This industry plays a decisive role in the development of scientific and technological progress and increasing the efficiency of social production through chemicalization. Using the achievements of science and technology, products of metallurgy, electric power, fuel and forestry industries, it ensures the production of textile (fiber), food (additives) industries, construction and mechanical engineering (plastics, paints, varnishes) and increases agricultural productivity (fertilizers).

Products of the chemical industry can be divided into items for industrial purposes, the output of which is about 60% (group “A”), and items of long-term or short-term personal use - 40% (group “B”).

The chemical industry maintained production volumes, managing to adapt to the needs of the foreign market, adapting to significant changes in the domestic market.

The approximate composition of products produced by the most important branches of the chemical industry is as follows:

The chemical industry itself: caustic soda, synthetic resins, plastics, paints and varnishes, etc.;

Mineral fertilizer industry: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium fertilizers, as well as chemical plant protection products;

Petrochemical industry: synthetic rubbers, ethylene, propylene, benzene and others.

By degree of influence of individual factors on the location of chemical production they can be divided into several groups.

IN first group includes industries gravitating towards sources of raw materials. This is typical for many chemical industries that consume a large amount of raw materials per unit of production or poorly transportable raw materials (for example, sulfuric acid). These production facilities are usually located as close as possible to sources of raw materials. These include the production of potash fertilizers, caustic and soda ash, synthetic dyes, some types of plastics and synthetic rubbers.

In second group unite industries gravitating towards fuel and energy resources. They are characterized by high consumption of fuel, thermal or electrical energy per 1 ton of product. These are the production of calcium carbide and cyanamide, many types of chemical and synthetic fibers, methanol, etc.

IN third group includes industries that gravitate towards areas where labor resources are concentrated. These industries are characterized by high labor intensity of their products and, as a social factor, should contribute to the fullest employment of the population in small and medium-sized cities. Such industries include enterprises for processing plastics, producing rubber products and tires, viscose and nylon fiber.

Fourth group constitute production areas gravitating towards areas of consumption. These include industries producing low-transportable products (acids, sponge rubber, hollow plastic products), as well as low-concentration substances (ammonia, liquid fertilizers, superphosphate and products for completing finished products).

Fifth group unites mixed production facilities that produce products for widespread consumption and use a variety of raw materials. The location of such production facilities is possible both near the raw material base and in areas where products are consumed.

It should be noted that this division is conditional, since many chemical production can be classified into different groups. In addition, when locating most chemical production facilities, it is necessary to take into account the availability of water resources and environmental factors.

The location of the chemical industry is influenced by the industry's production connections: intra- and inter-industry. The specificity of these connections is that the share of intra-industry consumption is quite high (40%), at the same time, chemical production products are used in almost all spheres of the national economy.

The established production hubs, the basis of which is the chemical industry, include the Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd, Kemerovo, Ufa, Salavat-Sterlitamak, Bereznikovsko-Solikamsk hubs.

Sulfuric acid industry. Sulfuric acid is widely used in the production of mineral fertilizers, in the metallurgical, oil refining, textile and food industries. The raw materials for producing sulfuric acid are sulfur pyrite (pyrite) and sulfur. Sulfuric acid is also produced from sulfur dioxide captured during sulfide ore smelting, sour crude oil refining, and desulfurization of coke oven and natural gas. Sulfuric acid plants are located at places of consumption due to the fact that the acid is poorly transportable. In a number of areas, the production of sulfuric acid is combined with basic production based on the use of their waste. For example, sulfuric acid is produced at the Sredneuralsk copper smelter, Chelyabinsk zinc, Volkhov aluminum and other non-ferrous metallurgy plants.

The sulfuric acid industry is developed in almost all economic regions. The most important enterprises for the production of sulfuric acid are located in the central regions (Voskresensky, Shchelkovsky, Novomoskovsky, Chernorechensky (Dzerzhinsk) plants) and in the Urals (Bereznikovsky, Perm plants).

Soda industry. Its products are used in the glass and chemical industries, as well as in non-ferrous metallurgy, the pulp and paper industry, textiles and household goods. It is located in the Perm region (Bereznikovsky plant), in Bashkortostan (Sterlitamak plant), in the Altai Territory (Mikhailovsky Soda Plant).

Production of mineral fertilizers (phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen). It is an important branch of the chemical industry. The main raw materials for the production of superphosphate are apatites and phosphorites. The largest enterprises in the superphosphate industry include the following chemical plants and combines: Apatit (Kola Peninsula), Voskresensky (Moscow region), Nevsky (St. Petersburg). Much attention is paid to the production of superphosphate in granular form and the production of concentrated phosphate fertilizers. A peculiarity in the location of the superphosphate industry is that most superphosphate plants operate on Khibiny apatites. This results in the transportation of huge quantities of raw materials over long distances. However, it should be borne in mind that Khibiny apatites, even in Siberia, are cheaper raw materials than local phosphorites.

The production of potash fertilizers is carried out by the Solikamsk and Bereznikovsky plants in the Urals.

Nitrogen industry. This industry has a wider distribution area. In the production of nitrogen fertilizers, the main raw material is ammonia, the starting elements for which are hydrogen and nitrogen. There are several ways to produce synthetic ammonia. Ammonia production by coke conversion requires large amounts of coal, and electrical production requires large amounts of energy. In this regard, ammonia production plants were previously located in areas of coal deposits or sources of cheap electricity. Currently, the nitrogen industry uses natural gas as a raw material (the technology for producing ammonia from natural gas is being widely introduced). This will ensure the most rational placement of the nitrogen fertilizer industry throughout the country, bring production closer to areas of consumption, and use local types of raw materials and cheap energy. Regions such as the Volga region, Western Siberia, and the North Caucasus have very favorable conditions for the development of this industry.

Large nitrogen-fertilizer enterprises were built in the most important coal and metallurgical centers. Based on the use of low grades of coal, the Bereznikovsky Chemical Plant in the Perm Region and the Novomoskovsk Chemical Plant in the Tula Region were built. Nitrogen fertilizer enterprises were built on the basis of coke oven gas in Kuzbass (Kemerovo Chemical Plant) and in the Urals. In combination with ferrous metallurgy, Lipetsk and Cherepovets also became centers for the production of nitrogen fertilizers. A nitrogen fertilizer plant was put into operation in the North Caucasus (Nevinnomyssk).

Production of synthetic rubber and rubber products, plastics and chemical fibers is the most important branch of chemistry of organic synthesis.

Enterprises for the production of synthetic rubber are located in St. Petersburg (“Red Triangle”), Moscow (“Kauchuk”), and a number of large factories have been built in Voronezh, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk and other cities. A rubber-asbestos plant was created in Yaroslavl.

Plastics are widely used in a wide variety of industries as substitutes for metals, as well as glass, wood and other materials. For the production of plastics, various hydrocarbon raw materials are used, obtained in the oil refining and coal processing industries, coke and chemical production, gas shale and wood chemical industries. Large plastics factories were built in the Central Economic Region (Moscow, Vladimir, Orekhovo-Zuevo) and in the North-West (St. Petersburg). New large plastics industry bases have been organized in the Volga region (Kazan, Volgograd), in the Urals (Nizhny Tagil, Ufa, Salavat, Yekaterinburg), in Western Siberia (Tyumen, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk), in the North Caucasus (Grozny) and in other areas of the country .

The geography of synthetic rubber production includes both old (Voronezh, Efremov, Yaroslavl) and new centers (Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, Sterlitamak, Volzhsk, Nizhnekamsk, Perm).

The production of artificial and synthetic fibers is concentrated in the Central and Northwestern regions. Their production plants are located in Tver, Ryazan, Balakovo (Saratov region), Barnaul; synthetic fiber factories - in Kursk, Krasnoyarsk, Volzhsky, Saratov.

  • The chemical industry is a major environmental polluter. Therefore, the air in the city of Berezniki is one of the most polluted in Russia. Khimprom plant in Ufa. Bashkiria.
  • Khibiny is a mountain range on the Kola Peninsula.
  • In the 90s In global rubber consumption, synthetic rubber accounts for almost 99%.

The chemical industry is a unique industry. They work real miracles here: they not only process natural resources, but also create fundamentally new types of raw materials that do not exist in nature. As a result, plastic products, detergents (laundry powders, bathtub cleaning liquid, etc.), plastic bags and much more appear on store shelves, without which it is difficult to imagine our lives.

People have learned to produce different products from one type of raw material. For example, oil is not only gasoline for cars, kerosene for airplanes, plastics, but even food products, such as fish caviar. It also happens the other way around: there is only one product, but you can get it in several ways. This is how synthetic rubber is produced, for example.

Chemical industry enterprises are divided into two large groups: basic chemical plants that produce minerals (fertilizers, acids, soda, dyes, explosives, etc.) and organic synthesis plants; which produce synthetic fibers, resins, plastics, rubber, caoutchouc and other substances.

BASIC CHEMISTRY. FROM FERTILIZERS TO ACIDS

Surprisingly, it is thanks to the chemical industry, which produces mainly artificial substances, that the most “natural” sector of the economy is developing - agriculture. When harvesting, along with grain, potatoes and other products, a person takes nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from the fields - chemical elements without which plants cannot live. They are called “biogenic (i.e., life-giving) elements.” In order for the harvest to be abundant, it is necessary to restore the “nutrient bank” of the soil. Mineral fertilizers, which are produced by the chemical industry, can help with this.

Our country produces nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. As a rule, each type combines two or three biogenic elements in different proportions. Such fertilizers are complex, or complex. They are much more profitable for agriculture than simple ones (with one element). However, they are named after their main nutrient.

Russia ranks fifth in the world in the production of mineral fertilizers (9.1 million tons in 1997). Potassium fertilizers are used the most. One of the world's largest deposits of potassium salts, Verkhnekamskoye, is located in the Western Cis-Urals. Large factories operate in the cities of Solikamsk and Berezniki, the products of which are expected not only in Russia, but also in other countries of the world.

The feedstock for nitrogen fertilizers is natural gas. Nitrogen plants operate in Cherepovets, Novgorod, Dzerzhinsk, Perm, Novomoskovsk. Sometimes the gas generated during the smelting of metals is used (the so-called coke basin), which is why the largest metallurgical plants in Cherepovets, Lipetsk, Novokuznetsk, and Nizhny Tagil include chemical plants.

Reserves of apatite (from which phosphate fertilizers are produced) in Russia are small. Large deposits are concentrated in the Khibiny Mountains, small deposits are scattered throughout the country. Plants for the production of phosphate fertilizers usually operate on a mixture of local raw materials and raw materials brought from the Khibiny.

Another important product of basic chemistry is sulfuric acid. It is needed by almost all industries, so its production volumes serve as a kind of indicator of the development of basic chemistry in the country. According to this indicator, Russia ranks fourth in the world after the USA, China and Japan (1997).

CHEMISTRY OF ORGANIC SYNTHESIS. AT THE EDGE OF SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS

In the 30s The designers of combat vehicles and aircraft were faced with a seemingly impossible task. To produce new types of military equipment, rubber was required, and it was this that was never available in Russia. Natural rubber was obtained from the juice of the Hevea plant, which grows only in South America. Very little natural rubber was produced in the world, and it was expensive. Russia could not afford to have the country's defense dependent on trees growing thousands of kilometers from its borders. Therefore, the government set the task for chemist scientists to create synthetic rubber, which in its properties is not inferior to natural rubber. In 1931, the first plant in the USSR for the production of synthetic rubber began operating based on the technology created by Sergei Vasilyevich Lebedev.

At first, rubber was obtained from alcohol and limestone. Therefore, the first factories were built in areas where there were a lot of cheap raw materials (for the production of alcohol) and cheap electricity (for processing limestone). In the 50s Almost all factories have switched to the most profitable raw materials - they are obtained from oil. Modern enterprises produce ordinary and special-purpose rubbers (most often for the military industry). There are rubbers that are insoluble in gasoline, cold-resistant, resistant to radioactive radiation, etc. Such rubbers are created in Kazan, Moscow, Sterlitamak, and ordinary ones - in Voronezh, Yaroslavl, Tolyatti, Krasnoyarsk. Rubber is used to make tires and various rubber products. Their production is very labor-intensive, so the number of workers in large factories reaches 5 thousand people. In Russia, tire factories operate in Moscow, Voronezh, Yaroslavl, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Tolyatti, Nizhnekamsk, Volzhsky, Kirov, Omsk, Barnaul, Krasnoyarsk, etc.

The world's production of plastics is rapidly growing - polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, thermoplastics, etc. These substances are produced from oil. The importance of polypropylene, the most common plastic in the world, is especially important. The technology for its production is very complex, so polypropylene was in short supply in Russia for a long time until they learned to make it at the Moscow Oil Refinery and the Tomsk Petrochemical Plant. Large plastics production plants are located in Nizhny Tagil, Novokuibyshevsk, Omsk, Angarsk, Volgograd, Dzerzhinsk. Russian chemical plants sell their products not only within the country, but also abroad.

A special place is occupied by fiberglass - a modern material for the aviation industry, marine shipbuilding and many other sectors of the country's economy. Fiberglass is made from especially pure quartz sand, adding some chemicals. The most famous centers for the production of glass thread and fiber in Russia are located in Novgorod, Gus-Khrustalny, and Syzran.

The production of synthetic and artificial fibers is of great importance for the Russian economy. Cotton is not grown in our country; it has to be imported from abroad. Flax fiber from domestic raw materials is of low quality. However, synthetic fibers are successfully replacing both flax and cotton. These fibers are used to make clothing, carpets and many other products. Artificial fibers are produced from cellulose - the basis for artificial silk. Chemical fiber is produced in Serpukhov, Ryazan, Kursk, Volzhsky, Kemerovo.

CHEMICAL INDUSTRY CENTERS

Mining and chemical factories and petrochemical plants producing plastics are built near the sites where raw materials are extracted. Factories that make tires and other rubber products typically employ several thousand people, so they are located in densely populated areas. Chemical production is often combined with a plant in another industry. For example, phosphate fertilizer factories are part of a copper smelter (since the ore containing this valuable non-ferrous metal contains a lot of phosphorus), and petrochemical enterprises are part of oil refineries.

In the Central Economic Region, plastics and chemical fibers are processed, mineral fertilizers are produced, as well as paints and household chemicals. The pharmaceutical industry is developed here. The largest centers of the chemical industry are Yaroslavl, Novomoskovsk, Ryazan.

In the North-Western economic region (St. Petersburg, Novgorod, Luga) there are many chemical enterprises that produce fertilizers, dyes, and household chemicals.

In the Volga region (Nizhnekamsk, Novo-Kuibyshevsk, Balakovo, Volzhsky) petrochemistry, production of plastics, rubber, tires, and chemical fibers are developed.

The Ural economic region (Perm, Salavat, Sterlitamak) stands out in Russia for the scale of development of coal chemistry, as well as petrochemistry. The region produces mineral fertilizers, soda, and plastics.

The basis of the chemical industry of Western Siberia is coal chemistry (Kemerovo, Novokuznetsk) and petrochemistry (Omsk, Tomsk and Tobolsk).

The economic crisis that gripped the country in the 90s could not but affect the chemical industry. Thus, in 1997, factories produced only half the volume of mineral fertilizers, sulfuric acid, synthetic resins and plastics that they could in principle produce. However, the Russian chemical industry is potentially capable of creating all the modern substances that the country needs.

The chemical industry is one of the most important sectors of the national economy.

The chemical industry includes the following main sectors: mining chemicals, basic chemistry, production of paints, varnishes, plastics, synthetic rubber and rubber products, production of chemical reagents and highly pure substances, photographic materials, production of organic products, chemical and pharmaceutical production.

Chemical products that are produced on an industrial scale for public consumption are varied.

The beginning of the production of basic chemical products in Europe (of course, in small quantities) should be dated back to the 15th century, when small specialized production of acids, alkalis and salts, various pharmaceuticals and some organic substances began to emerge.

In Russia, chemical production itself, which developed at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th centuries, was the production of saltpeter and gunpowder, as well as the production of soda and sulfuric acid.

And today, sulfuric acid is one of the most important chemical products, a necessary basis, in particular, for such an important branch of the national economy as the production of mineral fertilizers. Now it is produced at chemical plants by the contact method. In this case, oxidation occurs on a solid contact - a catalyst (see Catalysis). Platinum was first used as catalysts, then iron oxides, and now mainly vanadium oxides with various additives - a mixed catalyst. The starting material for the production of sulfuric acid is sulfur dioxide, formed, in particular, as a result of the combustion of sulfur pyrites.

The chemical industry in our country is based on a powerful raw material and fuel and energy base: unique apatite deposits on the Kola Peninsula, large reserves of phosphorites in Southern Kazakhstan (Karatau), Leningrad region and other areas, reserves of potassium salts in the Urals, Belarus and Ukraine, a number of deposits of sodium chloride - raw materials for the chlorine and soda industries, etc. Petrochemical raw materials - oil refining products, natural gas - are also widely used.

Branches of the chemical industry are found in all major economic regions of our country and are represented by a large number of production associations: mining and chemical - Apatit, Karatau, Uralkali, Belaruskali; for the production of mineral fertilizers - Nevinnomysskoye, Novomoskovskoye, Voskresenskoye, etc.

Chemicalization of the national economy is one of the main directions of scientific and technological progress, characterized by the introduction of chemical methods, processes and materials into various sectors of the national economy. It contributes to solving important socio-economic, scientific and technical problems: the production of new, more advanced means of production and consumer goods, and increasing the efficiency of social production. Therefore, national economic plans provide for rapid growth of the chemical industry. Thus, in the twelfth five-year plan (1985-1990), the volume of production in this industry will increase by 30-32%.

Chemicalization ensures the expansion of the raw material base of industry, saving natural resources, improving the quality and range of materials and products, reducing the costs of their production, and the use of effective production methods. For example, in the future, the role of chemicalization in expanding the fuel and energy base will increase due to the widespread introduction of various methods of coal processing, the use of products such as methanol and carbon as motor fuel, etc. In the metallurgical industry, methods of chemical technology are used ( oxygen blasting, metal enrichment, etc.). In mechanical engineering, plastics are widely used as structural, insulating, decorative and other materials, etc. In construction, structures made of plastics, synthetic rubber, etc. are widely used.

The improvement of chemical technology, which makes it possible to create substances with predetermined properties, determines the accelerated development of the production of modern engineering plastics and other polymer materials.

The production of household chemicals, paints and varnishes, dyes, textile auxiliaries, film and photographic materials, and chemical fibers is developing.

The development of the chemical industry is closely related to the increase in agricultural production. One of the most important tasks of the chemical industry is to provide agriculture with mineral fertilizers, chemical feed additives, and chemical plant protection products. The plans for the thirteenth five-year plan plan to increase the production of mineral fertilizers to 41-43 million tons in 1990, and chemical plant protection products to 440-480 thousand tons.

Each chemical production has its own characteristics, its own technology, and its own prospects. But what is common and characteristic of the modern chemical industry is the intensive development of all its branches, the use of the latest achievements of science and technology for its development.

The main directions of scientific and technological progress in the chemical industry are as follows:

1) development of highly efficient technological processes that ensure comprehensive and more complete use of raw materials and energy resources;

2) further consolidation of the capacity of units and technological lines based on new technology, wider use of progressive technological processes, mechanization and automation means;

3) creation of highly effective methods for treating wastewater and atmospheric emissions;

4) development and widespread introduction into industry of automated control systems for technological processes, production and individual enterprises;

5) expanding the range of products both through new types and through modification of old ones;

6) improving product quality.

The development of the chemical industry is determined to a large extent by the improvement of chemical technology, without which it is impossible to increase labor productivity and at the same time improve the quality of products and reduce their cost.

The most important direction in the development of chemical technology is increasing the productivity and intensity of operation of devices; it can be achieved by increasing the size or improving the operation of devices, and often by a combination of both.

The mechanization of labor-intensive processes, that is, the replacement of human physical labor with machine labor, is one of the main tasks of the chemical industry. In most chemical plants, the main operations are mechanized, but the stages of loading raw materials, unloading products, and transporting materials are not always mechanized.

In the chemical industry, due to its harmfulness, the use of automation and remote control of production processes has become very important, namely the use of devices that allow the production process to be carried out without the direct participation of a person, only under his control. Automation is the highest level of mechanization. Remote control is incomplete automation when a person controls the process from a distance, for example from a control panel. Of particular importance is complex automation using electronic computers, which receive information about the progress of the chemical process from various measuring instruments, and also establish optimal conditions and give commands to the executing devices. Thus, the chemical industry includes cybernetics - the science of management. One of the pressing tasks in the development of chemical technology is the widespread use of automated production technology control systems - automated process control systems.

Replacing batch production processes with continuous ones is also an important direction in the development of chemical technology. A periodic process is a process where a portion of raw materials is loaded into a machine, goes through a number of processing stages, and then all the resulting substances are unloaded.

From unloading the product to loading a new portion of raw materials, the machine does not work. With this process, automation is difficult, since the operating mode of the device changes. At the same time, energy costs increase, and therefore many periodic processes are being replaced by continuous ones. Continuous is a process in which the supply of raw materials to the apparatus and the output of products are carried out continuously or in systematic portions over a long period of time. The equipment is not idle, the productivity of the devices increases. This process is easier to automate. Currently, most industrial chemical processes are carried out continuously.

Integrated automation and mechanization of chemical production, the introduction of automated control systems, and the replacement of periodic production processes with continuous ones served as the basis for the creation of large enterprises for the production of fertilizers, chemical fibers and threads, synthetic resins and plastics, organic synthesis products and production associations in the modern chemical industry.

The chemical industry is one of the most important sectors of the world economy, thanks to which the full-fledged operation of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, construction, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and the food industry is ensured. In the modern world, the importance of the chemical industry is very great, since its achievements significantly make people's lives easier.

general characteristics

The chemical industry is based on the processing of raw materials by chemical methods. The basic materials used in this industry are oil and various minerals. Thanks to it, people have the opportunity to use plastic and plastic products, fertilizers for agriculture, medicines, household chemicals and cosmetics, and much more in their everyday lives.

Rice. 1. Household chemicals.

Many industries need chemical products, thanks to which the industry is actively developing. The chemical industry is of particular importance for agriculture, automotive industry and construction.

The beginning of the development of the chemical industry is considered to be the beginning of the 17th century, when the industrial revolution took place. Before this, chemistry - the “science of substances” - developed extremely slowly, and only when people learned to apply their knowledge in practice, everything changed. The very first product of the chemical industry was sulfuric acid, which still remains the most important component in the chemical industry.

Rice. 2. Sulfuric acid.

This industry is characterized by the following features:

  • Using a large amount of raw materials to make products. This especially applies to rubber, plastic, soda, and fertilizers.
  • Chemical industry materials are very diverse.
  • High level of energy costs.
  • Low labor intensity combined with the need for highly qualified specialists.
  • Large capital investment. The operation of chemical enterprises is impossible without complex structures and mechanisms.
  • Complex industry structure.
  • Environmental problems associated with the manufacture of chemical products.

Chemical industries

The global chemical industry includes many different areas. Currently, there are more than two hundred different sub-sectors and industries, and the range of its products reaches one million types.

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The main branches of the chemical industry are:

  • Mining and Chemical - extraction, processing and enrichment of sulfur, phosphorites and various salts.
  • Basic - production of inorganic substances (fertilizers, acids, soda).
  • Polymer materials industry - based on organic synthesis and includes production and processing of various polymers (plastic, resin, rubber).

During the era of the scientific and technological revolution, the greatest development in the chemical industry was the production of polymer materials. Semi-finished petrochemical products are used as raw materials for these products. Polymers are an essential component of industry and construction.

Rice. 3. Plastic production.

Ecology conservation

The active development of the chemical industry has led to the construction of a large number of production facilities in large and medium-sized settlements around the world.

At the same time, only a small number of enterprises are equipped with low-waste or completely waste-free technologies and modern treatment facilities. All this has led to the emergence of a difficult environmental situation, especially in developing countries where little attention is paid to environmental protection.

To improve the environmental situation in the technological processes of the chemical industry, it is necessary to timely introduce the following techniques :

  • reduction and oxidation using oxygen and nitrogen;
  • membrane technology, thanks to which gas mixtures are separated from liquids;
  • biotechnology;
  • electrochemical methods.

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While studying the topic “Chemical Industry”, we learned how much influence the chemical industry has on the development of many important industries. We found out what main features it has and what industries it consists of.

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Russia and includes chemical and petrochemical industry, subdivided into many industries and industries, as well as the microbiological industry. It provides the production of acids, alkalis, mineral fertilizers, various polymer materials, dyes, household chemicals, varnishes and paints, rubber-asbestos, photochemical and chemical-pharmaceutical products.

The chemical and petrochemical industries are characterized by features, the combination of which makes these industries unique in the breadth of economic use of their products. On the one hand, the complex’s products are used as raw materials in all industries (medical, microbiological, radio engineering, space, woodworking, light), in agriculture and transport. On the other hand, the process of processing chemical and petrochemical raw materials into the final product includes a large number of technological stages of processing, which determines a large share of intra-industry consumption.

The volume of goods shipped by type of economic activity “Chemical production” in 2007 amounted to 67% of the output of manufacturing industries. There are 7.6 thousand enterprises in the industry, employing more than 500 thousand people.

The volume of investments in fixed capital of the chemical complex from all sources of financing has increased 6.7 times since 2000. External investments during this period exceeded $3.7 billion, although the payback period for a large chemical project is 13-26 years.

The current location of the chemical complex has a number of features:

  • high concentration of enterprises in the European part of Russia;
  • concentration of chemical industry centers in areas that are deficient in water and energy resources, but concentrating the bulk of the population and production potential;
  • territorial discrepancy between the areas of production and consumption of chemical industry products;
  • the raw material base of the industry, which is differentiated depending on the natural and economic specifics of individual regions of the country.

The chemical industry plays the most important role in the economy of the Volga region, the Volga-Vyatka region, the Central Black Earth Region, the Urals and the Center. The industry is even more important in the economy of individual regions, where it serves as the basis for the formation of the economy of these territories - in the Novgorod, Tula, Perm regions and Tatarstan.

Products of the Russian chemical complex are in great demand abroad. In 2007, the volume of exports of chemical and petrochemical products amounted to $20.8 billion, or 5.9% of the total exports of the Russian Federation.

The development and location of the chemical complex is determined by the influence of a number of factors

Raw material factor has a huge impact on the location of all sectors of the chemical complex, and is decisive for the mining and chemical industry and the production of potash fertilizers. In the cost of finished products, the share of raw materials for individual production ranges from 40 to 90%, which is due either to high consumption rates or to their value.

Energy factor is especially important for the polymer materials industry and certain branches of basic chemistry. The chemical complex consumes about 1/5 of the energy resources used in industry. The production of synthetic rubber, phosphorus by electric sublimation and nitrogen fertilizers by water electrolysis is characterized by increased electrical capacity, and the soda industry is characterized by significant fuel consumption.

Water factor plays a special role when locating enterprises of the chemical complex, since water is used both for auxiliary purposes and as a raw material. Water consumption in the chemical industry varies from 50 m3 in the production of chlorine to 6000 m3 in the production of chemical fibers.

Consumer factor taken into account when locating, first of all, branches of basic chemistry - the production of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers, sulfuric acid, as well as highly specialized enterprises producing varnishes, paints, and pharmaceutical products.

Labor factor influences the location of labor-intensive industries of the chemical complex, which include the production of chemical fibers and plastics.

Environmental factor until recently, was not sufficiently taken into account when locating enterprises of the chemical complex. However, this particular industry is one of the main environmental polluters among industrial sectors (almost 30% of the volume of polluted industrial wastewater). Therefore, the main and determining factor for the further development and placement of the industry is the transformation of traditional technologies into low-waste and resource-saving ones, the creation of closed technological cycles with full use of raw materials and not generating waste beyond their scope.

Infrastructure factor, which involves the preparation and arrangement of the territory for industrial development, is especially important when locating industrial enterprises, mainly in areas of new development.

Composition of the chemical complex

As part of the chemical complex, one can distinguish the mining and chemical industry associated with the extraction of primary chemical raw materials, basic chemistry, which ensures the production of mineral fertilizers, sulfuric acid and soda, and the polymer materials industry (including organic synthesis).

The mining and chemical industry ranks third in terms of production volume and includes the extraction of apatites, phosphorites, potassium and table salts, native sulfur, boron, chalk, etc. The reserves of chemical raw materials in Russia, which are raw materials for the production of mineral fertilizers, are significant - in terms of potash resources salts and phosphate raw materials (apatites and phosphorites), the country ranks first in the world. The main reserves of chemical raw materials are concentrated in the European part of the country. No large and profitable deposits have yet been identified in the Eastern zone.

The structure of phosphate raw material reserves is dominated by apatite ores, where the Khibiny group in the Murmansk region plays the main role. Almost 90% of the country's proven reserves of potassium salts are concentrated in the Verkhnekamskoye deposit in the Perm Territory, where the extraction of this raw material is entirely carried out in Russia. Table salts are represented in the Volga region, the Urals, Western and Eastern Siberia, the Far East, deposits of sulfur and sulfur pyrites are in the Urals.

Fertilizer production

Basic chemistry occupies a leading place in the chemical complex in terms of production volume. Its main industry is the mineral fertilizer industry, which includes the production nitrogen, phosphate and potassium fertilizers. In the structure of production of mineral fertilizers, approximately the same share (more than 2/5) is accounted for by potassium and nitrogen fertilizers, and 1/6 by phosphate fertilizers. In the cost of production of mineral fertilizers, the costs of feedstock, natural gas, electricity and transport account for approximately 70-80%.

The territorial organization of mineral fertilizer production has not undergone any changes over the past decade. As before, more than 95% of the production of mineral fertilizers is concentrated in the Western zone of the country, where the importance of the Urals has increased even more (2/5 of all-Russian production) against the backdrop of a reduction in the role of the Center, the North-West, the Volga region, and the Volga-Vyatka region.

Modern nitrogen industry is based on the synthesis and subsequent processing of ammonia, in the cost of which almost 50% of the costs come from natural gas (as raw materials and fuel). At the same time, the determining factor in location is either the presence of gas resources in the area (Nevinnomyssk in the North Caucasus), or consumers of finished products - agriculture - and enterprises are located along the routes of main gas pipelines (Novomoskovsk in Central, Novgorod in North-West, Dzerzhinsk in Volgo-Vyatka areas). When using coke oven gas, which is formed during the coking of coal, as a raw material, enterprises for the production of nitrogen fertilizers are built either in coal basins (Kemerovo, Angarsk) or near full-cycle metallurgical plants (Magnitogorsk, Nizhny Tagil, Lipetsk, Cherepovets).

Potash fertilizers Produced at mining and chemical industry enterprises, they combine the extraction and enrichment of potash ores. On the basis of the Verkhnekamsk deposit, potash fertilizers are produced at two large enterprises in Solikamsk and Berezniki in the Perm Territory.

Production phosphate fertilizers based on the acid processing of phosphate raw materials (phosphorites and apatites) and is carried out at 19 enterprises located in almost all European regions of the country, including the Urals. The determining factor in location is the presence of a consumer, so enterprises are built mainly in agricultural areas: Kingisepp (North-West), Voskresensk, Novomoskovsk (Center), Uvarovo (Central Black Earth Region), Balakovo (Volga Region), Krasnouralsk (Ural).

The sulfuric acid industry produces products that are widely used, especially in the production of phosphate fertilizers. Sulfuric acid production is concentrated in the European part of the country; the main regions remain the European North, the Urals and the Center, which provide almost 2/3 of the total Russian output, slightly less - 1/5 - are provided by the Volga region and the North-West.

A distinctive feature of the soda industry is its attraction to raw materials - deposits of table salt. The production of caustic and soda ash is material-intensive (up to 5 m3 of salt brine is consumed to produce 1 ton of finished product), auxiliary materials are widely used here (about 1.5 tons of limestone per 1 ton of finished product) and fuel and energy resources. The leading areas of concentration of the soda industry are the Volga region, the Urals, Eastern Siberia and the Volga-Vyatka region, which account for over 9/10 of the all-Russian production of caustic and soda ash.

The polymer materials industry ranks second in the chemical complex in terms of production volume and includes organic synthesis (production of hydrocarbon raw materials based on oil, gas and coke chemistry), polymer chemistry developing on its basis (production of synthetic rubber, synthetic resins and plastics, chemical fibers ), as well as processing of polymer products (production of rubber products, tires, plastic products).

The development and deployment of organic synthesis is due to a significant and widespread raw material base, which removes territorial restrictions for the industry. Initially, organic synthesis relied on raw materials of wood and agricultural origin, coal, and was introduced in Kuzbass, the Moscow region, the Urals, as well as in European regions that consumed finished products. Now the determining factor is the availability of oil and gas raw materials.

Among the branches of polymer chemistry, the largest in scale is the industry of synthetic resins and plastics, which suffered less than others during the period of market transformations of the economy; its production volume decreased by 1/5. The availability of hydrocarbon petrochemical raw materials determines the location of the industry and production approaches petrochemical plants located in oil production areas or along oil and gas pipeline routes.

The expected shifts in the location of the industry in the Eastern zone did not occur. Over the past 15 years, the share of eastern regions in the all-Russian production of synthetic resins and plastics has decreased from 31 to 26% and the role of the Volga region (Novokuibyshevsk, Volgograd, Volzhsky, Kazan) and the Urals (Ufa, Salavat, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Tagil) has increased, which in 2007 provided the production of more than 2/5 of the industry's finished products. The situation remains stable in the largest consumption area - Central, where large enterprises operate in Moscow, Ryazan, Yaroslavl.

Chemical fiber industry and threads ranks second in terms of the volume of polymer chemistry products produced and includes the production of artificial (from cellulose) and synthetic fibers (from petroleum products).

The industry of chemical fibers and threads is characterized by high consumption rates of raw materials, water, fuel and energy and is focused on the textile industry regions - Central (Tver, Shuya, Klin, Serpukhov), Volga region (Balakovo, Saratov, Engels). In the east, large enterprises operate in Krasnoyarsk, Barnaul, Kemerovo.

The synthetic rubber industry occupies a special place, since the world's first enterprises based on food raw materials were built in the early 1930s of the twentieth century. in Central Russia. The transition to hydrocarbon raw materials led to the construction of new plants in the Volga region, the Urals, and Western Siberia.

In addition to high material intensity, the industry is characterized by significant electrical intensity (almost 3 thousand kW/h per 1 ton of synthetic rubber) and is characterized by a certain territorial dispersion. Almost 2/3 of synthetic rubber production occurs in the European part, where the Volga region (Kazan, Tolyatti, Nizhnekamsk) remains the leading region. Production volumes are significant in the Central (Moscow, Yaroslavl), Central Black Earth (Voronezh) and Ural (Ufa, Sterlitamak, Perm) regions. In the east, Omsk (Western Siberia) and Krasnoyarsk (Eastern Siberia) remain major producers of synthetic rubber.

Taking into account the resource endowment of individual territories and the capabilities of the processing industry, the following economic regions of Russia are distinguished by large complexes of the chemical industry:
  • The center, where polymer chemistry predominates (production of synthetic rubber, plastics, chemical fibers), is distinguished by the production of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, sulfuric acid, dyes and varnishes;
  • the Urals, where all types of mineral fertilizers, soda, sulfuric acid, as well as synthetic alcohol, synthetic rubber, plastics from oil and associated gases are produced;
  • North-West supplies phosphate fertilizers, sulfuric acid, polymer chemical products (synthetic resins, plastics, chemical fibers) to the all-Russian market;
  • The Volga region produces a variety of polymer products based on organic synthesis (synthetic rubber, chemical fibers);
  • The North Caucasus is developing the production of nitrogen fertilizers, organic synthesis, synthetic resins and plastics;
  • Siberia (Western and Eastern) is characterized by the development of the chemistry of organic synthesis and polymer chemistry, and the production of nitrogen fertilizers.