Ontology: Natural Order
All materials exist in the Natural Order.
Comments
Material is anything made of matter, constituted of one or more substances. Wood, cement, hydrogen, air and water are all examples of materials. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Material)
Types of analysis for substances and materials
Source: Measuring material flow and resource productivity - synthesis report. Technical report, OECD, Paris, France, 2008 (Box 2 on page 16).
Substances
What: chemical elements or compounds such as Cd, Pb, Zn, Hg, N, P, CO2, CFC.
Type of analysis: Substance flow analysis and accounts (SFA) monitor flows of specific substances that are known for raising particular concerns as regards the environmental and health risks associated with their production and consumption.
Materials
What: Selected raw materials or semi-finished products at various levels of detail and application (e.g. cement, paper, iron and steel, copper, plastics, timber, water).
Type of analysis: Material system analysis (MSA) is based on material specific flow accounts. It considers life-cycle-wide inputs and outputs. It applies to materials that raise particular concerns as to the sustainability of their use, the security of their supply to the economy, and/or the environmental consequences of their production and consumption.
Flows
It is useful to distinguish between "bulk" and "toxic" flows.
Items included:
- Aluminium
- Carbon
- Fertiliser
- Fossil fuels
- Hazardous chemicals
- Heavy Metals
- Nutrients
- Paper
- Pesticides
- Sand and gravel
- Solvent
- Steel
- Timber
- Water
You can add an item to the below list. Create a page for it, start the page's name with "mat-", this is the order's abbreviation, followed by a dash.
