 The chemical industry is a
keystone of the U.S. economy, converting raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, water,
metals, minerals) into more than 70,000 different products. Few goods are manufactured
without some input from the chemical industry. Chemicals are used to make a wide variety
of consumer goods, as well as thousands of products that are
essential inputs to agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and service industries. The
chemical industry itself consumes 26 percent of its output. Major industrial customers
include rubber and plastic products, textiles, apparel, petroleum refining, pulp and
paper, and primary metals. [CMA 1998]
Chemicals is nearly a $1.5 trillion global enterprise, and
the U.S. chemical industry is the world's largest producer. There are 170 chemical
companies with more than 2,800 facilities abroad and 1,700 foreign subsidiaries or
affiliates operating in the United States. The industry records large trade surpluses and
employs more than a million people in the United States alone. The chemical industry is
also the second largest consumer of energy in manufacturing and spends over $5 billion
annually on pollution abatement. [CMA 1998] The broad Standard
Industrial Classification (SIC) for the industry is SIC 28 and encompasses many 3- and 4-digit SIC categories.
Chemical shipments are nearly $400 billion annually.
Chemicals is the second largest industrial user of energy.
Texas, New Jersey, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Illinois
are the nation's top chemical producers.
Distillation, catalytic, and electrochemical reactors are the
workhorses of the industry.
Over 36% of chemical facilities conduct energy management
activities.
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