Quote:
Originally Posted by mikesinner
by 2020 solar energy will be 3 times cheaper than oil. That's the whole production process of each taken into consideration. America seems to behind many other countries that are moving forward on solar power.
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Agreed that as a power source Oil will be replaced..... but as a source for chemicals that are needed in every aspect of modern technology?? Absolutely not.
My point, (which everyone seems to have missed), is that it isn't as a FUEL that will keep oil important forever, it's as a source of chemicals that we desperately need for our modern life, and will need even more as we progress. Especially if we want to make things like cheap solar power possible!
The following is a
partial list of the major commercial petrochemicals and their derivatives:
Chemicals produced from ethylene ethylene - the simplest olefin; used as a chemical feedstock and ripening stimulant polyethylene - polymerized ethylene
ethanol - via ethylene hydration (chemical reaction adding water) of ethylene
ethylene oxide - via ethylene oxidation ethylene glycol - via ethylene oxide hydration engine coolant - ethylene glycol, water and inhibitor mixture
polyesters - any of several polymers with ester linkages in the backbone chain
glycol ethers - via glycol condensation
ethoxylates
vinyl acetate
1,2-dichloroethane trichloroethylene
tetrachloroethylene - also called perchloroethylene; used as a dry cleaning solvent and degreaser
vinyl chloride - monomer for polyvinyl chloride polyvinyl chloride (PVC) - type of plastic used for piping, tubing, other things
Chemicals produced from propylene propylene - used as a monomer and a chemical feedstock isopropyl alcohol - 2-propanol; often used as a solvent or rubbing alcohol
acrylonitrile - useful as a monomer in forming Orlon, ABS
polypropylene - polymerized propylene
propylene oxide polyol - used in the production of polyurethanes
propylene glycol - used in engine coolant and aircraft deicer fluid
glycol ethers - from condensation of glycols
acrylic acid acrylic polymers
allyl chloride - epichlorohydrin - chloro-oxirane; used in epoxy resin formation epoxy resins - a type of polymerizing glue from bisphenol A, epichlorohydrin, and some amine
1,4 hydrocarbons - a mixture consisting of butanes, butylenes and butadienes isomers of butylene - useful as monomers or co-monomers isobutylene - feed for making methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) or monomer for copolymerization with a low percentage of isoprene to make butyl rubber
1,3-butadiene (or buta-1,3-diene) - a diene often used as a monomer or co-monomer for polymerization to elastomers such as polybutadiene, styrene-butadiene rubber, or a plastic such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) synthetic rubbers - synthetic elastomers made of any one or more of several petrochemical (usually) monomers such as 1,3-butadiene, styrene, isobutylene, isoprene, chloroprene; elastomeric polymers are often made with a high percentage of conjugated diene monomers such as 1,3-butadiene, isoprene, or chloroprene
higher olefins polyolefins such poly-alpha-olefins, which are used as lubricants
alpha-olefins - used as monomers, co-monomers, and other chemical precursors. For example, a small amount of 1-hexene can be copolymerized with ethylene into a more flexible form of polyethylene.
other higher olefins
detergent alcohols
Chemicals produced from benzene benzene - the simplest aromatic hydrocarbon ethylbenzene - made from benzene and ethylene styrene made by dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene; used as a monomer polystyrenes - polymers with styrene as a monomer
cumene - isopropylbenzene; a feedstock in the cumene process phenol - hydroxybenzene; often made by the cumene process
acetone - dimethyl ketone; also often made by the cumene process
bisphenol A - a type of "double" phenol used in polymerization in epoxy resins and making a common type of polycarbonate epoxy resins - a type of polymerizing glue from bisphenol A, epichlorohydrin, and some amine
polycarbonate - a plastic polymer made from bisphenol A and phosgene (carbonyl dichloride)
solvents - liquids used for dissolving materials; examples often made from petrochemicals include ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, benzene, toluene, xylenes
cyclohexane - a 6-carbon aliphatic cyclic hydrocarbon sometimes used as a non-polar solvent adipic acid - a 6-carbon dicarboxylic acid, which can be a precursor used as a co-monomer together with a diamine to form an alternating copolymer form of nylon. nylons - types of polyamides, some are alternating copolymers formed from copolymerizing dicarboxylic acid or derivatives with diamines
caprolactam - a 6-carbon cyclic amide nylons - types of polyamides, some are from polymerizing caprolactam
nitrobenzene - can be made by single nitration of benzene aniline - aminobenzene methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) - used as a co-monomer with diols or polyols to form polyurethanes or with di- or polyamines to form polyureas polyurethanes
alkylbenzene - a general type of aromatic hydrocarbon, which can be used as a presursor for a sulfonate surfactant (detergent) detergents - often include surfactants types such as alkylbenzenesulfonates and nonylphenol ethoxylates
chlorobenzene
Chemicals produced from toluene toluene - methylbenzene; can be a solvent or precursor for other chemicals benzene
toluene diisocyanate (TDI) - used as co-monomers with diols or polyols to form polyurethanes or with di- or polyamines to form polyureas polyurethanes - a polymer formed from diisocyanates and diols or polyols
benzoic acid - carboxybenzene caprolactam nylon
Chemicals produced from xylenes mixed xylenes - any of three dimethylbenzene isomers, could be a solvent but more often precursor chemicals ortho-xylene - both methyl groups can be oxidized to form (ortho-)phthalic acid phthalic anhydride
para-xylene - both methyl groups can be oxidized to form terephthalic acid dimethyl terephthalate - can be copolymerized to form certain polyesters polyesters - although there can be many types, polyethylene terephthalate is made from petrochemical products and is very widely used.
purified terephthalic acid - often copolymerized to form polyethylene terephthalate polyesters
meta-xylene isophthalic acid alkyd resins
Polyamide Resins
Unsaturated Polyesters
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