Chemical Explosives

Abstract

The average citizen in today’s world gives little thought to the important role that commercial explosives play in their lives and how their use is linked to our standard of living and our way of life. Explosives provide the energy required to give us access to the vast resources of the earth for the advancement of civilization. In 2010, the Mineral Information Institute estimated that the average baby born in America will need the following quantities of minerals, metals, and fuels in their lifetime: copper—932 lb; salt—31,779 lb; clays—12,121 lb; zinc—544 lb; stone, sand, and gravel—1,100,000 lb; petroleum—72,499 gal; lead—777 lb; other minerals and metals—43,822 lb: natural gas—5.93 million ft³; cement—41,181 lb; iron ore—14,530 lb; bauxite (aluminum)—4,040 lb; coal—542,968 lb; phosphate rock—15,152 lb; and gold—1.383 troy oz [1]. Availability of all of these materials, which total 2.9 million lb/individual, depends on the use of explosives.