Abstract The paper contains a brief introductory section showing the growth of the petroleum aromatics industry and the changes which have occurred in the end uses of aromatics over the years.
This is followed by a discussion of new uses for aromatic materials, including those products which are now only in the commercial development stage (e.g. durene). In addition, the paper covers some possible new applications of multi-ring compounds.
Finally, the paper discusses the use of aromatic fractions as petroleum specialities, e.g. rubber extender oils, pitches, C-black feedstock, etc.
Résumé Dans une courte introduction, on résumé les développements de l'industrie pétrolière des aromatiques et les changements qui se sont produits dans l'utilisation des hydrocarbures aromatiques.
On décrit ensuite les nouvelles utilisations des composés aromatiques, en se limitant aux produits qui sont actuellement obtenus à l'échelle commerciale (par exemple le durène). On indique aussi quelques applications nouvelles possibles des composés polycycliques.
Enfin on expose l'application de fractions aromatiques à des usages spéciaux commes les lubrifiants pour caoutchouc, les brais, la matière première pour le carbon-black, etc.
INTRODUCTION Because of the very large expansion in the production of petroleum aromatics over the last few years, it is becoming increasingly difficult to appreciate that this is still a comparatively new outlet for petroleum products. Before World War II, for instance, all the commercially available pure aromatic hydrocarbons were derived from coal tar, whereas at the present time, only about 15 % of the total aromatics produced in the U.S. originate from this source. The continued expansion of the petroleum aromatics industry, however, may be critically dependent on the development of new uses for aromatics. This paper reviews the changes which have taken place in recent years in the end uses of pure and mixed aromatic hydrocarbons and looks at some of their potential uses which may become of importance in the future.
OCCURRENCE OF AROMATICS IN PETROLEUM Probably the most comprehensive information on the aromatic compounds present in crude petroleum is contained in the reports of API Research Project 6'. As will be seen from Table I, over 100 different by Dr. A. H. HOWLAND, Esso Research Limited (U. K.). aromatic compounds have so far been identified in the "representative" petroleum under examination, amounting to about 5.7 % vol. of the total crude.
TABLE I AROMATICS PRESENT IN PETROLEUM Alkyl benzenes Isomers identified Vol. % crude Benzene 1 0.150 Toluene 1 0.510 Ca-Ci i 39 4041 4.701 - Dinuclear aromatics Naphthalene 1 0.060 cll-Cl6 49 0.966 Fluorenes C1 3-C17 5 0.004 + 1.030 - Trinuclear aromatics Tetranuclear aromatics - Phe