Understanding Petrochemicals

By Lenna Stockwell


When you hear the word petroleum, most of us think about the gasoline that powers our cars, trucks, vans and other vehicles. However, petroleum is used for many things other than fuel including plastics and pharmaceuticals. Because petroleum is such an important part of our daily lives, it is wise to learn a little bit about this substance.

Petroleum isn't something that was discovered when we invented automobiles, this sticky black, brown or yellow substances has been used for thousands of years. The word is actually made out of the Greek words Petra ("rock) and Oleum ("oil). Ancient Greeks and many other people used this sticky, flammable substance as a source of light as well as using it to cover cuts and gashes, particular on livestock. Greek Fire, a notorious ancient weapon, probably was partially made using petroleum because not only did it burn for a long time, it also burned even if it was in water, so the enemy could not easily stop the fire.

Many people mistakenly believe that dinosaurs are the source of petroleum. However, this is simply not true. Before dinosaurs existed, there was petroleum and the main "ingredients" are actual single-celled organisms such as algae and zooplankton which have been on Earth for billions of years. Petroleum is comprised of a variety of different hydrocarbons, which is simply a substance that created out of a specific number of hydrogen and carbon atoms.

Of course, petroleum is used to make a wide variety of fuel, including the gasoline used to power the millions of vehicles with internal combustion engines. Other types of fuel that we get from processing petroleum include jet fuel, diesel fuel, butane and kerosene. Petroleum also is used to make motor oil and oils that are used to lubricate machine parts. Asphalt is another substance derived from petroleum and people have been using asphalt for thousands of years.

Many of the plastics that are used to produce a huge variety of items are made from petrochemicals, which are chemicals produced as a result of processing or refining petroleum. Most thermoplastics are made from petroleum-based substances. Food packaging, medical packaging, electronic packaging and many other types of retail product packaging is made from thermoplastic, which is a type of plastic that can be heated and molded into just about any shape. Thermoforming companies can create customized packaging for their clients using a variety of these petroleum-based thermoplastics.

There are many common forms of plastic derived from petroleum or rather petrochemicals. Polyvinyl chloride, for example, is one type of plastic that we use to make many products and most people simply just know this as PVC. It commonly is used to make pipes, but also used to produce signs, furniture, shower curtains, flooring and much more. Polystyrene is another petroleum-based plastic and is more commonly known as Styrofoam.




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