Industrial Chemicals #4112435

Ethylene oxide, properly calledoxirane, is a cyclic ether. It is one of the most important raw materials used in large-scale chemical production. Most ethylene oxide is used for synthesis of ethylene glycols, including diethylene glycol and triethylene glycol. Other important products include ethylene glycol ethers, ethanolamines and ethoxylates. Among glycols, ethylene glycol is used as antifreeze, in the production of polyester and polyethylene terephthalate (PET raw material for plastic bottles), liquid coolants and solvents.

Ethylene glycolis primarily used in antifreeze formulations (50%) and as a raw material in the manufacture of polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (40%). A small percent is also used in other applications such as and other products.

Coolant and heat transfer agent

The major use of ethylene glycol is as a medium for convective heat transfer in, for example, automobiles and liquid cooled computers. Ethylene glycol is also commonly used in chilled water air conditioning systems that place either the chiller or air handlers outside, or systems that must cool below the freezing temperature of water. In geothermal heating/cooling systems, ethylene glycol is the fluid that transports heat through the use of a geothermal heat pump. The ethylene glycol either gains energy from the source (lake, ocean, water well) or dissipates heat to the sink, depending if the system is being used for heating or cooling.

Antifreeze

Ethylene glycol disrupts hydrogen bonding when dissolved in water. Pure ethylene glycol freezes at about 12C, but when mixed with water, the mixture does not readily crystallize, and therefore the freezing point of the mixture is depressed. Specifically, a mixture of 60% ethylene glycol and 40% water freezes at 45C. It is used as a de-icing fluid for windshields and aircraft. The antifreeze capabilities of ethylene glycol have made it a component of vitrification mixtures for low-temperature preservation of biological tissues and organs.

Precursor to polymers

In the plastics industry, ethylene glycol is an important precursor to polyester fibers and resins. Polyethylene terephthalate, used to make plastic bottles for soft drinks, is prepared from ethylene glycol.

Paraffin waxis a white or colorless soft solid derivable from petroleum, coal or oil shale, that consists of a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules containing between twenty and forty carbon atoms. It is solid at room temperature and begins to melt above approximately 37C;its boiling point is 370C. Common applications for paraffin wax include lubrication, electrical insulation, and candles. In industrial applications, it is often useful to modify the crystal properties of the paraffin wax, typically by adding branching to the existing carbon backbone chain. The modification is usually done with additives, such as EVA copolymers, microcrystalline wax, or forms of polyethylene.

Slack waxeshave an oil content of from 5 to 30%, depending on the product. They are a welcome by-product of the production of lubricating oils. They can be productively employed in many industrial processes as they are; or they can be mixed, blended, or further refined. The melting points of slack wax varies from 41F to 66F. Some examples of applications for slack waxes: in wax emulsions, as binders and water-proofing in artificial woods; in matches; in jar candles; in rust-protection products; in industrial lubricants; in arena-footing; in soil or turf protection; and in fireplace products.