Beyond the Barrel: the diverse applications of organic bulk chemicals

January 2025 | ISOLVENTS CHEMICALS | Lisa de Wet

Bulk chemical (BC) production is a division of the chemical industry that involves converting raw materials into large quantities of basic chemicals. Annual productions reach hundreds of millions of tons, with contributions from countries worldwide to satisfy the global demand for these chemicals.

Unlike specific or fine chemicals, BCs are not produced for their functionalities. Instead, they are valued for their chemical structures and are used as building blocks to synthesise other chemicals or to assist in these syntheses 1. Applications for organic bulk chemicals (OBCs) are explored in this article.

OBCs refer to BCs that contain a backbone of hydrogen and carbon atoms. Therefore, hydrocarbon feedstocks like petroleum are the sources of OBCs 1. Seven important OBCs are illustrated in Figure 1. These are:

• Three aromatic compounds containing the signatory six-membered ring made by six carbons joined by three single and three double bonds. The three are benzene, toluene, and xylene, and differ by the number of methyl groups attached to the ring (zero, one, and two, in the order listed).
• Three olefins that consist of a carbon chain containing one double bond, namely ethylene, propylene, and butylene, composed of two, three, and four carbons, respectively.
• Methanol, the simplest alcohol.

Figure 1: The seven important organic bulk chemicals

With these seven basic organic compounds, up to 90% of all other organic chemicals, including other OBCs, can be synthesised 2. This allows for a variety of applications.

Plastics

The synthesis of plastics is one of the largest uses of OBCs. All seven chemicals can form multiple plastic polymers (large molecules consisting of repeating units), leading to different plastics. Well-known plastics made from OBCs include:

• Polystyrenes, synthesised from ethylene and benzene, and commonly used in food packaging and cups 2,3,4,5.
• Polyethylene and polypropylene, synthesised from ethylene and propylene respectively 2,6,7. Used in everything from produce bags to pipes and outdoor furniture.
• Polyesters, synthesised from xylene, ethylene, and propylene 2,6,7.
• Nylon fibres, from synthetic routes involving benzene, propylene, and butadiene 2,8,9.

These plastics are crucial for medical devices, prosthetic limbs, appliances, electrical devices, building supplies like windows, roofing, insulation foams, and engineered wood 2,10.

Agricultural and pharmaceutical industries

The agricultural and pharmaceutical industries rely on compounds possessing certain characteristics, often synthesised from OBCs 2.

• The alcohol and amino derivatives of benzene (phenol and aniline) are common building blocks in the pharmaceutical industry 11,12.
• The amino derivatives of methanol (methylamines) serve agricultural industries 13.

Food and Beverage Industry

Applications of OBCs go beyond plastic packaging. Benzoic acid and formic acid, derived from benzene and methanol respectively, are important preservatives 2,14.

This industry also relies on the chloro derivatives of methanol (chloromethanes) as thickening agents 15.

Personal care

In the personal care industry:

• Methanol derivatives like acetic acid and formaldehyde are used as an acidic regulator and a preservative 2,14,16.
• Propylene glycol, a propylene derivative, is employed as a moisturising agent 2.

These are in addition to the use of plastics and thickening agents mentioned above.

Solvents and detergents

Industries use OBCs as solvents:

• Benzene 17, toluene 18, xylene 18, and products of methanol 13,15.

Also, glycols derived from propylene and ethylene are used in detergents 2,6,7.

Transportation

The automobile and related industries rely heavily on OBCs:

• Plastics for interior components.
• Rubber products made from butylenes 19.
• Fuel additives like methanol 2, toluene 18, and ethanol 20.
• Propylene and ethylene glycols used in engine coolants and aircraft deicing fluids 7,21.

Other industries

• The paper industry uses propylene compounds like acrylamide and acrylic acid 9,22.
• Dyes production uses benzene derivatives like aniline 12.
• Coatings, adhesives, and water purification also rely on OBCs.

In short, OBCs affect almost every industry: from construction, mining, water treatment, personal care, fashion, electronics, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food and beverage industries.

iSolvents is proud to support this demand in Africa with trusted supply for over two decades.

References