Sofia Martinez
Plastic is everywhere. From the milk carton in your fridge to the toys your kids play with, we're now producing over 300 million tons of plastic a year. But where does it all come from? Most plastic is derived from crude oil, which is a fossil fuel made from the remains of ancient living organisms. Through a process of distillation and polymerisation, crude oil can be transformed into the plastic products we use every day.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Source of oil | Drilled through rocks in the ground or drilled under the ocean |
| Extraction of oil | Oil is pumped from underground to the surface and transported to the shore through pipelines |
| Oil refining | Oil is pumped through a pipeline to an oil refiner |
| Distillation of crude oil | Fractional distillation, heated to 600-750 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Cracking of hydrocarbon | Steam cracking, catalytic cracking |
| Raw materials | Naphtha, natural gas, ethylene, propylene, butene, ethane, propene |
| Polymerisation | Hydrocarbon monomers are linked together by chemical polymerisation to produce polymers |
| Plastic production | 300 million tons of plastic produced annually, 9 million barrels of oil used to make plastic daily worldwide |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Crude oil is drilled, pumped and transported to refineries
Crude oil is a raw material that needs to be refined and processed before it can be turned into usable products such as diesel and gasoline. Crude oil reserves are often located in remote regions, requiring transportation to refineries for processing. The process of extracting and transporting crude oil involves several intricate steps, including drilling, pumping, and shipping.
The first step in accessing crude oil is drilling. Drilling rigs are transported to the extraction site, and aboveground infrastructure, such as pads and access roads, is carefully constructed according to safety regulations. A well is drilled straight down into the ground, followed by the insertion of a steel casing to prevent pollution of water aquifers. This is known as the surface hole and is drilled to a depth below the deepest known aquifer. After this, the "long hole" is drilled, reaching a depth of about 1000 feet above the oil-bearing layer. The hole is then directionally steered towards the target location.
To unlock the oil, a perforating gun is lowered into the ground and fired into the rock layer, creating holes that connect the rock containing the oil to the wellhead. Fracking fluid, composed mainly of water and sand, is pumped at high pressure through these holes to create cracks in the rock, releasing the trapped oil. This process is carefully monitored using specialised instruments to ensure real-time data collection.
Once the crude oil is extracted, it needs to be transported to refineries for processing. There are several methods for transporting crude oil, including pipelines, tankers, and trucks. Pipelines are the primary method for moving crude oil over long distances, as they are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly. These pipelines can be underground or above ground and transport oil from production sites to refineries and storage facilities.
For international transportation, specially designed tankers are used to ship crude oil across oceans to refineries and markets worldwide. These tankers range in size, from smaller coastal vessels to giant supertankers, with capacities from 100,000 to over 3 million barrels. Shipping has played a significant role in the transportation of crude oil since the late 1800s, with Ultra-Large Crude Carriers (ULCCs) being utilised in modern times.
After the crude oil reaches the refineries, it undergoes a series of processes, including distillation, cracking, and reforming, to separate it into various components and create valuable products. The specific operations vary depending on the location and type of crude oil being refined.
Plastic Food Storage: Is Your Food Safe?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Oil is heated and distilled into fractions
Crude oil is a mixture of hundreds of hydrocarbons that also contain some solids and gaseous hydrocarbons from the alkane family. These hydrocarbons are the earliest raw materials of plastic. At the refinery, the oil is heated to 600-750 degrees Fahrenheit and distilled. This process, called fractional distillation, breaks the oil into smaller pieces called fractions. Fractions contain hydrocarbons, including gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, bitumen (or asphalt), lubricating oil, residual fuel oil, and naphtha—the chemical that goes on to become plastic.
Naphtha is a mixture of C5 to C10 hydrocarbons obtained from the distillation of crude oil. For example, the hydrocarbon decane is cracked down into products such as propylene and heptane, where the former is then used to make poly(propylene). Raw materials molecules are converted into monomers such as ethylene, propylene, and butene. All these monomers comprise double bonds so that the carbon atoms can subsequently react to form polymers.
The cracking of hydrocarbons is the main process that breaks down the mixture of complex hydrocarbons into simpler low relative molecular mass alkenes/alkanes (plus by-products) by means of high temperature and pressure. Steam cracking uses high temperature and pressure to break the hydrocarbons' long chains without a catalyst, while catalytic cracking adds a catalyst that allows the process to occur at lower temperatures and pressures.
Polymerisation is the process by which hydrocarbon monomers are then linked together by chemical polymerisation mechanisms to produce polymers. This process generates thick, viscous substances as resins, which are used to make plastic products.
Aurora Pen Grips: Are They Plastic or Something Else?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Fractions contain hydrocarbons, including gasoline and kerosene
Crude oil is a mixture of many different hydrocarbons, which are compounds made from combinations of carbon and hydrogen atoms that form chains of varying lengths, giving them different properties. These hydrocarbons are separated through fractional distillation, which involves heating the crude oil to vapourize it and feeding it into the bottom of a distillation tower. As the gases rise through the tower, the temperature decreases, causing certain hydrocarbons to condense and run off at different levels. Each fraction that condenses off at a certain level contains hydrocarbon molecules with a similar number of carbon atoms.
The fractions obtained from the fractional distillation of crude oil include gases, gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, lubricating oil, and residue (asphalt). Gasoline, also known as petrol, is the lightest fraction derived from crude oil, giving it a lower boiling point. Kerosene, on the other hand, contains heavier hydrocarbons with higher boiling points and is commonly used as jet fuel and for heating.
These fractions contain hydrocarbons with varying numbers of carbon atoms per molecule. For example, kerosene consists of hydrocarbons containing between 12 and 16 carbon atoms per molecule, while the gas fraction contains hydrocarbons with 1 to 4 carbon atoms in each molecule. The number of carbon atoms in a hydrocarbon molecule determines its use, with smaller molecules useful as fuels and larger molecules used in lubricants or other applications.
The hydrocarbons obtained from fractional distillation can undergo further refinement through processes such as cracking, which breaks down the complex hydrocarbons into simpler molecules through high temperature and pressure. These simpler hydrocarbons can then be used as feedstock for the petrochemical industry, which uses them to produce the basic building blocks for making plastics. Thus, while crude oil itself is not a direct feedstock for plastics production, the fractions derived from it, including gasoline and kerosene, play a crucial role in the production of petrochemicals that serve as feedstock for plastics manufacturing.
Washing China Plastic Cups: Machine Safe?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Hydrocarbons are broken down into alkenes/alkanes
Crude oil is a mixture of hundreds of hydrocarbons that also contain some solids and some gaseous hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons are the earliest raw materials of plastic. At the refinery, plastic production begins. Here, the molasses-like crude oil is heated over a furnace that separates the hydrocarbons into different groups based on the number of atoms they contain and their resulting molecular weight.
The process of breaking down these long-chain hydrocarbons into simpler hydrocarbons is called "cracking". Cracking can be performed in two ways: steam cracking and catalytic cracking. Steam cracking uses high temperatures and pressure to break the hydrocarbons' long chains without a catalyst, while catalytic cracking adds a catalyst that allows the process to occur at lower temperatures and pressures.
The cracking process breaks down the mixture of complex hydrocarbons into simpler low relative molecular mass alkenes/alkanes. The alkenes produced by the cracking reaction are important materials for making plastics. Alkenes are hydrocarbons with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds. The simplest alkene is ethene (C2H4), which is a major commercial chemical. Alkanes, on the other hand, have single bonds only and are rather unreactive.
Alkanes can be used as feedstock for petrochemical crackers, whereas refinery olefins, primarily propylene, can be used as direct inputs into plastics manufacturing.
Burning Plastic: Is It Legal or Not?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Polymerisation creates plastic products
Crude oil is a mixture of hundreds of hydrocarbons that also contain some solids and some gaseous hydrocarbons. It is drilled and pumped to the surface and carried through pipelines to oil refineries. At the refinery, the molasses-like crude oil is heated over a furnace, separating the hydrocarbons into different groups based on the number of atoms they contain and their resulting molecular weight.
The long-chain hydrocarbons are then converted into hydrocarbons that can be turned into many important chemicals used for the preparation of a wide range of products, including plastics. This process is called "cracking". Cracking breaks down the mixture of complex hydrocarbons into simpler low relative molecular mass alkenes/alkanes (plus by-products) using high temperatures and pressure.
The raw material used by the petrochemical industry is mainly naphtha and natural gas from oil refining operations in the petrochemical feedstock. Naphtha is a crucial compound for making a large amount of plastic. It is a mixture of C5 to C10 hydrocarbons obtained from the distillation of crude oil. For example, decane hydrocarbon can be cracked down into products such as propylene and heptane, the former of which is then used to make polypropylene.
Raw material molecules are converted into monomers such as ethylene, propylene, and butene. These monomers comprise double bonds so that the carbon atoms can subsequently react to form polymers. Polymerisation is the process of chemically bonding smaller molecules, called monomers or building blocks, to create larger molecules or a macromolecule. This process generates thick, viscous substances as resins, which are used to make plastic products.
The polymerisation process can be performed in two ways:
- Steam cracking: Uses high temperature and pressure to break the hydrocarbons long chains without a catalyst.
- Catalytic cracking: Adds a catalyst which allows the process to occur at lower temperatures and pressures.
Plastic Products: A Viable Career Path?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Synthetic plastics are derived from crude oil, natural gas, or coal. Biobased plastics, on the other hand, are made from renewable products like carbohydrates, fats, and oils.
Crude oil is drilled and pumped from the Earth and transported to refineries through pipelines. At the refinery, the oil is heated to a high temperature and distilled in a process called fractional distillation. This breaks the oil into smaller pieces called fractions, which contain hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons are then converted into simpler hydrocarbons with a process called cracking, which uses high temperatures and pressure. Finally, these hydrocarbons are turned into monomers, which are chemically bonded into chains to form polymers, the substance that plastic is made of.
Plastic made of oil drives a huge demand in the oil industry. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that plastics will make up nearly 50% of oil demand by the 2050s. As of 2019, 9 million barrels of oil are used to make plastics every day worldwide.
The process of extracting and refining oil has both immediate and long-term environmental consequences. Oil spills from pipelines can be extremely damaging to the environment. In addition, the production and use of plastic contribute to a mounting problem of plastic waste going to landfills and polluting the ocean.
Yes, there are alternative bioplastics such as PLA and PHA, which are made from vegetable matter like corn. These bioplastics are considered more environmentally friendly as they can be more easily broken down or composted.
