Even though it’s only been about a century since their discovery, petrochemicals are everywhere in modern life. As the foundation for all of the most common plastics, it’s used in almost everything imaginable: ink, upholstery, bicycle tires, motor oil, pesticides, nail polish, soap, pharmaceuticals, vitamin capsules, purses, rubbing alcohol, life jackets, CDs, televisions, computers, IV bags, basketballs, cars, guitar strings, paint brushes, dishes, artificial limbs, and much (too much) more.
Petrochemicals are derived from various chemical compounds, mainly from hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons are derived from crude oil and natural gas. Among the various fractions produced by distillation of crude oil, petroleum gases, naphtha, kerosene and gas oil are the main feed stocks for petrochemical industry. Ethane, propane and natural gas liquids obtained from natural gas are the other important feedstock used in the Petrochemicals industry. Petrochemical industry plays a vital role in economic growth and development of manufacturing sector. The value addition in the petrochemicals industry is higher than most of the other industry sectors.
