What Are Petrochemicals Used For?
Petrochemicals are chemicals derived from petroleum or natural gas. They are an essential part of the chemical industry as the demand for synthetic materials grows continually and plays a major part in today's economy and society.
Petrochemicals are used to manufacture thousands of different products that people use daily, including plastics, medicines, cosmetics, furniture, appliances, electronics, solar power panels, and wind turbines.
It's important to note that the biggest concern about fossil fuel use is from combustion, turning these hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water.
Petrochemicals are derived from hydrocarbons such as propane, ethane, butane, or other components separated from crude oil and natural gas liquids. Naphtha - a mixture of flammable liquid hydrocarbons - is also important in the production of products made from petrochemicals.
In petrochemical plants, monomers like ethylene are connected to form giant molecules with thousands of carbon atoms known as polymers. These long chains are then transformed into plastics through a variety of molding techniques.
Important Petrochemicals: 99% of all plastics are created from oil and natural gas, with most being manufactured using naphtha feedstock. Naphtha is created during the distillation process, and is heavier than gasoline.
Chemical and petrochemical companies in UAE form the foundation of the manufacturing industry and are affiliated with the most important sectors across the globe.