PETROCHEMICAL PRODUCTS

 HISTORY
1835

PVC (Plastics)
It is waterproof, so designers started to use it for many products such as golf balls and shoe
heels, shower curtains, raincoats, electric wires coatings, window frames, floor tiles, paints,
water pipes and bottles.

1839

Polystyrene
Polystyrene foam is used for insulation, packaging, and food containers such as cups, egg
cartons, disposable plates and trays.

1856

Synthetic dyes
18 year old William Perkin, a gifted student of the Royal College of Chemistry in London, was
looking for a way to develop an artificial form of quinine from coal tar. Quinine was needed to
treat British troops suffering from malaria in India. During his experiments, instead of quinine,
young Perkin was left with some purplish powder. More experimentation led him to realise that
this substance worked as a textile dye which was colourfast and resistant to light. It was
originally called aniline purple, but was renamed mauve (French for the mallow flower) when it
reached a peak of popularity.
 This colour was propelled in fashion by the choice of mauve gowns by the Queen
Victoria and Empress Eugenie (wife of Napoleon III).
 revolutionary use for dyes in an important treatment of cancer, in which tumours are
stained before being blasted with a high-precision laser.

1879

Synthetic rubber
It was used to make rubber balls, rubber shoes, strips to hold stone and metal tools, water-
resistant cloth and more. In the 1890s, more people began to use cars and car tyres, which
created increased demand for rubber.
The insulating and protective properties of neoprene have made it a popular material in
products as diverse as scuba-diving gear to protective gloves, protective covers for items such
as mobile phones but also in corrosion-resistant coatings and adhesives.
1925

Bakelite
Bakelite was the first synthetic plastic to be invented. It is resistant to heat and electricity,
shatter-proof and does not crack, fade, crease or discolor from exposure to sunlight, humidity or
sea salt. Bakelite doesn’t melt or go soft, so it was soon found to have many uses, especially in
the rapidly growing automobile and radio industries.

1928

Synthetic fuels
Synthetic fuel, also known as synfuel, is fuel obtained from coal, natural gas or biomass.The

1930

Plexiglas ®
Ranging from clear to opaque; it is nearly unbreakable and is used in place of glass in airplanes,
automobiles, light fixtures, aquariums, signs, and household appliances. It is proved
transparent, strong, and tough enough to be used in the cockpits of military aircraft. It was used
for the first time in exterior body panels of a car.

1930

Antifreeze and Cooling Agents

Antifreeze and cooling agents have the capacity to stay in liquid form below 0°C because they
can retain energy and thus not change their physical state.

1933

Solvents
It is a liquid that dissolves, suspends or extracts other materials.

1935

Polyethylene
It is used first as a coating for underwater cables and then as an insulating material for such
vital military applications as radar insulation during WWII. Polyethylene is produced in different
grades (from very low density to high density) and its mechanical properties depend on how it’s
produced. High Density polyethylene conquered its first mass market in the toy sector during the
1950s: polyethylene is used to make such common items as sticky tape, soda bottles, milk
jugs, dry-cleaning bags, pipes, water containers, etc.
1937

Nylon ®
Nylon® was intended to be a synthetic replacement for silk for example in stockings, and also
replaced animal hair in toothbrushes, stockings, parachutes, ropes, flak vests, vehicle tires,
combat uniforms and many other military applications after the United States entered World War
II in, fabrics, bridal veils, carpets, guitar strings and ropes. Solid nylon is used for mechanical
parts and in engineering.

1938

Polyurethane
In the war years of 1943 and 1944, polyurethane was used for propeller blades, landing flaps
and skids for aircraft - but it was all top secret.
It was used for mattresses, furniture padding, and thermal insulation, and still is today. It is also
used in paints and varnishes formulations and in adhesives, as well as for sportswear fabrics
such as Lycra®.

1941

Teflon ®
The new plastic, which was soon given the name Teflon®, is unique because it is impervious to
acids, cold and heat. It is useful for coating pots and pans for easy cooking and cleaning, from
chemical-proof pipes for industrial machinery, through medical injection tubes and all the way to
microelectronics.

1946

Polyester
It was an inexpensive and durable fibre, so it soon invaded the textile market. It was advertised
as a miracle fibre that could be worn for 68 days straight without ironing and it would still not
wrinkle. One of the best things about polyester is that it does not absorb water, so most of our
outdoor gear is made of this material.

1951

Detergents
Synthetic detergent is a material which washes or cleans laundry, fabrics, dishes or kitchen
utensils, as well as hard surfaces.
1954

Polystyrene foam
98 percent air, Styron® is rugged and durable. It is primarily used as packaging and insulation.
By enabling significant savings of fuel oil and gas, it has become one of the most important
products for environmental technologies.

1960

Polypropylene
Polypropylene is similar to its ancestor, polyethylene, and shares polyethylene's low cost, but is
much more robust. It is used in a wide variety of applications, including food packaging, ropes,
textiles, reusable containers of various types, loudspeakers, automotive components, and
banknotes. Polypropylene resists the high temperatures needed for sterilisation and dish-
washing, so it has many medical and household uses.

1960

Copolymer
A copolymer is a polymer derived from several mixed monomeric species. It offers infinite
possibilities for industry and industrial design, IT equipment, small and large electrical
appliances, packaging, medical devices, etc.

1965

Superabsorbent
Superabsorbent polymers are polymers that can absorb and retain extremely large amounts of
water and aqueous solution relative to its own mass.

1970

Kevlar ®
It was meant to replace steel belts in vehicle tires, as it is five times stronger than the same
weight of steel, does not rust nor corrode and is extremely lightweight.

1977

PET bottles
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) starts from raw petrochemicals: ethylene and paraxylene.
Derivatives of these two chemicals react together to produce PET resin. This was first
developed in 1941
PET bottles may contain soft drinks, juices, alchoholic drinks, water, edible oils, household
cleaners and other food and non-food applications.

1988

Conducting polymers
The common belief was that plastics, unlike metals, do not conduct electricity. Yet the prize-
winning researchers demonstrated that plastic can, under certain circumstances, behave like a
metal. To become electrically conductive, polymers (ie. plastics) must consist alternately of
single and double bonds between the atoms.

Conducting polymers are used for anti-static substances for photographic film, shields for
computer screens and for “smart” windows (than can exclude sunlight). Semi-conductive
polymers have recently been developed in light-emitting diodes (LEDs), solar cells and used as
a display in mobile phones and small TV screens.

1988

Liquid crystal polymer

Liquid crystals are now used in many areas of everyday life. They are used to make the flat
screens of laptop computers but also increasingly for desktop PCs. The rapidly increasing
mobile phone market uses liquid crystals to make mobile phone screens

PETROCHEMICAL PROCESS

1. Extraction
 Horizontal Drilling- Horizontal drilling is the process of drilling a well from the
surface to a subsurface location just above the target oil or gas reservoir called
the “kickoff point”, then deviating the well bore from the vertical plane around a
curve to intersect the reservoir at the “entry point” with a near-
horizontal inclination,
 Hydraulic Fracturing- Hydraulic fracturing is used to increase the rate at which
fluids, such as petroleum, water, or natural gas can be recovered from
subterranean natural reservoirs. Reservoirs are typically porous sandstones,
limestones or dolomite rocks, but also include "unconventional reservoirs" such
as shale rock or coal beds.
 Seismic imaging- 3D seismic imaging, which uses sound waves to form three
dimensional images of geologic formations. These images have become the
 industry standard for understanding subsurface geology and finding oil and gas
deposits

2. Fractional distillation
 separation of a liquid mixture into fractions differing in boiling point (and hence
chemical composition) by means of distillation, typically using a fractionating
column.
 Naphtha- Light naphtha is the fraction boiling between 30 °C and 90 °C and
consists of molecules with 5–6 carbon atoms. Heavy naphtha boils between 90
°C and 200 °C and consists of molecules with 6–12 carbon atoms. It is a mixture
of many different hydrocarbon compounds.

3. Cracking- It cracks open large hydrocarbons and rearrange themselves into a more
stable and stronger ones by the help of elevated temperature (provides energy for the
process), pressure, and catalyst (if present)
 Thermal cracking- energy is dominated by entropy rather than enthalpy, resulting from
fragmentation of large molecules into smaller pieces
 Fluid Catalytic cracking- uses catalyst; less temperature needed; higher yield of
product; more preferable than thermal cracking
Zeolites- produced large amount of steam from water; micro porous, aluminosilicate
minerals
 Hydrocracking- uses hydrogen gas to break the C-C bonds.

3 Groups of primary petrochemicals (feedstocks)

1. Aromatics- Benzene, Toluene, Xylene

o Benzene- raw material for dyes and syndetergents

o Benzene and Toluene – isocyanates used in making polyurethanes

o Xylene- to produce plastics and syn fibers

2. Syngas-Fuel mixture consisting primarily of H2 and CO that acts as intermediate for

producing ammonia and ethanol

• Fischer-Tropsch process

3. Olefins- Also called alkene, compound made up of hydrogen and carbon of one of
more pairs of carbons linked by a double bond