Various types of chemicals are used in industrial-scale processing and manufacturing, either as ingredients, reactants, solvents, reagents, buffers, or catalysts. Five of the most common industrial chemicals include sulphuric acid, sodium hydroxide, nitrogen, propylene and ethylene.
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Industrial chemicals are used to manufacture many in-demand industrial goods, such as distilled petroleum products, plastics, inks, paints, adhesives, cosmetics, and soaps. These products can either be used directly by consumers or further processed by industries to create other end products.
Consumer products undergo multiple processes before they’re sold to wholesalers and retailers for market distribution. For example, even during the packaging stage, many products require the addition of certain chemicals, like moisture absorbers.
Read on to learn more about the use of common industrial chemicals in manufacturing, as well as five common examples.
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Put simply, industrial chemicals are chemicals that are used in the processing or manufacturing of products. They can either be a direct component of a particular product or an essential, but indirect part of it. The products themselves may be used as industrial ingredients to create other goods or as consumer products in their own right.
Industrial chemicals are broadly classified based on their common uses. Here are some examples of these generic categories:
Exposure to certain types of industrial chemicals can be harmful to humans and other organisms. Some chemicals may even trigger allergic/autoimmune reactions or cause cancer. Many industrial chemicals are corrosive, flammable, and toxic, so it’s essential to take the necessary precautions (such as wearing PPE) when handling them.
Government regulatory bodies may further legally define industrial chemicals by exclusion. This means a chemical can be considered an industrial product if it doesn’t fit certain criteria or belong to any of these groups:
Broadly speaking, chemical industries can be classified into two main sectors – the commodity or basic chemicals sector and the speciality chemicals sector. Although commodity chemicals are manufactured by various companies, the end products are essentially the same. These are generic chemicals that are produced in large quantities. Examples of commodity chemicals include polymers, fertilisers, and petrochemicals.
Speciality chemicals, on the other hand, are customised to the specific needs of the customer. These chemicals typically have patents and are only available from a few suppliers (including ReAgent!). Some examples of specialty chemicals include adhesives, sealants, and electronic chemicals.
The two broad sectors of chemical industries can be further subdivided into other categories based on their products. The top six chemical industries are the following:
The most common types of industrial chemicals are mainly used as reagents, catalysts, and solvents. Let’s take a look at five examples of common industrial chemicals in a little more detail.
Sulphuric acid is a strong acid that has the chemical formula H2SO4. It’s almost ubiquitous in industry because it’s involved in one or more industrial processes. One of the main uses of sulphuric acid is in the production of phosphoric acid, which is a key ingredient in chemical fertilisers. Its other primary application is as a reagent for many chemical processes, including the production of medicines and other pharmaceutical products. Sulphuric acid is also crucial for processing metals like copper and cleaning steel.
Sodium hydroxide is a strong base with the chemical formula NaOH. It’s mainly used in the manufacture of soaps, textiles, detergents, and paper. Sodium hydroxide is also a popular industrial cleaning agent.
Earth’s atmosphere is 78% nitrogen. Although a fairly stable gas, it reacts with other chemicals to form substances that are essential to life. Nitrogen is naturally converted to ammonia and nitrates through lightning. In turn, these chemicals are used by organisms in several biological processes, such as the synthesis of amino acids.
Industrially, millions of tons of nitrogen gas is produced each year. It’s a vital ingredient in manufacturing fertilisers, dyes, and explosives. In liquid form, nitrogen plays a crucial role in medical and biological research. It’s also important in the electronics industry.
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Propylene is a hydrocarbon gas at room temperature with the chemical formula C3H6. Otherwise known as propene and/or methyl ethylene, it’s produced naturally through the fermentation process. Propylene is also extracted from fossil fuels and used as a raw material to make various rubber and plastic-based products.
Ethylene is a double-bonded hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C2H4. It’s naturally produced by plants as a hormone that’s responsible for ripening fruit. Industrially, it’s used in metal welding and as an ingredient in polymer production.
Industrial chemicals are used in various industrial processes, either as an ingredient in manufacturing products or as a reagent for chemical reactions. Industrial chemicals can be classified into different types depending on their primary use. Examples of five common industrial chemicals include sulphuric acid, sodium hydroxide, nitrogen, propylene, and ethylene.
Every year millions of electrical and electronic devices are discarded as products break or become obsolete and are thrown away. These discarded devices are considered e-waste and can become a threat to health and the environment if they are not disposed of and recycled appropriately.
Common items in e-waste streams include computers, mobile phones, large household appliances, and medical equipment. Millions of tonnes of e-waste are recycled using unsound activities, as well as being stored in homes and warehouses, dumped, and illegally exported. When e-waste is recycling using unsound activities, it can release up to different chemical substances into the environment, including known neurotoxicants such as lead (3). Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable due to their pathways of exposure and developmental status. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 16.5 million children were working in the industrial sector in , of which waste processing is a subsector (4).
Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the fastest growing solid waste streams in the world (1). Less than a quarter of e-waste produced globally in was known to be formally recycled; however, e-waste streams contain valuable and finite resources that can be reused if they are recycled appropriately. E-waste has therefore become an important income stream for individuals and some communities. People living in low- and middle-income (LMICs), particularly children, face the most significant risks from e-waste due to lack of appropriate regulations and enforcement, recycling infrastructure and training. Despite international regulations targeting the control of the transport of e-waste from one country to another, its transboundary movement to LMICs continues, frequently illegally. E-waste is considered hazardous waste as it contains toxic materials and can produce toxic chemicals when recycled inappropriately. Many of these toxic materials are known or suspected to cause harm to human health, and several are included in the 10 chemicals of public health concern, including dioxins, lead and mercury. Inferior recycling of e-waste is a threat to public health and safety.
Electrical and electronic items contain many different toxic substances. Users are unlikely to have contact with these substances while the items are functional. When they become waste, these toxicants can be released into the environment if the devices are managed using environmentally-unsound practices and activities. Many unsound practices have been observed at e-waste sites including:
These activities are considered hazardous to the environment and health as they release toxic pollutants, contaminating the air, soil, dust, and water at recycling sites and in neighbouring communities. Open burning and heating are considered the most hazardous activities due to the toxic fumes created. Once in the environment, these toxic pollutants can travel significant distances from the point of pollution, exposing people in faraway areas to hazardous substances.
Epidemiological research has posed several adverse health outcomes linked to informal and unsound e-waste recycling activities.
Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to the effects of hazardous pollutants from informal e-waste recycling activities. Children are often involved in waste picking and scavenging, burning discarded e-waste and the manual dismantlement of items into component parts. In some countries, children may serve as a source of cheap labour and their small hands give them an advantage in taking apart the smallest items. These activities directly expose children to injury and high levels of hazardous substances. Working as a waste picker is hazardous labour and is considered one of the worst forms of child labour by the ILO. In , the ILO estimated that as many as 16.5 million children globally were working in the industrial sector, of which waste processing is a subsector (4). It is unknown how many child labourers participate in informal e-waste recycling.
E-waste exposure may be linked to the following health effects during pregnancy and in infants and children:
Children and pregnant women are at high risk to hazardous substances released through informal e-waste recycling activities due to their unique vulnerabilities. Children have different exposures to e-waste recycling activities than adults. E-waste recycling activities release toxic chemicals that can cross the placenta and may contaminate breastmilk, for example mercury. Fetuses and young children are highly sensitive to many pollutants released through e-waste recycling due to their rapidly developing bodies, including their respiratory, immune and central nervous systems. E-waste contains several known neurotoxicants, including lead and mercury, that may disrupt the development of the central nervous system during pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adolescence. Some harmful toxicants from e-waste may also impact the structural development and function of the lungs. Changes to children’s developing systems may cause irreparable harm and affect them for the rest of their lives.
National and international actions are essential to protect communities from unsound e-waste recycling activities. Actions that can be taken include:
The Basel Convention controls the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and their disposal. It is a comprehensive environmental agreement that aims to tackle issues surrounding hazardous wastes, including e-waste and its management. In , the Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention entered into force. It prohibits the movement of hazardous wastes, including e-waste, from countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Commission countries and Liechtenstein to other states that are party to the Convention. The Basel Convention runs programmes and workshops to develop and deliver guidance on environmentally sound management of e-waste. It also provides states with guidelines to distinguish between waste and non-waste and the transboundary movement of e-waste. Regional conventions also exist, including the Bamako Convention and the Waigani Convention. Both regional conventions arose in response to the Basel Convention and aim to further restrict the movement of hazardous wastes, including e-waste, in African and South Pacific countries, respectively.
World Health Organization’s (WHO) Initiative on E-waste and Child Health is contributing to a number of international e-waste programmes and pilot projects in countries in Latin America and Africa. These projects are developing frameworks to protect children’s health from e-waste exposures that can be adapted and replicated in other countries and settings. The Initiative aims to:
In , WHO released its first global report on e-waste and child health, which called for greater effective and binding action to protect children from the growing threat. WHO has developed training tools for the health sector, including a training package for health care providers, including a specific training module on e-waste and child health. Additionally, WHO contributes to multi-agency capacity training tools, including a MOOC, a joint course with PAHO and the UNICEF-WHO Introduction to Children's Environmental Health.
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