 cubic yards is equal to 0.76 cubic meters
1 cu yd concrete 3900lbs ( kg) => 400lbs CO2 )

gallons US: 1 gallon (US) is equal to 3.79 liters
gallons GB: 1 gallon (British) is equal to 4.55 liters

miles 1 miles (statute) is equal to 1.61 kilometers.

Concrete
400lbs/3900lbs roughly, 1/10 =10% CO2
Therefore, For every unit weight of concrete produced the weight of CO2 emissions is 1/10 or 10% of the weight of concrete produced
Cement
For every unit weight of cement produced approximately the same weight of CO2 is emitted. (or 1 unit of cement produced roughly 0.9 or 90% of CO2 emissions is also produced)

Does anyone know of a better account?

Sources and References:

1. The Portland Cement Association ,Concrete Thinkers _ page

2. A much better approach is that of Cambridge,UK, Prof. David J.C. MacKay, in his freely available ebook Without Hot Air!

What a coincidence (serendipity) I came across David MacKay's Video on light bulbs!

3. CO2 and other greenhouse gases GHG's
Global Warming Potentials (GWP) and Atmospheric Lifetimes (Years)
LINK to US Environment Protection Agency (EPA).

NB. To be fair here are a couple of graphs from references on the Thinkers Site that are more informative than the written paragraph presented by the Thinkers. All and more are referenced on the Thinker site cf. in particular the Stewardship pages

Materials Science Alerts_Cement and concrete research to reduced CO2 emissions

East vs West which is best?
It could be that the answer is...
neither of them.

The provocative punch line:

"Many scientists currently think at least 5 percent of humanity's carbon footprint comes from the concrete industry, both from energy use and the carbon dioxide (CO2) byproduct from the production of cement, one of concrete's principal components."

has been a much echoed news feed emanating from West Coast's, Washington State Univ and NSF National Science Foundation.

The accompanying news story and two news related posts are also quoted. All three are concerned with reducing concrete's (industry) carbon footprint.

When all is said and done my favourite most informative website turned out to be the last but not least "Concrete Thinking for a sustainable world." The site of the Portland Cement Association presents an extremely well documented "Technical Brief", which explains, in a simple and clear fashion all the main aspects of cement and concrete, their difference, their CO2-GHG emission and absorption, the importance of Life Cycle Assessement and Balance through time and much more. The site introduces their panel of experts called appropriately "Concrete Thinkers for Green Buildings" and the site includes a series of no less than 38 videos entitled "Recycled Inside and Out".

cf. Sources and References at the end of my post(s)

Since no lowly focused effort can make any significant impact on the CO2-GHG emissions climate change global warming issue (cf for example, DJ MacKay Cambridge Univ-ebook Without hot air" and Socolow-Pacala of Princeton Univ. Wedge approaches_many references upon request) I have added at a link to an interesting wide angled view of Carbon Cycle Science at the end of my now lengthy post.

1. West Coast's case:
Yet several studies have shown that small quantities of CO2 later reabsorb into concrete, even decades after it is layed, when elements of the material combine with CO2 to form calcite.[as most high school chemistry students and of course, all concrete materials scientists and civil engineers know full well]

A study appearing in the June 2009 Journal of Environmental Engineering suggests that the re-absorption may extend to products beyond calcite, increasing the total CO2 removed from the atmosphere and lowering concrete's overall carbon footprint.[can't wait for this, nor can the planet - brings back fond memories of my A-Level High School Chemistry Class writing all the possible chemical equations imaginable, later consolidated by a good university metallurgical grounding in chemical thermodynamics ].

While preliminary, the research by civil and environmental engineering professor Liv Haselbach of Washington State University re-emphasizes findings first observed nearly half a century ago--that carbon-based chemical compounds may form in concrete in addition to the mineral calcite-now in the light of current efforts to stem global warming.

"Even though these chemical species may equate to only five percent of the CO2 byproduct from cement production, when summed globally they become significant," said Haselbach. "Concrete is the most-used building material in the world."

Researchers have known for decades that concrete absorbs CO2 to form calcite (calcium carbonate, CaCO3) during its lifetime, and even longer if the concrete is recycled into new construction--and because concrete is somewhat permeable, the effect extends beyond exposed surfaces. [cf. video link Recycled Inside and Out in the Source and reference links below]

While such changes can be a structural concern for concrete containing rebar, where the change in acidity can damage the metal over many decades, the CaCO3 is actually denser than some of the materials it replaces and can add strength. [some may recall bad memories of 9/11 and the materials and engineering studies of why the twin towers failed in such a disastrous fashion - and may wish to confront this news feed and the related ones with these materials analysis?]

Haselbach's careful analysis of concrete samples appears to show that other compounds, in addition to calcite, may be forming. Although the compounds remain unidentified, she is optimistic about their potential.

"Understanding the complex chemistry of carbon dioxide absorption in concrete may[had better?] help us develop processes to accelerate the process in such materials as recycled concrete or pavement. ["Perhaps"?] this could help us achieve a nearly net-zero carbon footprint, for the chemical reactions at least, over the life-cycle of such products."

That is the thrust of Haselbach's current NSF-funded work, where she is now looking at evaluating the life-cycle carbon footprint of many traditional and novel concrete applications, and looking for ways to improve them.

"This work is part of the portfolio of studies that NSF is funding in this vital area," added Bruce Hamilton, director of NSF's environmental sustainability program and a supporter of Haselbach's work. "Research relating to climate change is a priority."

[Whatever the criticism sometimes harsh, I hope they are constructive and do contribute to "our shared aim of a net-zero materials carbon footprint

Widely spread news feed, here is quoted from Physorg.com

The concrete industry is a contributor to the global carbon cycle particularly with respect to the contribution of carbon dioxide in the manufacturing of cement (calcination). The reverse reaction of carbonation is known to occur in concrete, but is usually limited to exterior surfaces exposed to carbon dioxide and humidity in the air. As alternate concrete uses expand which have more surface area, such as crushed concrete for recycling, it is important to understand surface adsorption of carbon dioxide and the positive impacts it might have on the carbon cycle.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)[wikipedia html] is used in this study to evaluate carbon species on hydrated cement mortar surfaces. Initial estimates for carbon absorption in concrete using other techniques predict the potential for carbonate species to be a fraction of the calcination stoichiometric equivalent.
The XPS results indicate that there is a rapid and substantial uptake of carbon dioxide on the surfaces of these mortars, sometimes exceeding the calcination stoichiometric equivalents, indicative of carbon dioxide surface complexation species. On pure calcite, the excess is on the order of 30%. This accelerated carbon dioxide surface adsorption phenomenon may be important for determining novel and effective carbon sequestration processes using recycled concrete.

LINK to ACS Abstract

2. East Coast punch line:

"While government leaders argue about the practicality of reducing world emissions of carbon dioxide, scientists and engineers are seeking ways to make it happen."

One group of engineers at MIT decided to focus its work on the nanostructure of concrete, the world's most widely used material. The production of cement, the primary component of concrete, accounts for 5 to 10 percent of the world's total carbon dioxide emissions; the process is an important contributor to global warming.

In the January 2007 issue of the Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, the team reports that the source of concrete's strength and durability lies in the organization of its nanoparticles. The discovery could one day lead to a major reduction in carbon dioxide emissions during manufacturing.

"If everything depends on the organizational structure of the nanoparticles that make up concrete, rather than on the material itself, we can conceivably replace it with a material that has concrete's other characteristics-strength, durability, mass availability and low cost-but does not release so much CO2 into the atmosphere during manufacture," said Franz-Josef Ulm, the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

The work also shows that the study of very common materials at the nanoscale has great potential for improving materials in ways we might not have conceived. Ulm refers to this work as the "identification of the geogenomic code of materials, the blueprint of a material's nanomechanical behaviour."

Cement is manufactured at the rate of 2.35 billion tons per year, enough to produce 1 cubic meter of concrete for every person in the world. If engineers can reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the world's cement manufacturing by even 10 percent, that would accomplish one-fifth of the Kyoto Protocol goal of a 5.2 percent reduction in total carbon dioxide emissions.

Ulm considers this a very real possibility.

He and Georgios Constantinides, a postdoctoral researcher in materials science and engineering, studied the behavior of the nanostructure of cement. They found that at the nano level, cement particles organize naturally into the most densely packed structure possible for spherical objects, which is similar to a pyramid-shaped pile of oranges.

Refs.
The nanogranular nature of C–S–H
Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, Volume 55, Issue 1, January 2007, Pages 64-90
Georgios Constantinides, Franz-Josef Ulm
LINK: doi:10.1016/j.jmps.2006.06.003

3. Or again

"Working on the railroad? Using concrete could help environment"

In the study, May 7th, 2009 ,Robert Crawford points out that there have been long-standing concerns about environmental consequences of manufacturing railway sleepers because it involves harvesting large amounts of timber. Reinforced concrete sleepers are an alternative that offer greater strength, durability and long-term cost savings, he said. Critics of using concrete sleepers have charged that their manufacture increases greenhouse gas emissions as it involves higher consumption of fuel when compared to production of wood sleepers.

Crawford studied the greenhouse gas emissions of wooden and reinforced concrete sleepers based on one kilometer (0.62 miles) length of track over a 100-year life cycle. He found that emissions from reinforced concrete sleepers can be from two to six times lower than those from timber. “The results suggest strongly that reinforced concrete sleepers result in lower life cycle greenhouse emissions than timber sleepers,” the report states. [This begs questions on what are today's advanced rail-track practices and at the high end of the adventure of the French high speed train rail system the TGV_Train à Grande Vitesse etc. does it not? ]

Link Physorg.com

ref. “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Embodied in Reinforced Concrete and Timber Railway Sleepers”, Environmental Science & Technology

Read more on Carbon Cycle Science...

Sources and Links:
1. a. Physorg.com b. LINK to ACS Abstract
2. ref.The nanogranular nature of C–S–H, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, Volume 55, Issue 1, January 2007, Pages 64-90,Georgios Constantinides, Franz-Josef Ulm
LINK
doi:10.1016/j.jmps.2006.06.003
3. Link Physorg.com
4. Concrete Thinking for a sustainable world Technical Brief > Green in Practice 102 - Concrete, Cement, and CO2
5. Read more on Carbon Cycle Science...

Conversations-on-Innovations: F1, Formula One Racing's contribution to Innovations_20 ways F1™ is changing our world

Conversations-on-Innovations: F1, Formula One Racing's contribution to Innovations_20 ways F1™ is changing our world

Putting the Heat on Coal-Fired Power Generation_ Materials, Steels, Superalloys, Coatings to fight GHG Emissions? Information overload assistance

The heat is on in more than one sense!

One of my "Wedge-a-War" aims (in the Pacala-Socolow-S.Lam sense[pdf]) deriving from my focus on CCS-CO2 capture and storage is to bring the materials issues to the fore:

To such an end, we metallurgist, students or experience metallurgical scientists and power engineering professionals alike will be much indebted to the pragmatic materials expert Prof. T.B. Gibbons for his paper entitled Superalloys in modern power generation applications, Ed. Materials Science and Technology 2009 VOL 25 NO 2. available online to IOM3 members.

The paper opens in Tom’s typically pragmatic style recalling that;
“It is widely recognised that for the foreseeable future, coal will remain an important energy source for generation of electric power in many areas of the world. [In other words we are stuck with it and must make the best of the situation.] However, it will be essential to develop generation technologies that include the capture and storage of emissions such as CO2 to combat the harmful effects of climate change.

[One of the] "The key(s) to the successful implementation of advanced generation technologies, the ultimate aim of which is the zero emission power plant, depends heavily on the availability of suitable materials." [and perhaps more importantly on the exploration and qualification of suitable geological CO2-GHG storage sites?]

In his paper, Gibbons considers the requirements for materials with improved high temperature performance, discipline in which he is a world renowned expert. He applies his expertise in the context of three types of power generation systems being developed to operate with greatly reduced emissions and with high levels of efficiency.

(i) ultra supercritical (USC) steam power plant ( steam T> 760°C)
(ii) integrated gasification combined cycle systems (IGCC)
(iii) oxyfuel combustion (Clean Energy Systems).
whose respective merits he describes and illustrates with schematics.

The common feature in all three approaches is the drive for greater efficiency of power generation systems, since this will mean that the level of emissions per unit of power output is reduced. Thus, it is claimed that a high efficiency power plant generating 500 MW of electricity will produce 27% less CO2 than a conventional plant of similar capacity. More... cf.Gibbons Ref.1

Work is in progress worldwide to improve the efficiency of power generation technologies, which use coal as a primary energy source. Such improved efficiency requires the use of higher temperatures cf. Fig.1 click to enlarge.

World Wide Programmes referenced are:

Examples of these activities are the:
-AD700Project in Europe whose acronym means ADvanced T>700°C [pdf]and AD 700 participants. and the

-Ultragen project in USA [pdf], where the aim is to build demonstration plants operating with higher steam temperatures and hence higher efficiencies, and a US Department of Energy (DoE) Project to develop more efficient coal gasification combined cycle systems.

In Japan, efforts are in hand to retrofit older coal burning units to enable operation at
higher steam temperatures with improved efficiencies. (Gibbons Ref.4)

There is a lot of metallurgy condensed in Tom’s paper, from recommended high-temperature steels, superalloys, and coatings for plant and turbine blades-aerofoils. The limitations of existing materials are outlined and the need for materials with higher temperature capabilities and ease of manufacture are discussed from a metallurgical science and engineering perspective.
The paper is an excellent summary of the metallurgical issues facing materials engineers in order to meet the challenges of so called “clean coal” and “zero emission" technologies.
Many of the papers referenced or related may be obtained, often freely available online.

In fact Tom Gibbon’s paper is a good window into a much researched field, but perhaps one where practice lags rhetoric among the main industrial... players, who admittedly suffer from the heavily capitalised, huge inertia bound (muscle-bound?), nature of the systems in which they operate?

Brain d-rain video: Frosty the coalman for a laugh (or a cry).
Comment cf. further reading ref.3 below.
Further comments, suggestions or questions welcome.

cf. reported comments section.
All 22 conference papers presented at the Malcolm McLean Memorial Symposium: “The superalloys: from processing to performance”)by internationally recognised experts in the field have been issued in a special addition of Materials Science and Technology Vol 25 Feb 2009. [almost 200 pages on all aspects of superalloy process and product metallurgy;from R&D, through primary and secondary melting, casting and single crystal growth, hot-transformation (rolling, forging etc), critical properties at high-temperatures in stressful and corrosive environments have all been addressed to meet the highest standards and client requirements and rightly claim the conference title superalloys: from processing to performance"


Further reading on this blog:

1. Renewable and Alternative Energy Sources Ranked_Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, energy security_Information Overload Mastered

2. Solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy security reviewed _Parametres used to classify and rank_Follows previous post

3. New comments-Conversations with B.J. Sovacool on Nuclear Power Plant, Coal Fired Power Generation, GHG emissions

Main Reference: Materials Science and Technology Vol 25 Feb 2009

Materials Matter™ and Material Matters™ II_Dedicated to the late Professor John Edwin (Jack) Harris MBE, FRS, FREng, FIMMM, Friend and Mentor

Dedication to a friend and mentor.

Jack Harris, the regular Materials World columnist, presents his views on topical issues under the heading Materials Matter. The journal has recently announced, "the sad news that Jack Harris, Fellow of the Institute (FIMMM) died in February 2009. There will therefore be no Materials Matters columns for the time being. A full obituary for Jack will appear in due course in Materials World. "

Jack, Prof. John Edwin Harris, MBE, FRS, FREng, FIMMM to give him his full title, was a true friend, in that he gave me much needed encouragement to pursue my contribution to my profession as a metallurgist, materials scientist and engineer and my involvement with our professional Institute, The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3). He encouraged me, and certainly many others, to get involved and to write. His column and contact led me to write again in english, after many years in France. I was honoured that he found time to exchange correspondence, giving a reference or again an opinion, often simply adding an (s) to make a word plural "for many... more, growth, inclusiveness?" At the time he was Editor in Chief of Interdisciplinary Science Reviews(ISR) the influential Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining Journal, "that seeks to publish to the highest excellence in scholarship but that also speak to an audience of intelligent non-specialists. ISR focuses, whenever possible, on conceptual bridge-building and collaborative research that nevertheless respect disciplinary variation. " This is a timely reminder of the interdisciplinary nature of our subject, it's science, art and practice. He introduced me to some of his friends, shining examples and role models to follow, some for their skills as scientists, scholars and writers, others for their courageous professional and life choices engaging in such militant associations such as Pugwash, originated by concerned scientist and citizens in 1955. Pugwash, named after the town of the same name in Nova Scotia, Canada, aims to discourage the use of instruments of mass destruction the organisation Jack chose to devote much of his energy. These examples an more, encouraged me to write regularly, not only my web pages but several full papers, and book reviews the latter on behalf of the Institute (IOM3). His column, Materials Matter, in Materials World was the first page I turned to, upon receiving my members journal in the post each month.

-My last exchange with Jack was via the open comment through his column "Comparing nuclear power in France and England" and more specifically picking up his pointer on renewable energy Bureaucracy spawns chaotic energy policy', by Sir William Lithgow, The Times, 8 October 2008.
- Jack's last column corresponded with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin 150th anniversary of the publication "On the Origin of Species", published after Darwin's death. These "letters" are excellent examples of the breadth and depth of Jack Harris' culture, his grasp of the human angle, sense of balance and of mankind's place in the "heavenly chorus". But in the end Jack always respects his contract recalling that "materials do matter", under-scoring the family ties between the great Biologist Darwin, the richness of a life in research, and the famous Materials -Pottery and Ceramics Company, Wedgwood and the humble workmen to whom [yet another] new museum is "dedicated to the people who have made objects of great beauty from the soil"...

Jack easily grasped the inherent weakness of policies of modern dis-industrialisation with it's accompanying reduction in intellectual R&D capital, and social dishevel and often expressed his displeasure. He, as all engineers and most scientists know full-well, that the physical laws of nature can be combined in complex and ingenious ways, but that the laws of physics cannot be altered, that all human economy is based-upon man's use of energy to transform naturally occurring materials into useful products and services, for "Materials Matter", and "Energy is the common denominator in the transformation processes. Jack's professional life involved Materials for use in Energy Generation for the Central Energy Board (Berkeley Labs). Today there is a new IOM3 journal dedicated to theses disciplines entitled "Energy Materials".

For me Materials Matter™, in spite of Jack's passing away, will in my mind remain his trade mark, ™, a difficult act and to follow.

Jack's lead continues after his death. He once advised me, in a quiet way, that a good place to start an enquiry was via the Royal Society and her members. While writing this and thanks to the Internet, I paid a new visit to both Royal Societies of which Jack was a member, The Royal Academy of Engineering, FREng, and The Royal Society FR. and our Royal Chartered Institute-IOM3 (FIMMM). My current interest being in media assisted learning, I was more than well recompensed. Both The Academy and The Royal Society propose rich media materials, Web TV, lectures and conferences which I viewed with Real Player, (Microsoft viewer was also available.) via the following links:
-The Royal Academy of Engineering Media Website TV and Video.
-The Royal Society Media Website TV and Video.

Jack was elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1987 and a year later to the Royal Society.

Let me end with this quote from Lord Rees, (FRS) current president of the Royal Society, who described John Edwin Harris (Jack) as "a fine example of the 'activist' and socially concerned scientist. We need more like him."

A fuller tribute has been given by his friend Dr. Frank Duckworth and published in the Guardian.

PS. I hope that Jack would have approved of this conversation, but more especially that his family, his friends, colleagues and peers will approve of my personal tribute and small contribution to keep Jack's memory and guidance alive for the benefit of younger generations, generations of scientists, engineers and writers.

Here too, Jack had anticipated the need for a worthy legacy for younger generations when, with the late D.R.F. West DSc, FIM he co-authored the book "Metals and the Royal Society"
Published by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. Their short encyclopedia, almost 800 pages, is a historical and technical account of the important contributions made by members, Fellows of the Royal Societies, in the Metals field which comprises 80% of the elements in the periodic table, through the disciplines of Metallurgy, Materials Science, Technology and Engineering. Their book is an excellent, reliable review of scientific discovery and technical and industrial developments as well as short biographical references to the Fellows and Foreign Members. It contains most useful, rapid access indexes and valuable appendices to all RS awards, medals and lectures and multiple cross references. A full peer review of the Metals and the Royal Society was written by the late Prof. Robert W. Cahn (FRS) .

Published also in a shorter form in The Materials Chemists:
Post I.
Post II.