New products are obtained, the building blocks of the petrochemical industry:
Olefins:
ethylene,
propylene, 
C4 derivatives, including butadiene
aromatics - benzene, toluene and  xylenes.

From Petrochemicals to Downstream Industries
These products (ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, toluene, xylenes…) are processed in petrochemical plants into more specialized products -  to be fit for use by the downstream industries. It takes only one (complex) operation to go from ethylene to the well-known plastic polyethylene, for example, but it takes more than seven to go from benzene to the nylon used in our clothes and sports equipment!

In the end, petrochemicals will go into products that we are all familiar with: plastics, soaps and detergents, healthcare products synthetic fibres for clothes and furniture, rubbers, paints, insulating materials...

Petrochemicals in Our Everyday Life

Healthcare
Petrochemistry makes a large contribution to the general health care and hygiene.
Cumene and phenol, for example, are used as a starting material to make aspirin and penicillin.
Some petrochemical resins are used in drug purification process.
Petrochemica-derived plastics and resins are used in artificial joints and limbs. Plastics are essential for making disposable syringes, containers for storing blood or vaccines, and other apparatus.
Polymers are now being widely used in medical technology, for example in heart surgery, or for stimulators in eyes and ears.

High Technology
Petrochemistry has made possible the quantum leap achieved in communication technology during the last decades. Many components in our computers, telephones, TV sets, radios or CD players...In the electronics field, petrochemistry is everywhere, from the board of a printed circuit to the chip, cablings and connectors, digital cameras, mobile phones, laptops...The computer could not function without microchips, made using petrochemicals. In computer housings and computer keyboards styrenic plastics are used.
Most of a CD consists of a piece of clear polycarbonate; a plastic derived from benzene, through bisphenol A and cumene. This polycarbonate is impressed with microscopic bumps arranged as an extremely long spiral track of data, then covered with a thin aluminum layer. Then a thin acrylic layer is sprayed over the aluminum to protect it. The label is then printed onto the acrylic... and slipped into a polystyrene "jewel box", the transparent, plastic boxes in which CDs usually come.
The electronic industry could not do without the materials derived from the petrochemical industry: they ensure better design, better electrical insulation and safety, ease of assembly and an amazing capacity for miniaturisation and data storage.

Auto & Airplans: saving energy, improving safety
Modern cars, buses or lorries and modern airplanes all rely on Petrochemicals. If you removed all the components made from petrochemical-based products, you would no longer be able to drive or fly them.
Petrochemical products have become an integral part of the automotive industry. their easy process ability helps reduce the vehicle assembly time, and thus the costs. Thanks to their light weight, which invariably translates into considerable energy savings.Colourfast durability, design flexibility and light weight make petrochemical-based composites an obvious choice for automotive bodies and components.
Have you ever wondered why cars do not explode in real life as frequently seen in action movies? That is thanks to petrol (gasoline) tanks made of High Density Polyethylene (HDP), which ensure additional safety in case of accident through their outstanding shape-resistance. So the petrol was prevented from leaking, a fire could not start. Petrochemical-derived Synthetic rubber gives tyres better road-hugging ability, especially on wet roads. Phenolic resins are used in binders for friction materials in brakes and clutches. Car and booster seats made from styrene-based plastics that meet crash-test standards have helped reduce the death rate in car accidents.
The antifreeze spray used on cars in winter is often produced using ethylene glycol. Ethylene and propylene glycols are also used in aeronautics and ensure safe take-off in spite of bad winter weather conditions. The composites derived from petrochemicals can save more than 30% of the weight of an aircraft structure.

A warm and pleasant home 
We rely on petrochemistry for foundation, wall and roof insulation foams and fibres, pipes, window frames and fitted furniture. Because of the durability of these materials, maintenance, such as painting, is minimized and often removed completely.
As the importance of energy conservation grows, the need for highly effective insulation materials also increases. Heating and cooling account for 50 to 70% of the energy costs for the average home. The performance of petrochemical-derived insulation materials can result in significantly lower heating and cooling costs. And using more energy efficient materials and products in our construction, to decrease the use of fuel and energy, translates into reduced air pollution. After use, these materials can be re-used, recycled or turned into a source of energy.

Our kitchen has become a more pleasant, cleaner place. Working surfaces, shelves and tables are resistant and easy to wash, thanks to the hygienic laminates manufactured using petrochemicals. Non-stick frying pans are easy to use, last for decades and do not need to be scrubbed, the cooker, the microwave oven and the refrigerator are amongst the numerous fixtures that are made from polymer materials. Liquid detergents made from ethylene make dish washing quicker and more hygienic. Most labour-saving innovations, such as the food mixer, the plastic bin or cling film, are fabricated from petrochemical products.
Petrochemical-based food packaging has many virtual performance, low cost, light weight, thermal insulation, shock-resistance, hygiene, safe and healthy.

Nowadays, most components of children's playhouses, infant bouncers, changing tables, prams and tricycles are made from petrochemicals-derived products. 

Fabrics Clothing
We expect our fabrics to be warm, light, easy to wash, easy to dry, and easy to wear. Man-made fibres derived from petrochemicals can be varied to meet these specific needs. Easy-care clothing, carpets, curtains and furnishing fabrics are made of such fibres - or a mixture of man-made and natural materials.

Acrylic fibres, for example, expand the look and feel of jumpers to year-round use and have a significantly longer wear life. Olefin fibres are ideal for extreme-cold clothes, but are also used in artificial turf for athletic fields, disposable nappies and housing insulation. Some fibres, such as those commonly known as microfibres, such as superfine polyester, nylon or acrylic fibres, are now used in clothes that have the feel, look and luxurious touch of the most expensive silk.

A hygienic and pleasant bathroom
Nearly everything in our modern bathrooms depends on the output of the petrochemical industry: plastics are the material of choice in bathroom tiles, fixtures, fittings and shower curtains, for their hygienic properties, durability, stylishness and easy maintenance.

Cosmetics and personal care products rely on high quality packaging. The brilliant surface of styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), for example, has great depth of colour, looks good and feels good – an important consideration in the bath where we surround ourselves with pleasing things. SAN accepts print very easily and affords diverse design possibilities. Moreover, SAN is resistant to chemicals. SAN is also suitable for bathroom fittings and toothbrushes for example.



Indoor and outdoor leisure
Hobbies, sporting equipment and DIY materials have also benefited considerably from petrochemistry. Fitness centres, athletic clubs, swimming pools all rely heavily on petrochemistry for their fittings and equipment. The DIY enthusiast has easy access to off-the-shelf paints, varnishes, adhesives, household wiring etc. that come in handy packages, guaranteeing a long life and a minimum of mixing and messing. Very often, petrochemicals enter both into the products themselves and their packaging. TV sets, radios, CD players, CDs (made from polycarbonate), audio and videotapes, musical instruments depend on specialised petrochemicals. Artists, both professionals and amateurs, use colour pencils, paints and inks that have been manufactured thanks to the input of the petrochemicals industry. Dyes and pigments are also essential for colour printing, photography and dyeing. Some petrochemicals are used as intermediates when manufacturing paints, like acrylic acid or acetyls; some are used as solvents that make paints flow and inks dry.