FROM RAW TO READY Lesson 6 Notes

LESSON OBJECTIVES By the end of this lesson you should be able to:  explain how a given resource is prepared for public consumption or use

FROM RAW TO READY  Everywhere you look you can see products that start as natural resources. Without natural resources things like TV’s, cars, furniture, books, magazines, and coffee cups wouldn’t exist. But how are these natural resources transformed into their final state?

FROM RAW TO READY  You’ve already learned that the first step in the production process is the extraction of the natural resources from the environment. This is sometimes called harvesting.  Once the natural resource is harvested, it’s processed so it can be made into useful finished products.

FROM RAW TO READY  For example, when oil is extracted from the earth it’s made into a purer state by removing the impurities. This is known as refining. Once the oil is refined, it can be processed into things like solvents, fuels, and petrochemicals.

FROM RAW TO READY  Another example is trees. After they’re cut down, some trees are hauled to a mill where some of them are cut into lumber of different lengths and sizes then placed in a kiln to dry. Other logs are processed elsewhere for different things like paper or pulp.

FROM RAW TO READY  No matter what the natural resource, there are different methods to extract it then process it into useful consumer products. Each industry and each stage of the process involves skilled workers who do important jobs to create the products we use.  After natural resources have been processed and refined, they’re manufactured into many different products. Manufacturing makes finished products on a large scale from raw resources. The items that can be created from the manufacturing of processed natural resources are endless.

FROM RAW TO READY  Let’s look at a specific example now so you can see how this happens. This product is something we’ve all used countless times—the common pencil.

HOW A PENCIL IS MADE  Most wooden pencils are made from cedar trees. The other parts of the pencil are also made from natural resources.  The writing core, which we commonly call lead, is actually a mixture of graphite and clay. These are minerals that are mined from the earth.  The metal ring that holds the eraser (called a ferrule) is also made from minerals.  Pencils also contain wax and rubber (the eraser). These items are made from petroleum, which in turn is made from oil that is drilled from the ground.

HOW A PENCIL IS MADE  Here are the main steps in making a wooden pencil. 1. The cedar trees are harvested and sent to a sawmill for processing. 2. At the sawmill, the cedar logs are cut into blocks. These are dried in a kiln then sent to a slat factory for further processing. 3. At the slat factory, the cedar blocks are cut into strips called pencil slats. Special saws are used to minimize waste.

HOW A PENCIL IS MADE 4. Pencil slats are sorted by quality, then dipped in a wax and stained. The pencil slats are then sent to a pencil factory. 5. At the pencil factory, a machine cuts a groove in the slats. 6. A writing core (graphite/clay mixture – what we commonly call pencil lead) is placed in the groove. This core has been dipped in wax to allow it to glide smoothly over paper when you write with it. 7. A second grooved slat is placed over top and glued to the first grooved slat.

HOW A PENCIL IS MADE 8. Once the glue is dried, the slats are cut into individual pencils and trimmed to length. A special machine then shapes the pencils (e.g., hexagonal, round, or triangular). 9. The pencils are inspected then painted. 10. The metal ring and eraser are crimped into place.

THE HIDDEN RESOURCES  As you’ve seen, there are many natural resources that make up a common pencil. But there are other, hidden resources that play a role as well. At every step of the process, energy is being used to find the resources, to extract them, to refine them, and to manufacture, and transport the finished or semi-finished goods to the stores.

THE HIDDEN RESOURCES  Looking deeper still, every piece of machinery required to saw the wood, produce the writing core, paint the pencils, and cover them in plastic or a cardboard box, went through its own production processes. The amount of technology required to manufacture a pencil is immense!

TEST YOURSELF!  On your note package complete the matching activity and accurately match the steps of production of a pencil.