Petrochemicals

Petrochemicals are industrially beneficial chemical compounds extracted from petroleum. Petrol, known as black gold is a source of multiple product formulations, but petrochemicals stay unique from them because they are obtained by multistage refining of petroleum. Refining petroleum can result in numerous product extraction and the variation depends on the process of clarification involved. Petrochemical products are used for multiple purposes from households to industries. In this blog, we will see in detail the types of petrochemicals, brief about the petrochemical industry, petrochemical processing, petrochemical products, and uses of petrochemicals. 

Types of Petrochemicals:

Petrochemicals are categorized based on the different attributes they possess. They are:

• Classification based on Feedstocks:

1. Olefins, which is also called alkene, is a hydrocarbon with a carbon double bond that includes ethylene and propylene. 

2. Aromatics are organic compounds that contain rings linked with pi bonds that include benzene, toluene, and xylene.

3. Synthetic gas is composed of hydrogen and carbon monoxide including methanol and dimethyl ether. 

• Classification based on processing:

1. Primary Petrochemicals are directly obtained from crude petroleum and fossil fuels, this includes benzene, ethylene, toluene, and propylene.

2. Secondary Petrochemicals are obtained by further processing of Primary petrochemicals, which includes ethyl alcohol, glycerol, acetaldehyde, and nitrobenzene. 

• Classification based on Carbon atoms:

1. Light Petrochemicals are composed of less than 6 Carbon atoms that include methane, ethane, and ethylene. 

2. Medium Petrochemicals are composed of 6 to 15 carbon atoms that include Kerosene and gasoline. 

3. Heavy Petrochemicals are composed of 15 to 18 carbon atoms that include diesel oil and lubricating oil. 

Petrochemical Processing:

The primary operation involved the separation of petrochemicals from crude oil is distillation. Fractional distillation is a commonly used type of distillation in petroleum separation. Other separation techniques involved in petrochemical extraction are phase separation, adsorption, two-stage oxidation, mechanical pressing, gravity settling, alkylation, and solvent extraction. 

The process flow in common occurs as follows:

Petroleum 

↓

Feedstock

↓

Primary Petrochemicals

↓

 Secondary Petrochemicals

↓

Useful End Products

Petrochemical Industry:

The petrochemical industry is a type of industry that produces organic byproducts of plastic refining. The petrochemical industry plays a crucial role in the economic development of India as the demand for petrochemical products is increasing these days. The petrochemical industry produces fabrics, polymers, synthetic rubbers, resins, lubricants, and plastics. The first petrochemical industry established in India is IPCL (Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited). The largest petrochemical industry of India is present in Jamnagar and the one in the entire world is BASF of Germany. On the whole, there are about 160 petrochemical plants in the world. The top producers of Petrochemical products in India are:

• Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited (IPCL)

• Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)

• Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL)

• Haldia Petrochemicals Limited (HPL)

India mainly concentrates on the production of petrochemical-based polymers like:

• Poly Styrene (PS)

• Polypropylene (PP)

• Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

• High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

• Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC)

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) runs the largest petrochemical product production sector in India. It holds the biggest naphtha cracking industry in Asia. 60% of the Indian polymer market share is authorized by Reliance Industries Limited and Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited.

Petrochemical Products:

Myriads of Petrochemical products are produced from crude oil, but they vary based on the raw material used in production. Some of them are as follows:

• Petrochemical products produced from Ethylene are Ethyl alcohol, ethylbenzene, ethyl acetate, dichloroethane. 

• Petrochemical products produced from Methane are Methanol, Hydrogen, Carbon black.

• Petrochemical products produced from Acetylene are Acetaldehyde, acrylonitrile, Vinyl Chloride, Vinyl acetate. 

• Petrochemical products produced from Propylene are Glycerol, Cumene, isopropyl alcohol, Polypropylene.

• Petrochemical products produced from Benzene are Chlorobenzene, Nitrobenzene, Cyclohexane, Cumene, Alkyl benzenes. 

• Petrochemical products produced from Butadiene is BUNA-S

Uses of Petrochemicals:

Petrochemicals play a major role in the production of numerous products from plastic bags to hazardous explosives. Some of the commonly used petrochemicals and their products are:

• Solvents for the production of kerosene, glues, thinners, varnish, and degreasers.

• Plastics for bags, containers, etc.

• Washing chemicals like soaps, detergents, liquid soap, and flakes.

• Pharmaceuticals

• Thermoplastics for making toys, furniture, packaging materials, and insulation materials.

• Synthetic rubber in Automobiles, shoes, and industries. 

• Adhesives in glass, plastics, and rubbers. 

• Fertilisers, insecticides, and herbicides.

• Synthetic Fibres for industries, artificial silk, etc. 

• Medical resins

• Lubricants in engines

• Rocket fuels and propellants. 

• Cosmetics for creams, ointments, and moisturizers. 

• Food grade lubricants as preservatives and additives

Conclusion:

The growth and development of the Petrochemical industries and their products are a major concern for economic development. Commercially produced products are applicable for a wide range of industrial and other purposes. The need for petrochemicals is everywhere starting from household products to huge industrial manufacturers. This further increases the scope of research and development of new industries worldwide.