Petrochemicals

Petrochemicals are chemical products, both organic and inorganic, obtained from two sources: natural gas and crude oil. Fuels, lubricant oil, wax, asphalt, coke, asphalt and the like are discussed in the previous chapter. General types of petrochemicals include aliphatic compounds, olefinic compounds, and aromatic compounds. Polymers are large molecules, or macromolecules, with repeating subunits of monomers. They can be natural or synthetic. Synthetic polymers are an important class of products derived from petrochemicals. They can be classified into three categories: plastics (thermoplastics and thermosets), elastomers and fibers. Several resins are introduced. Tires are elastic substances made up of both natural and synthetic rubbers, together with carbon black and silica, nylon or polyester cord, sulfur, resins, and oil. Liquid transportation fuels and various other chemical products can be produced from synthesis gas (syngas) via Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS).