CHEMICAL INDUSTRY: HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS, PRODUCTS AND IMPACT - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The chemical industry is the field of research and production that is responsible for the transformation of raw materials; that is to say, it deals with processing natural and artificial substances in order to create a product that meets the needs of man.

You cannot refer to this industry without first referring to chemistry, a science that studies the elements of nature and the changes they present. In the business sector, studies related to chemistry reflect a projection that seeks to favor and directly affect society.

Plastic is one of the elements manufactured thanks to the chemical industry. Source: pixabay.com

So, chemistry is a science that is in continuous development throughout the industrial area. Being a science, it is intended to study the origin and properties of natural and synthetic substances, substances that will be processed and used to make a new lucrative item.

In this sense, the chemical industry is not only a vehicle for social progress, but it represents technological evolution. It participates in social progress because it benefits individuals and the economy through its creations, and it is a technological evolution since the discoveries obtained are essential for progress in this area.

This field of technical procedures is within a broad and complex territory, as it encompasses scientific inventions, administrative agents, natural resources and the environment. The chemical industry has the purpose of responding and providing the products, both primary and secondary, that may merit being.

History

Throughout history, inquiries about natural changes and their influence on humanity have been fundamental, since they attest to how man has evolved. This has become evident since vital phenomena began to be studied, as well as the materials that make up rocks and minerals.

Background

Individuals are related to plants and animals conditioning the functioning of the planet, but they differ from them because the being has the ability to reason. Since prehistoric times, this rational character allowed man to devise tools that would help him improve his habitat.

From their origin, human beings had to create objects that fit their needs. These objects were engineered and developed through the resources that nature offered them.

At first he highlighted the discovery of fire, an essential feat because it allowed man to learn to cook food and to know a light that was not that of day.

However, this discovery also generated an increase in the demands of individuals: as some pleased, others manifested. That is how ideas arose to build houses, use transport and perfect the fabric in order to innovate clothing.

It can be said that the discovery of the fire generated the production process; that is to say, it caused the changes of natural substances to be greater and greater and different utilities were generated for each artifact.

Although it was not yet called science, these events can be noted as the first indications or progress of what was later the chemical industry.

Birth of a science

In the seventeenth century, man had managed to modify the world through his inventions and constructions, although these transformations had not yet been recognized beyond the social contribution. There was no particular circle that focused on examining the advantages and disadvantages of altering natural materials.

It was in the mid-1800s that a movement began that changed the way we see reality. It was a time when the steam engine was exposed as a technological advance and in which man required more energy and coal to increase productivity: the Industrial Revolution was manifested.

Such a demonstration caused the work to cease to be manual and began to use machinery that streamlined work performance. It was a period in which knowledge and reason occupied the center of society, which is why a set of research disciplines were accepted as sciences; among these was chemistry.

This event caused the growth of the industrial sector. At the end of the 18th century, work with steel and coal predominated, with which railroads, ships and mechanical tools were made.

In the 19th century, the use of chemical products, such as colorants, stood out, and in the 20th century energetic elements such as oil and coal gas had a great influence.

characteristics

-The development of the chemical industry began when the lead chamber technique to obtain sulfuric acid germinated and, in order to improve it, the soda process (reactive method) was used. This is a reflection of one of the main characteristics of the chemical industry: the continuous evolution of projects and manufactured products.

-It also tries to respond to health and environmental regulations. For example, new studies are constantly being developed that seek to discover effective treatments for certain diseases. Likewise, more suitable production techniques are currently being used that do not drastically affect the environment.

-The chemical industry uses other areas (such as engineering) to create new formulas that contribute to the discovery and treatment of various products. For this reason it is a scientific and business sector that is in an uninterrupted progression strongly supported by other disciplines.

-Nowadays the materials used in this field are studied for a long time in laboratories before being processed. Previously they were used almost without being examined due to the fact that the necessary instruments to modify natural or artificial substances were not available.

-In the chemical industry, the transition moment between the laboratory and the factory is fundamental, since the operations that will modify the chemical materials meet there. This process is vital for production.

Branches of the chemical industry

This sector can be classified into two main lines: the basic chemical industry and the secondary industries.

Basic chemical industry

The function of this type of chemical industry is to reform the natural raw substances, especially oil and minerals.

Through this industry, semi-finished articles are manufactured -but in vast quantities- that are essential for the processing industries.

Secondary industries

Secondary industries are those that transform synthetic objects into products that are destined for the market or sent to fine chemical factories, where production is refined.

Research branches

In addition to the aspects described above, the chemical industry also has various branches of research. Among the most prominent sciences of inquiry are the following:

Inorganic chemistry

Analyze the properties and changes of substances.

Organic chemistry

It corresponds to the examination of carbon compounds.

Biochemistry

Study the reactions and organisms that make up beings.

Fine chemistry

It sets the laws that govern chemical fundamentals, such as thermodynamics and kinetics.

Environmental chemistry

It examines the components that exist on Earth, with the main intention of promoting the conservation and care of the planet.

Geochemistry

It is in charge of the study of the mineral changes that the Earth experiences; that is why one of its currents is analytical chemistry, which determines the research method.

Products made in the chemical industry

The products that are produced through the chemical industry are very varied and have diverse applications. They can be generated from acids and fuels to adhesives, colorants and plastics, among many other elements.

Below we will list the main products that are generated through the chemical industry, and that are commonly used in humans:

-Acetylene.

-Butadiene.

-Ethylene.

-Fuels.

-Sodium hydroxide.

-Methanol.

-Soda.

-Propylene.

-Iron.

-Aluminum.

-Steel.

-Copper.

- Nitrogen and ammonia fertilizers.

-Hydrochloric, phosphoric, phosphate, nitric and sulfuric acids.

-Colors.

-Detergents.

-Textile fibers.

-Adhesives.

-Explosives.

-Paintings.

-Glasses.

-Lubricants.

-Plastics.

Environmental impact

Despite the various benefits provided by the articles of the chemical industries, many times their elaboration and the use of harmful substances derived from said activity have contributed to the progress of global warming.

These harmful elements include carbon dioxide and monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide.

In this sense, production affects the environment through fuels and smoke - for example, caused by the excessive use of fertilizers - that are generated and spread from factories. For this reason, a series of measures have been exposed to help avoid ecological imbalance under the name of "green chemistry".

The purpose of green chemistry is to recycle the materials that industries discard, avoid the generation of waste, seeking to purify them at the time of product manufacture and reuse the objects to create articles that do not have toxicity, so that they do not harm the health of individuals or disturb the environment.

Likewise, industries should use renewable and non-exhaustible raw materials, select energetic elements considering the environmental impact they may have, reduce temperatures in experimental centers and limit the use of auxiliary substances to minimize anthropogenic accidents.

References

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4. Sotelo, JL (2008). Chemistry, industry and society. Retrieved on April 22, 2019 from the Real Academia de Ciencias:comunicacionesacademicos.com
5. Treball, B. (2013). Chemical industry. Retrieved on April 22, 2019 from the Generalitat de Catalunya: informe.org