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The Chemical Industry. It contributes to the national economy. 5 stages to manufacturing a new product: Research , Pilot Study, Scaling – up, Production and Review. Research Identification of new product – develop suitable route to manufacture it. Pilot Study
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The Chemical Industry • It contributes to the national economy. • 5 stages to manufacturing a new product: • Research, Pilot Study, Scaling – up, Production and Review. • Research • Identification of new product – develop suitable route to manufacture it.
Pilot Study • A small scale version of the process is carried out – taking into account health, environment and technical costs. • Scaling Up • Planning and design of chemical plant – taking into account information from pilot study.
Production • The start of the manufacture of the new product. • Review • The process is continually monitored for ways to improve – environmental and cut down health hazards – and reducing cost.
Raw Materials • A major source of raw material for the chemical industry comes from fossil fuels. • Metallic ores are also used along with air, water and minerals ( e.g. limestone, Sodium chloride). • The raw materials are used as feed stocks – they will be used to extract other chemicals from them or to synthesise other chemicals.
The Manufacturing Process • RAW MATERIAL FEEDSTOCK PREPARATION REACTOR * SEPARATOR * PRODUCT
Continuous Process • Fresh reactants are constantly added to the plant. • The plant can operate for a long time – with out shut down. • They are normally large scale productions . • Gases at high T, high P and use of catalysts. • Examples – Cracking Hydrocarbons, Haber process (NH3)
Continuous process – plants can be auto mated – smaller workforce. • Since there is continuous production – the plant is operating close to max capacity – cheaper product.
Batch Process • All the reactants are used up then the plant shuts down. • It can be reused with same or different reactants. • Batch reactors are used to make high purity chemicals in small amounts. • Examples – pharmaceuticals, pesticides.
Batch process – plant is more expensive to construct. • However – the reactor can make more then one product.
Economics! • Manufacturing costs – capital costs, fixed costs and variable costs. • Capital costs – building of the plant. • Fixed costs – salaries, loans. • Variable costs – plant out put – cost of raw materials, getting rid of waste. • UK chemical plant is capital intensive - expensive to build and run and provide relatively small employment. (They can recycle heat from exothermic reactions.) • ( Labour intensive industry- provide high employment)
Factors that have to be considered! • Synthetic Route • The route can have economic affects – example preparation of Ethanoic Acid. • 1. Bacterial oxidation of ethanol – cheap – use poor quality alcohol. • 2. Oxidation of naptha – also produces methanoic and propanoic acid which can be used – this balances cost of oil distillation. • 3. Methanol + CO – cheap feedstock's – yield is high – but construction is expensive.
The conditions and route chosen are to maximise profits. • A compromise has to be met re yield , catalyst life, catalyst activity. • Example – increasing P may increase yield but it may too expensive! • Safety – strict legislation regulates this. • Safety to locals – waste got rid off under controlled environments.
OtherIssues • Environment • Discharge of harmful chemicals – reduced. • Chemicals re covered and re used. • Location • Close to sea, railways, motorways etc. • Close to existing plants so near to feed stocks.
