History of Petrochemicals
When did the process of manufacturing petrochemicals start?
The history of petrochemical products actually dates back to ancient Egypt.
Products we know today as ethylene and polyethylene were made the ancient Egyptians. They were smart enough to know that when the fig plant was gassed, it would stimulate ripening, and this process released the ethylene which was produced organically in the plant.
History of Modern Day Production of Petrochemicals
In 1872 the first chemical to be made from petroleum, carbon black*, was formed by the partial combustion of natural gas in air. Carbon black is used primarily in the production of synthetic rubber.
Cracking was introduced into crude oil refineries in 1913. ("Cracking" is the second state in the refinery process, called Conversion, where the molecules are re-arranged).
Widespread production of petrochemicals grew out of efforts to recover and use the chemical by-products of the cracking process.
The modern petrochemical industry started in 1920 with the opening of the Standard Oil Company plant in New Jersey.
Propylene, the original petrochemical feedstock, is a by-product of refinery cracking for gasoline.
The first petrochemical use of ethylene occurred when Union Carbide opened a plant in 1923.
The World War I era stimulated the development of the petrochemical industry, with the British extracting benzene and toluene from petroleum.
During World War II the industry in the United States expanded rapidly to meet the increased demand for petrochemicals.
Scientists in Western Europe began synthesizing chemicals that could be substituted for natural products in the 1950s and ‘60s.
Because of the industry's dependence on crude oil and natural gas supplies, the 1970s oil crisis, during which oil supplies declined and prices escalated, adversely affected the entire petrochemical industry.
In the 1980s petrochemical costs rose with oil and gas prices and Middle Eastern countries began to develop their own petrochemical plants. During this period 5 percent of the crude oil and 3 percent of the natural gas produced were used to make petrochemicals.
For more information on Petrochemicals:
Popular Petrochemical Products made from Petroleum (Crude Oil)
Dangers of DEA - Found in most personal care products
How Plastic is Made from Petrochemicals
*For more information on Carbon Black: