Chemical Industry

Chemical industry is a branch of industry that includes the production of products from hydrocarbon, mineral and other raw materials through their chemical processing.

The chemical industry is a major industry in the modern world economy, converting raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, water, metals and minerals) into more than 70,000 different products. The gross output of the chemical industry in the world is about $2 trillion.

History of the development of the industry

Although chemicals have been produced and used throughout human history, the birth of the heavy chemical industry (the production of chemicals in large quantities for various purposes) coincided with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

The first factories for the production of sulfuric acid, the most important mineral acid used by humans, were built in 1736 (Great Britain, Twickenham), in 1766 (France, Rouen), in 1805 (Russia, Moscow region ), in 1810 (Germany, Leipzig ). To meet the needs of the developing textile and glass industries, the production of soda ash arose . The first soda factories appeared in 1793 (France, Paris), in 1823 (Great Britain, Liverpool), in 1843 (Germany, Schönebeck an der Elbe), in 1864 (Russia, Barnaul). With the development in the middle of the 19th century. In agriculture, artificial fertilizer factories appeared: in 1842 in Great Britain, in 1867 in Germany, in 1892 in Russia.
Raw materials connections and the early emergence of industry contributed to Britain's emergence as a world leader in chemical production for three quarters of the 19th century. Since the end of the 19th century, with the growing demand of economies for organic substances, Germany has become a leader in the chemical industry. Thanks to the rapid process of concentration of production, a high level of scientific and technological development, and an active trade policy, Germany by the beginning of the 20th century. conquers the world market for chemical products.

In the United States, the chemical industry began to develop later than in Europe, but by 1913 the United States was ahead of Europe in terms of chemical production. This was facilitated by the richest reserves of minerals, a developed transport network, and a powerful domestic market. Only by the end of the 80s, the chemical industry of the EU countries in general terms again exceeded production volumes in the United States.