Chemical Manufacturing

What is Chemical Manufacturing?

Chemicals are vital to industries such as construction, transportation, electronics, and many more. Demand of the products needed within these services is influenced by the level of activity in the greater manufacturing sector and level of consumer spending. Chemical manufacturing is based on taking organic and inorganic materials and formulating them into a product based on chemical processes.

The produced chemicals are usually classified into two groups: commodity chemicals or specialty chemicals. Commodity chemicals are manufactured in larger batches, relatively inexpensive and specifically processed to make on chemical. Commodity chemical plants are usually on the bigger scale, only shutting down for a few weeks out of the year for maintenance.

Specialty chemicals are formulated into smaller quantities, enabling a higher expense, and focused on a “needs” basis. For example, a unique formula or mix is utilized for one project request. Requiring raw materials and unique operating processes, specialty chemical plants have equipment changes based on the needs of the customers.

Set processes for chemical manufacturing include thermal cracking and distillation. Chemical thermal cracking is taking organic molecules such as hydrocarbons from crude oil using high heat and temperature to break the molecular bonds and establish a shorter-chain of hydrocarbon molecules.

Chemical distillation separates molecular components by utilizing selective boiling tactics and condensing the molecules into gaseous or vapor products.

There are five distinct chemical areas: agricultural chemicals, basic chemicals, specialty chemicals, consumer products, and pharmaceuticals.

  • Agricultural Chemicals: Herbicides, fertilizers, pesticides, and other agricultural chemicals are used by farmers and home gardeners alike. This segment of the industry also encompasses the transportation, storage, and formulation of agricultural and household pest control chemicals.
  • Basic Chemicals: Producing both organic and inorganic chemicals, the basic chemicals sector is responsible for petrochemical products, dyes, and plastics. Other products produced in this industry include chlorine, sulfuric acid, sodium, and other industrial gases.
  • Specialty Chemicals: The automotive, aerospace, cosmetics, food, and agriculture industries all rely on specialty chemicals for their products. Individual molecules and mixtures or formulations that are specific to a unique performance or function (ex: adhesives, starch) are specialty chemicals.
  • Consumer Products: From toothpaste, soap, and skin care products to detergents, paints, and perfumes, the amount of “household products” that require chemical manufacturing in the consumer sector are staggering.
  • Pharmaceuticals: All your capsules, tablets, ointments, powders, and solutions are a result of the chemical processing in the pharmaceuticals industry. This includes the manufacturing, processing, purification and packaging of chemicals used as medicines.
Landscape image of of a large industrial chemical processing plant at sunset

ChemMax® 1 offers economical, lightweight, base layer protection.

ChemMax® 2 with bound and sealed seam options with 2 layers of PP/PE substrate for moderate to high level chemical protection

The multi-layer design of ChemMax® 3 provides a barrier against a broad spectrum of toxic industrial chemicals, dual-use chemicals, and other harmful contaminants.

For advanced chemical barriers with expanded chemical data and higher hold-out times, ChemMax® 4 Plus is the encapsulated Level B suit for the job.

Interceptor® Plus is the ultimate in chemical protection with the most extensive chemical data in the industry. Gas-tight and vapor-tight level A protection.

Lakeland offers permeation test data, but permeation test data is limited in use, is commonly misunderstood and should not be interpreted as a definite indication of safe use. Lakeland offers PermaSure for calculation of safe-use times.

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