Natural Resources

The main natural resources used in the Industrial Revolution was coal,iron, and wood.  Coal was used to power steam engines, and was needed to make iron.  Iron was used to make better machines and tools and to build bridges and ships. 

To make iron, you have to first seperate the metal from the nonmetal.  This is called smelting.  Charcoal was used for fuel in smelting.  Abraham Darby, in 1709-1713 succeeded in using coke to smelt iron.  Coke is made by heating coal in an airtight oven.  This was more economically efficient.  In 1783, Henry Cort made improvements on the puddling furnace.  This furnace produced higher quality iron.  This furnace used coke to heat the pig iron for rolling.  Using coke to heat instead of charcoal freed the British iron industry of their dependence on charcoal.

The Effects of the Industrial Revolution on the environment

Factories in the Industrial Revolution emitted smoke.  There was pollution of air, water, and soil.  There was also a growth in waste.  The agricultural revolution also had a bad effect.  The new machines caused the soil to degenerate and wear out.  This decreased the animal habitats.  Ever since the Industrial Revolution, the demand for raw materials has gone up.  The smelting process used coke to heat, this freed industries from their dependence on charcoal.

References

http://www.puhsd.k12.ca.us/chana/staffpages/eichman/Adult_School/us/fall/industrialization/1/industrial_revolution.htm

http://www.ecology.com/archived-links/industrial-revolution/index.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/History/results_of_the_industrial_revo.html