Chapter 50

Importance of industrial processes

50.1 Development of synthetic products for
modern ways of living
50.2 Advantages and disadvantages of industrial
processes
50.3 Recent progress in industrial processes
Key terms
Progress check
Summary
Concept map

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50.1 Development of synthetic products for
modern ways of living
What are industrial processes?
Raw Bulk Synthetic
materials chemicals products
examples: examples: examples:
• petroleum • ammonia • drugs
• minerals • sulphuric acid • detergents
• air • methanol • plastics
• water • sodium hydroxide • paints
• chlorine • fertilizers
• ethene
Figure 50.1 A simplified diagram for the production of synthetic products in
the chemical industry.

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 Learning tip
Bulk chemicals are chemicals that are sold thousands
of tonnes a year and used for the production of
synthetic products.

The industrial processes are usually carried out

in chemical reactors of chemical plants.

Figure 50.2 A chemical plant

that manufactures fertilizers.
50.1 Development of synthetic products for modern ways of living

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 raw materials desired products
water
Chemical by-products
energy Reactor wastes
unconverted raw
materials
Figure 50.3 A schematic diagram to illustrate an industrial process carried
out in a chemical reactor.

Water acts as one of the raw materials, a

solvent or a cooling agent in the process.

The desired products are separated from the

by-products and the unconverted raw materials.

50.1 Development of synthetic products for modern ways of living

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 Learning tip
A by-product is a substance formed at the same time
as the desired product during a chemical reaction. In
most cases, by-products are wastes and lower the
yield of the desired products.

The rate and yield of the chemical reactions can

be optimized by controlling the reaction conditions
(e.g. temperature, pressure, catalyst, etc.) in the
chemical reactor.

50.1 Development of synthetic products for modern ways of living

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Development of synthetic products
Food
• Fertilizers (e.g. ammonium nitrate)
• Pesticides
• Petrochemical-based plastics such as polystyrene
foam containers and polyethene food wraps

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 50.4 (a) Ammonium nitrate is manufactured on a large scale.
(b) Pesticides are sprayed to kill pests to increase the yield of crops.
(c) Food wrap is made from polyethene.
50.1 Development of synthetic products for modern ways of living

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Medical care
• Drugs like aspirin (a painkiller) and penicillin (an
antibiotic)
• PVC-made disposable syringes and blood
transfusion bags

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 50.5 (a) Aspirin and (b) penicillin are two of the end products of the
petrochemical industry. (c) Disposable syringes are made of PVC. (d) PVC-
made blood transfusion bags can be used to store blood from donors.
50.1 Development of synthetic products for modern ways of living

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Clothing
• Synthetic fibres made from polyesters and nylon

Figure 50.6 Jacket made of

polyester and nylon.

Housing
• Plastics such as urea-formaldehyde and
polyurethanes are good heat-insulating materials
for building houses.
50.1 Development of synthetic products for modern ways of living

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Transport
• Some fuel tanks are made of high-density
polyethene (HDPE).

• Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) made from

methanol is used as a fuel additive in petrol.

Figure 50.7 The use of fuel additive

like MTBE can reduce the amount of
pollutants in the car exhaust.

50.1 Development of synthetic products for modern ways of living

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 Key point
Chemical industry involves industrial processes
which convert raw materials from natural
resources into synthetic products.

Example 50.1 Class practice 50.1

50.1 Development of synthetic products for modern ways of living

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50.2 Advantages and disadvantages of
industrial processes
What is petrochemical industry?
Petrochemical industry produces chemicals
(known as petrochemicals) from petroleum
or natural gas.

Petroleum Synthetic
Petrochemicals
or products
e.g. ethene, propene
e.g. polyethene,
Natural gas and benzene
PVC
Figure 50.8 A simplified flow diagram for the production of synthetic
products in the petrochemical industry.

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 Learning tip
During World War II, there was a great demand for
synthetic products to replace the expensive natural
products.

Think about

50.2 Advantages and disadvantages of industrial processes

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Advantages and disadvantages of using industrial
processes such as petrochemical industry for the
manufacture of products from social, economic
and environmental perspectives
Advantages
• It attracts overseas or local investments to the
society.
• The setting up of chemical plants creates job
opportunities for local people.
• The traffic network related to the chemical plants
improves the infrastructure of the community.
• The taxes collected from the industry generates
income for the government.
50.2 Advantages and disadvantages of industrial processes

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Disadvantages
• Some chemical plants generate solid and liquid
wastes coming from the catalysts and chemical
reagents used in reactions. Some of them are
harmful and some are even toxic.
• Burning of fuels and some industrial processes like
cracking may emit gaseous pollutants. They
pollute the air.

Figure 50.9 Gaseous pollutants

emitted from the chemical plant
may pollute the air.
50.2 Advantages and disadvantages of industrial processes

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Disadvantages
• The cost for pollution control is high.
• The potential risks of chemicals require safe
operation of the chemical plants. The cost for
safety control is high.

Key point
The fundamental challenge for the chemical
industry is to manufacture products demanded
by the society at an acceptable cost, without
causing damage to the environment.

50.2 Advantages and disadvantages of industrial processes

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50.3 Recent progress in industrial processes
The industrial processes are developed to become
more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Production of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits such as
oranges, lemons and grapefruits.

Figure 50.10 Citrus fruits are

rich in vitamin C.

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Vitamin C can be extracted from plants, but the
supply cannot meet the worldwide demand.

There is an inadequate and shrinking supply

of natural vitamin C.

Pure vitamin C is obtained by large-scale

industrial production.

Figure 50.11 Vitamin C tablets sold in

the market are produced on a large
scale industrially.
50.3 Recent progress in industrial processes

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Two main processes used for production of vitamin C

Chemical name of vitamin C: ascorbic acid

Chemical structure:

Two main processes:

1. The traditional Reichstein process
2. The newer two-stage fermentation process

50.3 Recent progress in industrial processes

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Reichstein process
It is a combined chemical and microbial
method (fermentation) for producing ascorbic
acid from D-glucose.
The overall yield of vitamin C produced from this
process is about 60%.

Learning tip
Fermentation is a form of anaerobic respiration
occurring in certain micro-organisms. It causes an
organic compound to split into simpler substances.

50.3 Recent progress in industrial processes

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 D-glucose
Step 1
Reduction
D-sorbitol
Step 2
Fermentation
L-sorbose
Step 3
Chemical synthesis
KGA
(2-keto-L-gulonic acid)
Step 4
−H2O
Condensation
L-ascorbic acid
(vitamin C)
Step 5
Purification
Figure 50.12 Process of producing
Purified vitamin C vitamin C — the Reichstein process.
50.3 Recent progress in industrial processes

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Two-stage fermentation process
It uses fermentation twice for producing ascorbic
acid from D-glucose.
The overall production cost of this process is
only two-third that of the Reichstein process.

The overall yield of vitamin C produced from this

process is also about 60%.

Example 50.2

50.3 Recent progress in industrial processes

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 D-glucose
Step 1
Reduction
D-sorbitol
Step 2
Fermentation
L-sorbose
Step 3
Fermentation
KGA
(2-keto-L-gulonic acid)
Step 4
−H2O
Condensation
L-ascorbic acid
(vitamin C)
Step 5
Purification
Figure 50.12 Process of producing vitamin C
Purified vitamin C — the two-stage fermentation process.
50.3 Recent progress in industrial processes

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Recent progress in industrial production of vitamin C
Domination of the vitamin C production market
by Mainland China
Manufacturers in Mainland China still dominate
the vitamin C production market.

Exploration of new technology for vitamin C

production
A yeast-based single-step fermentation method
was developed for the conversion of L-sorbose to
L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C).
yeast-based single-step
fermentation
L-sorbose L-ascorbic acid
50.3 Recent progress in industrial processes

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 Key point
Vitamin C can be produced by the Reichstein
process and the two-stage fermentation process.
Besides, research is under way to produce vitamin C
in a more efficient and environmentally friendly way.

Class practice 50.2

50.3 Recent progress in industrial processes

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Key terms
1. ascorbic acid 抗壞血酸
2. bulk chemical 散裝化學品
3. petrochemical 石油化學產品
4. petrochemical industry 石油化學工業
5. raw material 原材料
6. Reichstein process 賴希斯坦製造法
7. synthetic product 合成產物
8. two-stage fermentation process 二步發酵法

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Progress check
1. What are industrial processes?
2. Can you suggest some examples of synthetic
products?
3. How do the synthetic products benefit the modern
ways of living in the following areas?
(a) Food
(b) Medical care
(c) Clothing
(d) Housing
(e) Transport
4. What is petrochemical industry?

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5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of
using petrochemical industry for the manufacture
of products?
6. What are the sources of vitamin C?
7. Can you name the process currently used to
produce vitamin C on a large scale?
8. What are the similarities and differences between
the two main industrial processes of producing
vitamin C?
9. What is the recent process in the industrial
production of vitamin C?

Progress check

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Summary
50.1 Development of synthetic products for
modern ways of living
1. Industrial processes involve chemical
processes which convert raw materials to bulk
chemicals and then to synthetic products.
2. The development of synthetic products meets
and satisfies our daily needs in different major
areas of modern living such as food, medical
care, clothing, housing and transport.

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50.2 Advantages and disadvantages of industrial
processes
3. Petrochemical industry produces petrochemicals
to make a wide variety of synthetic products.

Summary

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4. Advantages of using industrial processes (e.g.
in petrochemical industry) for the manufacture
of products:
(i) It attracts overseas or local investments to
the society.
(ii) The setting up of chemical plants creates
job opportunities for local people.
(iii) The traffic network related to the chemical
plants improves the infrastructure of the
community.
(iv) The taxes collected from the industry
generates income for the government.

Summary

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5. Disadvantages of using industrial processes
(e.g. in petrochemical industry) for the
manufacture of products:
(i) Some chemical plants generate solid and
liquid wastes, which are harmful and even
toxic.
(ii) Burning of fuels and some industrial
processes like cracking may emit gaseous
pollutants.
(iii) The cost for pollution control is high.
(iv) The cost for safety control is high.

Summary

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50.3 Recent progress in industrial processes
6. Vitamin C (or ascorbic acid) is found in citrus
fruits, but there is an inadequate and shrinking
supply of natural vitamin C.
7. There are two main processes used for the
production of vitamin C on a large scale — the
Reichstein process and the two-stage
fermentation process.
8. The Reichstein process is a combined
chemical and microbial method (fermentation)
for the production of ascorbic acid from D-
glucose.
Summary

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9. The two-stage fermentation process uses
fermentation twice for the production of
ascorbic acid from D-glucose. The process has
a lower cost and is more environmentally
friendly when compared with the Reichstein
process.
10. Scientists are still looking for more
environmentally friendly methods to
manufacture vitamin C on a large scale.

Summary

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Concept map

Raw to Bulk then to Synthetic

materials chemicals products
convert

INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES
examples

Petrochemical Industrial production of vitamin C

industry

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 Petrochemical industry
social, economic and environmental
considerations

Advantages:
• attracts overseas or local
investments to the society
job opportunities
• creates _______________
for local people
• improves _____________
infrastructure
of the community
• generates ____________
income
for the government
Concept map
Disadvantages:
• generate solid and liquid
harmful
wastes, which are _______
and even toxic
gaseous pollutants
• emit __________________
from burning of fuels and
some industrial processes
• high cost for pollution
control
safety control
• high cost for ______

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 Industrial production of vitamin C

Reichstein Two-stage
process fermentation process

Fermentation + Two fermentation

chemical synthesis stages

Concept map

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