Petrochemical

Name:
Petrochemical
Detailed information:
An organic compound for which petroleum or natural gas is the ultimate raw material. Thus, cracking of petroleum produces ethylene, which is converted to ethylene glycol, the latter being a typical petrochemical. The term is also applied to substances such as ammonia, because the hydrogen used to form the ammonia is derived from natural gas. Thus, synthetic fertilizers are considered to be petrochemicals. At least 175 substances are designated as petrochemicals including many paraffin, olefin, naphthene, and aromatic hydrocarbons (methane, ethane, propane, ethylene, propylene, butenes, cyclohexane, benzene, toluene, naphthalene, etc.) and their derivatives, even though some of their commercial production is from sources other than petroleum. The percentage of total hydrocarbon consumption represented by petrochemicals is steadily increasing; some authorities maintain that petroleum is too valuable to be used for fuel and that it should be conserved for future petrochemical development.