7 Things Made from Oil That You Never Would Have Imagined
Aug 01
Oil is a product that has well-known uses as gasoline for your car or heating for your home. However, there are countless other things made from oil that most people have no idea about. Here are 7 products made from oil that may surprise you:
It is possible to turn oil into various kinds of petrochemicals via a refining process. One of these chemicals includes man-made (synthetic) fibers, and it can be used for weaving into curtains, as well as carpets, etc. Synthetic fibers look much better because they are not susceptible to wrinkles. Also, mildew and mold are less of a problem with petroleum-based curtains.
2) CDs
This is another one of the unexpected things made from oil and petroleum products. All products made from plastic (including some of the clothes you wear) are made from petrochemicals. This includes CDs you listen to and cassette tapes you used to listen to before CDs came along.
3) Detergent
The next one of the unexpected products made from oil is detergents. Detergents come in two different kinds: soapless and soapy. Most of the detergents that are soapless are made from petroleum products, like ethylene oxide and various alcohols. These soapless detergents are usually in liquid or powder form and used dishwashers and washing machines.
4) Medications
A lot of medicines are made from chemicals, a lot of which come from oil and petroleum-based products. The active ingredient in many over-the-counter popular pain relievers is ASA (Acetylsalicylic Acid), which is made from petrochemicals. In fact, medicine was one of the most ancient products resulting from oil, dating millenniums back.
5) Plastic Bottles
All plastic is actually made of oil and petrochemicals. This goes for polyester and, of course, many plastic products we use, including plastic bottles. It may be difficult to believe that the perfectly shaped clear bottle is made from a liquid like oil, but it’s true!
Film is another one of the unexpected things made from oil. It is made from ethylene, which comes a result of distilling oil. Distilling means heating – the various substances in oil come to a boil at different temperatures. These temperatures can vary and all sorts of products can be made as a result, including camera film.
7) Sneakers
Sneakers are also made of petroleum-based products, especially the rubber soles (which are not actually rubber). Unlike natural rubber, which becomes stiff when cold and sticky when hot, the petroleum-based, man-made rubber is a lot more flexible. Other products that use this rubber include car tires, which is actually safer than using natural rubber. The current demand for synthetic rubber is much higher than demand for natural rubber.
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