Industrial Applications of Chemistry

80 real-world industrial processes powered by chemistry

All Sectors Pharmaceutical & Drug Manufacturing Petrochemical & Refining Food Processing & Preservation Materials Science & Polymers Electronics & Semiconductors Agriculture & Fertilizers Environmental & Water Treatment Energy & Battery Technology Cosmetics & Personal Care Metallurgy & Metal Processing
All Scales Laboratory Scale Pilot Plant Commercial Production Global Industrial Scale

Activated Carbon Adsorption for Water and Air Purification

Nature's most versatile adsorbent material

Activated carbon is produced by thermal or chemical activation of carbonaceous materials (coconut shell, coal, wood) to create an extremely …

Environmental & Water Treatment · Global Industrial Scale · $7 billion

Bioremediation of Petroleum-Contaminated Soil

Using microorganisms to clean up oil spills and fuel leaks

Bioremediation uses naturally occurring or bioaugmented microorganisms to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons in contaminated soil and groundwater. Indigenous bacteria (Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, …

Environmental & Water Treatment · Commercial Production · $1.5 billion

Flue Gas Desulfurization (Wet Limestone Scrubbing)

Removing SO2 from power plant exhaust to prevent acid rain

Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) removes sulfur dioxide from coal-fired power plant exhaust using limestone or lime slurry scrubbing. The wet …

Environmental & Water Treatment · Global Industrial Scale · $20 billion

Heavy Metal Precipitation from Industrial Wastewater

Removing toxic metals from wastewater by chemical precipitation

Chemical precipitation is the most widely used method for removing dissolved heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd) from …

Environmental & Water Treatment · Global Industrial Scale · $2 billion

Ion Exchange Water Softening and Deionization

Swapping unwanted ions for purified water

Ion exchange (IX) is a reversible chemical process where dissolved ions in water are exchanged for similarly charged ions on …

Environmental & Water Treatment · Global Industrial Scale · $3 billion

Municipal Water Chlorination and Disinfection

The public health intervention that saved millions of lives

Water chlorination is the most widely used method for disinfecting municipal drinking water, credited with virtually eliminating waterborne diseases such …

Environmental & Water Treatment · Global Industrial Scale · $8 billion

Ozone Water Treatment and Advanced Oxidation

The powerful oxidant for micropollutant destruction

Ozone (O3) treatment is used in drinking water disinfection and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) to destroy micropollutants including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, …

Environmental & Water Treatment · Commercial Production · $2.5 billion

Reverse Osmosis Membrane Desalination

Producing fresh water from the ocean using polymer membrane chemistry

Reverse osmosis (RO) desalination forces seawater or brackish water through semi-permeable thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide membranes at high pressure to …

Environmental & Water Treatment · Global Industrial Scale · $17 billion