Industrial Chemistry
Industrial chemistry is the branch of chemistry which deals with raw materials. More specifically, industrial chemists analyze and solve the problems associated with obtaining raw materials for industrial use, and are concerned with how to create new products from these raw materials, or how to improve upon existing production techniques. Industrial chemistry takes natural resources and improves upon them for practical use. This field of chemistry is a blend of science and technology and allows for society to exploit the benefits of the Earth's natural resources. Industrial chemists are concerned with optimizing the process involved with this science and technology to make the most product efficiently and cost-effectively.
Historically, there have been two separate and distinct branches of industrial chemistry, organic and inorganic. Both branches have been concerned with the transformations of raw materials into useful products. Recently, the distinction between the organic and inorganic industrial chemists has been fading and the disciplines seem to be merging as one. Traditionally, inorganic industrial chemistry has been concerned about using natural inorganic materials such as water, phosphates, or uranium to produce products that are useful technologically. Examples of products made by inorganic industrial chemists are glasses, ceramics, and cements. Inorganic industrial chemists work beyond the production of such materials. They are also concerned with manufacturing useful components from the materials, for example, metals, coke, and alloys. They have also focused on producing inorganic materials which help industry, such as fertilizers and pigments.
Organic industrial chemists have a similar focus, they simply base their research and development on organic products. They use resources such as rubber, natural fibers, and cellulose to make products such as soaps, fats, and sugars. They also derive compounds or manufacture other products from them, such as sulfur, hydrogen, or diesel fuels. They produce goods which are completely organic, such as alcohols, detergents, and pharmaceuticals, or they produce goods which are mixed in nature, such as explosives, pesticides, or varnishes.
The materials that are used in industrial chemistry are of a great variety. Many of the materials are natural resources obtained from the natural environment. These raw materials are converted into "intermediates" that are further processed to make the products that are of great industrial interest.
Most of the chemical elements, both metals and nonmetals, that are used in industrial chemistry are taken directly from the Earth's crust. Many elements are chemically combined with other elements, and must undergo extensive processing to extract the "pure" element. Industrial chemists also use the fossil fuels--coal, natural gas, and petroleum--from the Earth's crust, as well as salts that are used for chemical products such as barium and calcium sulphates. Fertilizers, for example, nitrates and phosphates, are also taken from the Earth's crust, along with limestones, silica, and loams that are useful for making cement, glass, and ceramics.
Industrial chemistry utilizes materials from the oceans as well, such as sea salt and water.Nitrogen, oxygen, and noble gases are taken directly from the atmosphere for industrial use. Even the biosphere is a wealth of resources for the industrial chemist. Essences, cellulose, and saccharides can be taken from plants. Fats can be processed from both plants and animals. Enzymes for biochemical products are taken from animals. It is clear to see that the industrial chemist uses all of nature's resources for the benefit of technology.
Obtaining raw materials for industrial use is pointless if the chemists do not know what to do with them. This is where research comes in. Research in industrial chemistry is concerned with the development of new products, and the improvement of the processes currently in use. There are three main branches of research in industrial chemistry--innovative research, improvement and optimization, and application research. The research that is carried out in industry is of a completely different nature than that carried out in academia. Industrial chemistry research is concerned primarily with economics, making more product at less cost. Academic research is concerned with increasing knowledge. Industrial chemistry, therefore, focuses on applied research whereas academia focuses on theoretical or pure research.
The innovative research that takes place in industrial chemistry is usually carried out by specific chemical companies. A company performing innovative research is trying to make something new and interesting, something that will make the company stand out among its competition. This may be a new product or a new process for creating an old product. Innovative research involves more than just background study. This type of research involves laboratory experiments, pilot studies, and full-scale studies to determine if the product is useful and economically feasible. Innovative research is very costly, and the projected benefits must be great for a company to make this kind of investment.
Research into product development serves the purpose of developing new products from the old ones or to optimizing current production processes. This type of research is often initiated by members of the company who are interested in sales, in response to requests from their customers. Because it deals with existing technologies and resources, it is not as expensive and time consuming as innovative research.
Application research in industrial chemistry aims to increase the effectiveness of products and to determine if the products are safe to use. This type of research takes place in many different kinds of labs, from chemical to biological to technical. This branch of research is extremely important before a new product is introduced to the public. Teams of product specialists are usually involved in application research at a chemical company.
As profitable as industrial chemistry can be, there are many concerns about potential problems stemming from the industry. Many of the chemicals produced are toxic to plants and animals. Industrial chemical companies must be concerned about waste disposal and the potential for spills into the environment. Plant workers also must be concerned about exposure to toxic doses of chemicals. The chemical industry is also the industry that uses the greatest amount of energy. The cost of energy use in manufacturing processes constitutes about 35% of the final price of the products. Most of the energy used in the chemical industry is thermal energy, which is produced mainly by electricity. Most electricity ultimately comes from fossil fuels, of which there is a limited supply. As the fossil fuel supply decreases and energy costs increase, the costs of the products made in the chemical industry will also increase. Conserving energy while making affordable products is a tough problem for industrial chemists. In the future, alternative forms of heat energy will need to be considered.
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