PLASTICS, FUELS AND CHEMICALS FROM CRUDE OIL

Oil refineries ‘refine’ oil in massive quantities, to produce the fuels we need. These include diesel, petrol and heating oil. However, some of the raw materials we need to manufacture plastics, are also extracted from oil at the refinery. When crude oil is refined, four percent ends up as raw materials for the production of plastics.

Oil is used widely for the production of plastics as it is composed of carbon and hydrogen. This is why oil is called a hydrocarbon. Oil and natural gas are the most important raw materials for plastics manufacture. To the plastics industry, Naphtha is the most important fraction distilled from crude oil. It is used in the production of a range of plastics.