Industrial chemicals, source

Coal is used ia industry both as a fuel and ia much lower volume as a source of chemicals. In this respect it is like petroleum and natural gas whose consumption also is heavily dominated by fuel use. Coal was once the principal feedstock for chemical production, but ia the 1950s it became more economical to obtain most industrial chemicals from petroleum and gas. Nevertheless, certain chemicals continue to be obtained from coal by traditional routes, and an interest in coal-based chemicals has been maintained in academic and industrial research laboratories. Much of the recent activity in coal conversion has been focused on production of synthetic fuels, but significant progress also has been made on use of coal as a chemical feedstock (see Coal CONVERSION processes). 

Because of the ovedapping roles of coal in industry, many of the technologies covered here have been developed for synthetic fuel appHcations, but they also have been used or have demonstrated potential for production of significant quantities of chemicals. The scope of an article on coal as a chemical source would not be complete without coverage of synfuel processes, but the focus will be on the chemical production potential of the processes, looking toward a future when coal again may become the principal feedstock for chemical production. 

Eastman Goal Chemicals. In 1983 Eastman Chemical Co. became the first chemical producer in the United States to return to coal as a raw material for large-scale manufacture of industrial chemicals (35). In that year, Eastman started manufacturing acetic anhydride from coal. Acetic anhydride is a key intermediate for production of coatings, ceUulosic plastics, and cellulose acetate fibers. Acetic anhydride from other sources also is used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, starches and sweeteners, and flavors and fragrances. 

Analysis of Clean Water Act Effluent Guidelines Pollutants. Summary of the Chemicals Regulated by Industrial Point Source Category U.S. EPA, Washiagton, D.C., 40 CFR Parts 400-475, 1991. 

Fig. 25-3. Bubble concept. This pollution control concept places an imaginary bubble over an entire industrial plant, evaluating emissions from the facility as a whole instead of requiring control point-by-point on emission sources. Numbers represent emissions from individual sources, some of which can be fugitive sources, and from the entire industrial plant. Source Drawing courtesy of the Chemical Manufacturers Association.

Examples of industrial chemical waste are given in Table 16.1. Common industrial sources of pollution are given in Table 16.2. Since waste can result in pollution, the two terms are often used synonymously. 

Si(OEt)4 is an important industrial chemical that is made on the kilotonne scale by the action of EtOH on SiCU. It has mp -77°, bp 168.5°, and djo 0.9346gcm . Almost all uses depend on its controlled hydrolysis to produce silica in an adhesive or film-producing form. It is also a source of... 

Examples of industrial chemical waste are given in Table 13.1. Common industrial sources of pollution are given in Table 13.2. Since waste can result in pollution, the two terms are often used synonymously. Wastes can be in the form of solid, liquid or gas, or any combination, e.g. solid waste comprises liquid slurries, sludges, thixotropic solids and solids of varying particle sizes. Typical examples are given in Table 13.3. 

Ammonium nitrate (NH4 NO3) is used as fertilizer because it is a good source of nitrogen atoms. It is such a good source, in fact, that it ranks among the top 15 industrial chemicals produced yearly in the United States. How many moles of nitrogen atoms are present in a 1.00-pound bag of NH4 NO3 fertilizer How many atoms is this ( 1 pound = 453.592 g.)... 

Some compounds of the s-block elements are important industrial chemicals, too. For example, more than 1.4 billion kilograms of K2 CO3 (potassium carbonate, whose common name is potash), is produced in the United States each year. This compound, which is obtained from mineral deposits, is the most common source of potassium for fertilizers. Fertilization with potassium is necessary because this element is essential for healthy plant growth. Moreover, potassium salts are highly soluble in water, so potassium quickly becomes depleted from the soil. Consequently, agricultural land requires frequent addition of potassium fertilizers. 

Before the advent of the petrochemical industry carbocyclic aromatic compounds, such as naphthalene, phenol, and pyridine, provided the source of many important industrial chemicals including dyestuffs, while the monocyclic compounds continue to play an important role as fuels and starting materials. 

Safety Data Sheets, MCA, Washington. The whole series of 101 sheets was withdrawn in 1980, but remains a useful source of collected information on basic industrial chemicals. 

Chemical pollution From a qualitative point of view, an important common issue is the excess of chemicals (fertilisers and pesticides) associated with agrarian and livestock farming diffuse sources and the point-source discharge of (treated and untreated) sewage water. Industrial point-source pollution is not addressed as a relevant issue, but it is assumed that industries operate following the legal rules and only the incomplete elimination of industrial chemicals in urban wastewater treatment plants is perceived as a problem. 

The use of industrial chemicals with less explosive potential makes the process more intrinsically safe. Most dangerous explosions come from large clouds of flammable material which find an ignition source. Flixborough (Lees, 1996) is an example of the destruction caused by such an incident. 

Environmental Quality. The abstracts come from journals or digests published by CSA on important issues including environmental pollution, toxicological studies of industrial chemicals, ecological impacts of biologically active chemicals, as well as health, safety, and risk management in occupational situations. The POLTOX CD-ROM contains over 200,000 records from these sources since 1981. 

Oxide-supported metals play an important role in a wide variety of industrial chemical processes such as the catalytic treatment of automotive exhaust. The ability to exercise greater control over the interactions of molecules on metal surfaces will create new possibilities for pollution control and the provision of novel power sources. Furthermore, a deeper understanding of molecule surface interactions will present numerous opportunities for the design of nanocatalysts. 

The move to petroleum as a raw materials source for the organic chemical industry began during the 1940s. Petrochemicals, as they are called, are now used to create thousands of useful industrial chemicals. The rate of commercial introduction of new chemicals shot up rapidly after World War II. 

The two ultimate sources of chemicals - nature and industrial and laboratory synthesis - are then briefly described. This review sets the stage for a discussion of how human beings become exposed to chemicals. The conditions of human exposure are a critical determinant of whether and how a chemical will produce injury or disease, so the discussion of chemical sources and exposures naturally leads to the major subject of the book - the science of toxicology. 

EPA. 1988d. Analysis of clean water act effluent guidelines pollutants. Summary of the chemicals regulated by industrial point source category 40 CFR Parts 400-475. Draft. Prepared by Industrial Technology Division (WH 552) Office of Water Regulations and Standards. Office of Water. 

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