Page 420 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

398 CHEMICAL AND PETROLEUM PROCESSING APPLICATIONS

manufacturing produce industrial gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, and helium. Many
inorganic chemicals serve as processing ingredients in the manufacture of chemicals,
but do not appear in the final products because they are used as catalysts—chemicals
that speed up or otherwise aid a reaction.
The synthetic materials segment produces a wide variety of finished products as
well as raw materials, including common plastic materials such as polyethylene,
polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polystyrene. Among products into
which these plastics can be made are loudspeakers, toys, PVC pipes, and beverage bot-
tles. Motor vehicle manufacturers are particularly large users of such products. This
industry segment also produces plastic materials used for mixing and blending resins
on a custom basis.
The agricultural chemicals segment, which employs the fewest workers in the chem-
ical industry, supplies farmers and home gardeners with fertilizers, herbicides, pesti-
cides, and other agricultural chemicals. The segment also includes companies involved
in the formulation and preparation of agricultural and household pest-control chemicals.
The paint, coating, and adhesive products segment includes firms making paints,
varnishes, putties, paint removers, sealers, adhesives, glues, and caulking. The con-
struction and furniture industries are large customers of this segment. Other customers
range from individuals refurbishing their homes to businesses needing anticorrosive
paints that can withstand high temperatures.
The cleaning preparations segment is the only segment in which much of the pro-
duction is geared directly toward consumers. The segment includes firms making
soaps, detergents, and cleaning preparations. Cosmetics and toiletries, including per-
fume, lotion, and toothpaste, also are produced in this segment. Households and busi-
nesses use these products in many ways, cleaning everything from babies to bridges.
The other chemical products segment includes manufacturers of explosives, print-
ing ink, film, toners, matches, and other miscellaneous chemicals. These products are
used by consumers or in the manufacture of other products.
Chemicals generally are classified into two groups: basic chemicals and specialty
chemicals. Basic chemical manufacturers produce large quantities of basic and rela-
tively inexpensive compounds in large plants, often built specifically to make one
chemical. Most basic chemicals are used to make more highly refined chemicals for the
production of everyday consumer goods by other industries. Conversely, specialty
chemical manufacturers produce smaller quantities of more expensive chemicals that
are used less frequently. Specialty chemical manufacturers often supply larger chemi-
cal companies on a contract basis. Many traditional chemical manufacturers are divided
into two separate entities, one focused on basic and the other on specialty chemicals.
The diversity of products produced by the chemical industry also reflects its com-
ponent establishments. For example, firms producing synthetic materials operated
relatively large plants in 2006. By contrast, manufacturers of paints, coatings, and
adhesive products had a greater number of establishments, each employing a much
smaller number of workers.
The chemical industry segments vary in the degree to which their workers are involved
in production activities, administration and management, and research and development.
Industries that make products such as cosmetics or paints that are ready for sale to the