Petroleum Synthetic

In 2002, the world production of polymers (not including synthetic libers and rubbers) was ca. 190 million metric tons. Of these, the combined production of poly(ethylene terephthalate), low- and high-density polyethyelene, polypropylene, poly(vinyl chloride), polystyrene, and polyurethane was 152.3 milhon metric tons [1]. These synthetic, petroleum-based polymers are used, inter alia, as engineering plastics, for packing, in the construction-, car-, truck- and food-industry. They are chemically very stable, and can be processed by injection molding, and by extrusion from the melt in a variety of forms. These attractive features, however, are associated with two main problems ... 

Synthetic Petroleum based Acrylic acid polymers Polyacrylamides Alkylene/alkylene... 

In 1994, the worldwide consumption of rubber was approximately 14.5 million tons a year, of which about 40% consisted of natural rubber. Natural rubber is produced as latex by tropical rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis). It is processed locally and therefore the quality of natural rubber fluctuates remarkably [ 140]. Due to increasing demand for rubbers, combined with a decreasing production capacity in Asia and a vast increase in labor costs, the price of natural rubber is still rising sharply. In 1990-1994, the average price of natural rubber was about 0.38 /lb, while in 1996 it was already over 0.80 /lb. The remaining 60% of the articles were manufactured from synthetic petroleum-based rubbers such as isoprene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber and polyurethanes. The quality of synthetic rubbers is constant, and their price varies between 2 and 5 US per kilogram [137-140]. 

Synthetic Petroleum from High-Pressure Coal Hydrogenation... 

Before the rise of Germany s synthetic petroleum industry in the mid-thirties, a shortage of liquid fuel seriously threatened her economic and social well-being. If such a situation should repeat itself in the United States, a synthetic fuels program could contribute towards American self-sufficiency in energy. 

The synthesis of petroleum has received much attention lately. Indeed, many scientists believe the synthetic petroleum obtained from coal hydrogenation will contribute significantly to the United States s natural petroleum supply. Coal hydrogenation is not a recent discovery it has a long and successful history dating from 1913. 

The cost of hydrogenating coal was high, 190 marks per ton, or the equivalent of 24 cents per gallon. (24) This was more than double the price of imported gasoline, but for Germany, with only a limited supply of natural petroleum, no alternative remained during the War other than the construction of synthetic petroleum plants. In this way Germany utilized her naturally abundant supplies of bituminous and brown coal. 

Germany s synthetic petroleum industry never reached these goals, but production increased dramatically under the Four Year Plan. In 1933, only three small synthetic petroleum plants (Ludwigshafen-Oppau, Leuna, Ruhrchemie-Sterkrade-Holten) were operating, the last a Fischer-Tropsch plant. At that time, Germany s petroleum consumption was about one-half of Great Britain s, one-fourth of Russia s, and one-twentieth that of the... 

United States. Yet, even at such low consumption, domestic resources were inadequate Germany imported 85 percent of her petroleum. By 1939, fifteen synthetic petroleum plants were in operation. In 1944, twenty-two coal hydrogenation and Fischer-Tropsch plants converted coal into gasoline and other petroleum products. 

Clearly, Germany had the first successful synthetic petroleum industry producing 128 million barrels in the period 1938-1945. 

---