Petrochemical industry
Also called: Petrochemicals · Topic: Secondary Activities: Manufacturing and Industrial Location · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 6 "Manufacturing Industries"; Class 12, Ch 5 "Secondary Activities"
Meaning
The petrochemical industry is a chemical-based industry. Its main raw materials are crude oil and natural gas. Factories break these down into simpler chemicals. These chemicals are then used to make plastics, synthetic fibres, synthetic rubber, fertilisers, dyes and medicines. The raw materials come from refineries and are often imported by sea, so petrochemical plants usually cluster near oil refineries and ports.
Example
In India, petrochemical plants are found at Jamnagar on the Gulf of Kutch coast, at Vadodara (Koyali) in Gujarat, and at Mumbai. Each of these places has refineries nearby. Around the world, large clusters include Houston on the US Gulf Coast, Rotterdam-Antwerp in Europe, Jubail in Saudi Arabia and Jurong Island in Singapore.
Don't confuse with
- Oil refining: a refinery separates crude oil into fuels such as petrol and diesel. A petrochemical plant goes one step further. It turns refinery products and gas into materials like plastics and fibres.
Related concepts
- Agro-based industries
- Food processing
- Mineral-based industries
- Chemical-based industries
- Forest-based industries
- Animal-based industries