Show i a if 1 e J fl Petrochemicals Added To List Lis Of Important U. U S. S industries Although Allbaugh the word hasn't been used very Cry much by the layman petrochemical is coming more nore and more into prominence Tremendous strides have been made in the industry during the thelast last half century and every passin passing passing pass- pass in ing day sees the results of new newt t research In laboratories across the nation Today petrochemicals account for about one-fourth one of oC all United States chemical pro pro- I ducHon Hundreds Hundred of applications ore lire being found in a long list ol of I industrial and consumer products Scientists say petrochemical potentials potentials po po- have hardly been tapped i a that more than half a million additional ad ad- 1 1 chemical compounds can cani i be s synthesized from the same Ii sources If a use for them devel devel- a ops The Tile petrochemical Industry beJ bej be be- J j 1 gan in 1919 with a small pilot pilotr r plant built bum by bv the Standard Oil Co of New Jersey at Bayway N. N J. J to make alcohols from refinery refinery re re- finery gas During the next two I decades activity In the industry was largely research and pilot plant experimental work altho i a fey few companies began marketing marketing market market- I i In ing petroleum and gas based chet che che- t Then World War II forced the nation to find or invent new sources for many strategic materI materials mater mater- mater mater- materials I such as rubber and the development of petrochemicals be began an in earnest Now the industry boasts more I than petrochemical plants either cither in production or under construction construction con con- o according to the Manufacturing Manufacturing Manu Manu- Chemists They are arc operated by 79 chemical companies and 53 oil companies and six are arc joint ventures At least 60 new petrochemical plants are in the planning or building build ing stage and scarcely a week goes goesby goesby by without an announcement of J i some new project or expansion I in the field For example the Commercial Solvents Corp announced an- an pounced recently a 5 million expansion expansion ex ex- for commercial production production tion of nitro- nitro described as a new family of petrochemicals I cals never before available in volume Of the chemicals re regularly regular regular- ular- ular I ly y produced In the United States about 2500 already are derived from flom petroleum or natural gas Industry forecasters declare that by bv 1975 half of the nations nation's chemical chemical che che- mical needs will be supplied from these sources Since petrochemicals have burgeoned burgeoned burgeoned bur bur- out so rapidly into so many varied fields ields perhaps the best way to illustrate the sort of Impact and growth they have had is to tell the story of one of them them It is a volatile liquid that looks like water smells somewhat like witch hazel and is considered one of the most promising raw materials materials mater mater- of them aH all This versatile chemical Is a at t key intermediate in the process for example of making soft soft beautiful beautiful beau beau- beau beau- beautiful sweaters out of natural gas It is the basis for the synthetic I w fibers orlon orIon dynel X 51 r and others being used increasingly increasing increasing- ly y in wearing apparel blankets and other materials because they hold their shape dry quickly 1 resist sunlight and mildew and do not stretch or shrink But Dut is also used to Rive give synthetic rubber resistance I I to oil and grease Its derivatives are ore added to many types of cf pta plastics plas plas- tics to make them tougher harder hard hard- er more resistant to heat ant and chemicals It is la used for soil sol conditioners and In processes to tomake tomake tomake make fabrics either stiffer sUffer or more flexible depending on the need and to make adhesives stronger and paint more durable i American Co Initiated production of In 1940 and virtually all that was produced during the war years went into synthetic rubber for self sealing airplane fuel tanks and other military needs At the close of the war the nations nation's annual annual an an- nual capacity was about pounds Dy By 1948 several companies were experimenting with acrylic fibers for textiles Du Pont Union Carbide and Carbon Corp and the Corp got gotto in into In to commercial production with such fibers Thus the petrochemical Industry industry indus Indus- try has been added to the many Which work to better the American Amer Arner- ican lean standard of living and to add to the comfort of every American So far fill there has been no known discussion of establishing a petrochemical petrochemical petrochemical pet pet- plant on the Plateau but it 11 is not outside the realm of possibility |