Intro to Material Processing

Material processing is an integral part of getting materials from the raw state in the ground to the products we use in our day-to-day lives. But we can’t just take an element, molecule, or compound from the ground and go straight to our water bottles or hip replacements. A series of steps are involved. But what are they? What factors do we have under our control to process materials and get the results we want? And what impact does processing have on our environment? This course will:

• Identify the different stages of the material processing cycle
• Highlight the impact four key variables (temperature, pressure, environment, and time) have on processes
• Examine the life cycle of a material in terms of environmental impact