The industrial chemicals market is one of the biggest in manufacturing. Did you know the market is worth over $4 trillion?
With use cases in everything from textiles to even food and drink, it’s easy to see why it’s such a booming market.
Here’s a concise but complete guide to industrial chemical usage.
What Are Industrial Chemicals?
Chemicals have structures that are either created in a lab or found in nature. The most common name for these is industrial chemicals. But this isn’t because of their origin. It’s because of their most popular use case, in industrial sectors.
Industrial chemicals are generally classified as either organic or inorganic. Organic chemicals can exist for long periods; inorganic chemicals do not have carbon. As a result, they break down fast.
Examples of industrial chemicals include methanol, formaldehyde, and water.
What Do Industrial Chemicals Do?
Industrial chemicals help develop a wide variety of products that we use every day in our lives. Examples include clothing, building materials, medical supplies, food, and beverages. Additionally, many of these chemicals aid the manufacturing processes.
For example, industrial chemicals help create plastics, crop pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and more. They also exist in various forms and help to process metals. They can also help develop dyes, manufacture paper, amongst other use cases.
Despite their popularity, industrial chemicals are not usually meant for human consumption. Yet, these chemicals can cause harmful effects if they are not handled or used in ways that were not intended.
In fact, the EPA has an office dedicated to regulating industrial chemical usage. That’s because these substances may harm the environment or human health.
How Are Chemicals Classified?
The United States is the leading country that classifies chemicals. A few other countries also take part. Yet, there is no universal classification system, which can cause confusion.
The challenge comes when analyzing safety information from different countries. That said, efforts are being made to develop cross-border consistency.
What Are Chemical Providers?
Chemical providers import and resell to product manufacturers. When they come from chemical providers, these industrial chemicals arrive unused.
But, some companies rent the chemicals out instead of purchasing. For example, a restaurant owner may choose to rent out cleaning supplies rather than purchasing and storing them.
Chemical distributors often act as a reseller for these chemicals. They buy them to then sell to manufacturers. Most distributors specialize in one industry (for example, pharmaceutical chemicals or petroleum derivatives).
Ready to continue your industrial chemical education? Here is some more info on what defines a quality chemical provider.
Industrial Chemical Usage Is Complex
Industrial chemical usage can prove complicated at times. Particularly when it comes to classification systems, many business owners struggle to grasp the facts they need to make informed choices.
With the information presented in this article, you now have a basic understanding. That understanding will help you make the right choices for your teams. After all, making sure you’re buying the right chemicals at the end of the day is crucial!
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