Petrochemicals

Plastic roads and buildings, the influence of energy and petrochemicals in geopolitics, and chemical and molecular recycling processes that could create a truly circular economy for plastic products were just a few of the topics discussed at AFPM’s 44th International Petrochemical Conference (IPC) in San Antonio last week.

An engineer scoops a handful of tiny pellets out of a stainless-steel canister at a manufacturing plant in the Netherlands and rolls them around in his hand.

As petrochemicals and recycling advancements give old plastic new life over and over again—from shoes and clothes made of recycled plastic recovered from the ocean, to plastic bottles being chemically recycled into fuel and a raw material to make new petrochemicals—what it means to “recycle” is changing right before our eyes.

With the global population rising and a decline in arable land for crop production, people are looking for solutions to feed a growing world.

Mowing lawns is a summertime rite of passage in America, providing young people with experience pitching their business to neighbors, keeping a work schedule, and making and managing money—from purchasing the gasoline that fuels the operation, to budgeting for the oils and lubricants that keep a mower’s engine and blades running smoothly.

With the rising demand for renewable energy in the United States, many are turning to solar power to meet their energy needs.

When it comes to places you’d rather not visit, the hospital is bound to top the list.

The latest job numbers out today (Friday, September 7th) once again paint a rosy picture of the U.S. economy – 201,000 jobs were added in August, above expectations, and wages continued to increase.

Advances in petrochemicals – which are already helping transform medical science – are creating a new, more efficient and more cost-effective way to remove salt from ocean water.