What does petrochemical mean?
A petrochemical is a chemical substance produced from petroleum or natural gas, or a term describing such substances and the industries that manufacture them. Common examples include plastics, synthetic fibers, fertilizers, detergents, solvents, and many intermediate compounds used to make other products. The adjective is typically used attributively, in expressions such as "petrochemical industry," "petrochemical plant," and "petrochemical feedstock." As a noun, "petrochemical" is less frequent than the plural "petrochemicals" and is mainly encountered in industrial and technical writing. The word is strongly associated with large-scale chemical manufacturing and often appears in discussions of energy consumption, pollution, plastics, and the environmental effects of industrial production. Because petroleum and natural gas are fossil-fuel feedstocks, petrochemical production is also closely connected to debates about fossil-fuel dependence, although individual processes and products vary widely.
Relating to petrochemicals, to chemicals derived from petroleum or natural gas, or to their manufacture and use.
"The company announced a new recycling process for certain petrochemical products."
Most often used before a noun as a compound modifier.
A chemical substance derived from petroleum or natural gas, especially one used as an industrial feedstock or manufactured product.
"The facility recovers valuable petrochemicals from the process stream."
The plural "petrochemicals" is much more common in technical and industrial contexts.
The plural is standard and more common than the singular noun form, particularly in industrial, scientific, and environmental writing.
"Many common plastics and synthetic fibers are made from petrochemicals."
From plastics to fertilizers and synthetic fibers, petrochemicals have become the building blocks of much of the modern chemical industry.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does petrochemical come from?
Petrochemical was formed in the modern industrial era by combining "petro-", associated with petroleum, with "chemical." Petroleum ultimately combines the Greek petra, meaning "rock," with the Latin oleum, meaning "oil," while chemical ultimately derives through alchemy from an Arabic and Greek vocabulary associated with material transformation and the art of combining substances. The compound developed alongside the growth of the twentieth-century chemical industry and its increasing use of petroleum and natural gas as raw materials.
Related word forms
How petrochemical is actually used
The term is most common in technical, industrial, and environmental contexts. It is often used attributively, as in "petrochemical industry" or "petrochemical products," and is broader than substances derived specifically from crude oil because natural gas is also an important feedstock.
Easily confused with petrochemical
Petroleum is the naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbons commonly known as crude oil, whereas a petrochemical is a substance manufactured from petroleum or natural gas.