Petrochemistry

Petrochemistry is a branch of chemistry that studies the transformation of crude oil (petroleum) and natural gas into useful products or raw materials. These petrochemicals have become an essential part of the chemical industry today.

Origin

It may be possible to make petroleum from any kind of organic matter under suitable conditions. The concentration of organic matter is not very high in the original deposits, but petroleum and natural gas evolved in places that favored retention, such as sealed-off porous sandstones. Petroleum, produced over millions of years by natural changes in organic materials, accumulates beneath the earth's surface in extremely large quantities.

The first oil commercial was set up in 1859, two years after which the first oil refinery was set up. The industry grew in the late 1940s. Demand for products from the petrochemical industry grew during the World War II. The demand for synthetic materials increased, and this rising demand was met by replacing costly and sometimes less efficient products with these synthetic materials. This caused petrochemical processing to develop into a major industry.