User:Milton Beychok/Sandbox: Difference between revisions

From Citizendium
Jump to navigation Jump to search
imported>Milton Beychok
No edit summary
imported>Milton Beychok
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
'''Petrochemicals''' are [[Chemistry|chemical]] products made from the [[hydrocarbon]]s present in raw [[natural gas]] and [[Petroleum|petroleum crude oil]]. The largest petrochemical manufacturing industries are to be found in the [[United States]], [[Europe|Western Europe]], [[Asia]] and the [[Middle East]].


A relatively small number of hydyrocarbon feedstocks form the basis of the petrochemical industries, namely [[methane]], [[ethylene]], [[propylene]], [[butene]]s, [[butadiene]], [[benzene]], [[toluene]] and [[xylene]]s.<ref name=Myers>{{cite book|author=Richard Meyers|title=The Basics of Chemistry|edition=|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=2003|id=ISBN 0-313-31664-3}}</ref><ref name=HP>{{cite journal|author=Staff |year=2001 |month=March|title=Petrochemical Processes 2001 |journal=Hydrocarbon Processing |volume= |issue= |pages=pp. 71-246 |id=ISSN 0887-0284}}</ref>
As of 2007, there were 2,980 operating petrochemical plants in 4,320 locations worldwide.<ref>[http://www.prlog.org/10011624-petrochemical-industry-worldwide.pdf Petrochemical Industry – Worldwide]</ref> The petrochemical end products from those plants include plastics, soaps, detergents, solvents, paints, drugs, fertilizer, pesticides, explosives, synthetic textile fibers and rubbers, flooring and insulating materials and much more. Petrochemicals are found in such common consumer products as aspirin, cars, clothing, compact discs, video tapes, electronic equipment, furniture, and a great many others.<ref>[http://www.npradc.org/docs/ourIndustry/petrochemicalFacts/petrochart.pdf Petrochemicals Chart] From the website of the [[National Petrochemical & Refiners Association]]</ref>
==Feedstocks sources==
{{Image|Petrochem Feedstocks.png|right|426px|Petrochemical feedstock sources.}}
The major hydrocarbon sources used in producing petrochemicals are:<ref name=HP/><ref name=AMAP>[http://www.tsp2.org/news/Butadiene%20Supply%20AMAP%20Update.pdf SBS Polymer Supply Outlook]</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Jean-Pierre Favennec (Editor)|title= Petroleum Refining: Refinery Operation and Management|edition=|publisher=Editions Technip|year=2001|id=ISBN 2-7108-0801-3}}</ref>
*Methane, [[ethane]], [[propane]] and [[butane]]s: Obtained primarily from [[Natural gas processing|natural gas processing plants]].
*[[Petroleum naphtha|Naphtha]] obtained from [[Petroleum refining processes|petroleum refineries]].
*Benzene, toluene and xylenes, as a whole referred to as ''[[BTX]]'' and  primarily obtained from petroleum refineries.
*[[Gas oil]] obtained from petroleum refineries.
Methane and BTX are used directly as feedstocks for producing petrochemicals. 
However, the ethane, propane, butanes, naphtha and gas oil serve as optional feedstocks for processing in steam-assisted [[thermal cracking]] plants known as ''[[steam crackers]]'' to produce these intermediate petrochemical feedstocks:
*Ethylene
*Propylene
*Butenes and butadiene
*Benzene
In 2007, the amounts of ethylene and propylene produced in steam crackers were about 115 M[[Tonne|t]] (megatonnes) and 70 Mt, respectively.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hassan E. Alfadala, G.V. Rex Reklaitis and Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi (Editors)|title=Proceedings of the 1st Annual Gas Processing Symposium, Volume 1: January, 2009 - Qatar|edition=1st Edition|publisher=Elsevier Science|pages= pp. 402-414|year=2009|id=ISBN 0-444-53292-7}}</ref> The output ethylene capacity of large steam crackers ranged up to as much as 1.0 – 1.5 Mt per year.<ref>[http://www.petrochemistry.net/crackers-capacities-in-europe.html Crackers capacities] From the website of the [[Association of Petrochemicals Producers in Europe]] (APPE)</ref><ref>[http://www.technip.com/pdf/brochures/Ethylene.pdf Steam Cracking: Ethylene Production] (PDF page 3 of 12 pages)</ref>
The adjacent diagram depicts the all of the major petrochemical feedstocks and their sources.
==Feedstocks and example petrochemical products==
The table below includes some representative examples of the petrochemical end products produced from the  eight hydrocarbon feedstocks – methane, ethylene, propylene, butenes, butadiene, benzene, toluene and xylenes:
{| class = "wikitable" align="center"
|+ Feedstocks and example petrochemical products
!methane||ethylene||propylene||butenes and butadienes||benzene||toluene||xylenes
|-align="center"
|[[hydrogen]]||[[polyethylene]]||[[polypropylene]]||[[styrene-butadiene rubber]] (SBR)||[[styrene]]||[[benzoic acid]]||[[phthalic anhydride]]
|-align="center"
|[[ammonia]]||[[ethanol]]||[[isopropanol]]||[[methyl tert-butyl ether|methyl ''tert''-butyl ether]] (MTBE)||[[polystyrene]] ||[[toluene diisocyanate]] ||[[polyester]]s
|-align="center"
|[[methanol]]||[[ethylene glycol]]||[[propylene glycol]]||[[polybutadiene]]||[[phenol]]||[[polyurethane]]s||[[dimethyl terephthalate]]
|-align="center"
|[[methyl chloride]]||[[vinyl acetate]]||[[allyl chloride]]||[[acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene]] (ABS)||[[cumene]]||[[caprolactam]]||[[terephthalate acid]]
|-align="center"
|[[carbon black]]||[[perchloroethylene]]||[[acrylonitrile]]||[[polybutene]]s||[[aniline]]||[[nylon]]s||[[polyethylene terephthalate]]
|-align="center"
|[[acetylene]]||[[polyvinyl acetate]]||[[acrylic acid]]||[[methyl ethyl ketone]] (MEK)||[[adipic acid]]||[[polyurea]]s||[[dioctyl phthalate]]
|-align="center"
|[[formaldehyde]]||[[glycol ether]]s||[[epoxy resin]]s||[[tert-butanol|''tert''-butanol]]||[[nylon]]s||&nbsp;
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}
---------------------------------------------------
'''Miscellaneous notes'''
*[http://www.gpca.org.ae/overview.asp Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association]

Revision as of 10:58, 3 July 2009

Retrieved from "https://citizendium.org/wiki/index.php?title=User:Milton_Beychok/Sandbox&oldid=384633"