PETROCHEMICALS & EPCAA PASSIONATE JOURNEY - MAJOR INDUSTRY MILESTONES

50 YEARS

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PRIOR TO 1960 1960s 1980s1970s

1913 Ea r l y 1950s 1956 1957

1950 1950s 1956 1958

1960 198019701960s 1980 -198819721964 19831973-19741965 19851976 19761968 19851969 19891979-1980

1960s 198019711963 1980s19731965 198319751967 198519761969 1988 1989/1990

1977 1970s/1980s

1990s 2000s 2010s

1991 1997-20041992 20031993 2005 2006 2008 2009 2009

1990-1991

20021992 20051996 2006 2007 2008 2009

2010s 2012 2014 2016

2011 2013 2015 2016

PRIOR TO 1960Click to go to the periodCONTENT

50 YEARS

PRIOR TO 19601990s 2000s1960s 1980s 2010s1970s

1913 1991 1997-2004Ea r l y 1950s 1992 20031956 1993 20051957 2006 2008 2009 2009

1950 1990-1991

20021950s 1992 20051956 1996 2006 2007 2008 20091958

1960 1980 2010s19701960s 1980 -1988 201219721964 1983 20141973-19741965 1985 20161976 19761968 19851969 19891979-1980

1960s 1980 201119711963 1980s 201319731965 1983 201519751967 1985 201619761969 1988 1989/1990

1977 1970s/1980s

50 YEARS

BASF commercializes ammonia synthesis as Haber-Bosch process (1)

The mission of the vessel Gateway City marks the onset of the contemporary containership era (2)

World plastics production accounts for an annual 1.5 million tonnes

The development of noble metal catalysts enables catalytic processes

Container pioneer Malcom McLean starts the multimodal transport revolution by putting the “Ideal X”, the first containership with a capacity load of 56 trailers, into service

The Treaty of Rome signed on 25 March 1957 between Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and The Netherlands leads to the founding of the European Economic Community effective 1 January 1958

PRIOR TO 1960

1913Various hydrotreating processes are being developed

Ea r l y 1950sM. King Hubbert creates the Peak Oil Theory

1956 1957

1950 1950s 1956 1958

1 2

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PRIOR TO 1960 1990s 2000s1960s

1980s 2010s1970s

1913 1991 1997-2004Ea r l y 1950s 1992 20031956 1993 20051957 2006 2008 2009 2009

1950 1990-1991

20021950s 1992 20051956 1996 2006 2007 2008 20091958

1960 1980 2010s19701960s 1980 -1988 201219721964 1983 20141973-19741965 1985 20161976 19761968 19851969 19891979-1980

1960s 1980 201119711963 1980s 201319731965 1983 201519751967 1985 201619761969 1988 1989/1990

1977 1970s/1980s

50 YEARS

1960s

The development of geophysics provides methods for exploring oil resources below the surface of the Earth

Giulio Natta and Karl Ziegler are jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discoveries in polyolefins technology and catalysts

DuPont researcher Stephanie Kowlek invents an aramid fibre to be named Kevlar

The European Petrochemical Association (EPCA) is founded at the inaugural meeting in Deauville, France (3)

British Petroleum (now BP) makes major oil find in Alaska and Phillips Petroleum strikes oil in the North Sea

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is founded

1960 The introduction of synthetic crystalline zeolites increases activity, stability, and selectivity of catalysts for catalytic cracking

1960sChemists develop acrylic paints, which dry more quickly than previous paints and drip and blister less

1964Bottles made from polyvinyl chloride gain market share

1965Plastics are used in the world’s first “personal computer” developed by Hewlett-Packard (model 9100A) (4)

1968Polycarbonate is used during the Apollo 11 mission for the visors of the Astronauts’ spacesuit helmets, thus helping to enable the first manned Moon landing (5)

1969

1960s 1963 1965 1967 1969

3 4 5

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PRIOR TO 1960 1990s 2000s1960s 1980s 2010s1970s

1913 1991 1997-2004Ea r l y 1950s 1992 20031956 1993 20051957 2006 2008 2009 2009

1950 1990-1991

20021950s 1992 20051956 1996 2006 2007 2008 20091958

1960 1980 2010s19701960s 1980 -1988 201219721964 1983 20141973-19741965 1985 20161976 19761968 19851969 19891979-1980

1960s 1980 201119711963 1980s 201319731965 1983 201519751967 1985 201619761969 1988 1989/1990

1977 1970s/1980s

50 YEARS

1970s

Shell and Exxon discover the Brent oil and gas field in the North Sea, 186 kilometres north-east of the Shetland Islands (6)

Nathaniel C. Wyeth, a DuPont engineer, receives a patent for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) beverage bottles

McDonald’s starts using polystyrene to package its hamburgers

At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, hockey matches are played on nylon synthetic turf for the first time. Today, petrochemical-derived synthetics also play an important role in the manufacture of athletics tracks, tennis courts, netball and basketball courts, and artificial turf for football and rugby fields (7)

Researchers discover electrically conducting organic polymers. This leads to the development of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), solar cells, and displays on mobile phones, tablet PCs and TV screens

Large refinery complexes are erected on the coasts of oil exporting regions (8)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is formed In the USA

1970The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) is established

1972Refinery capacities are reduced as a consequence of the first worldwide crude oil price hike

1973-1974Global plastics production reaches 50 million tonnes annually

1976MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) is first produced as a byproduct at Chemische Werke Huels, Germany. It is commonly used as a fuel additive to replace lead

1976The second worldwide crude oil price hike again leads to a reduction of global refinery capacities

1979-1980

1971 1973 1975 1976 1977 1970s/1980s

6 7 8

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PRIOR TO 1960 1990s 2000s1960s1980s

2010s1970s

1913 1991 1997-2004Ea r l y 1950s 1992 20031956 1993 20051957 2006 2008 2009 2009

1950 1990-1991

20021950s 1992 20051956 1996 2006 2007 2008 20091958

1960 1980 2010s19701960s 1980 -1988 201219721964 1983 20141973-19741965 1985 20161976 19761968 19851969 19891979-1980

1960s 1980 201119711963 1980s 201319731965 1983 201519751967 1985 201619761969 1988 1989/1990

1977 1970s/1980s

50 YEARS

1980s

Development of superabsorbent polymers for use in baby diapers (9)

The first synthetic biodegradable polymers are introduced

Eastman Chemical opens first coal-to-chemicals facility to produce acetyl chemicals

Low oil prices lead to the cancellation of the “Synfuels” project in the US, designed to develop alternative energy sources based on coal or oil shales

DuPont starts production of liquid-crystalline polymers

Coming down of the Berlin Wall and fall of the Iron Curtain

The US Supreme Court rules that General Electric can patent a microbe used for oil cleanup

1980The Iran-Iraq War has a major influence on the global oil production

1980-1988Global consumption of plastics for the first time exceeds the consumption of steel

1983Launch from Canada of the Responsible Care Initiative of the chemical industry that drives continuous improvement in Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) performance on a global scale (10)

1985

Richard Smalley and Harold Kroto discover “Buckyballs”, a soccer ball like molecule made of 60 carbon atoms (11)

1985

Global plastics production reaches 100 million tonnes annually

1989

1980 1980s 1983 1985 1988 1989/1990

9 10 11

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PRIOR TO 19601990s

2000s1960s 1980s 2010s1970s

1913 1991 1997-2004Ea r l y 1950s 1992 20031956 1993 20051957 2006 2008 2009 2009

1950 1990-1991

20021950s 1992 20051956 1996 2006 2007 2008 20091958

1960 1980 2010s19701960s 1980 -1988 201219721964 1983 20141973-19741965 1985 20161976 19761968 19851969 19891979-1980

1960s 1980 201119711963 1980s 201319731965 1983 201519751967 1985 201619761969 1988 1989/1990

1977 1970s/1980s

50 YEARS

1990s

First Gulf War The Australian Government introduces plastic $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills (13)

Troll offshore platform begins collecting natural gas off the Norwegian coast. At 369 meters tall (most submerged) it is one of the world’s largest structures

The Soviet Union formally dissolves

1991Signing of the Treaty of Maastricht establishing the European Union as a successor to the European Economic Community

1992Polycarbonate replaces glass in cars’ head lamps (12)

1993

1990-1991 1992 1996

12 13

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PRIOR TO 1960 1990s2000s

1960s 1980s 2010s1970s

1913 1991 1997-2004Ea r l y 1950s 1992 20031956 1993 20051957 2006 2008 2009 2009

1950 1990-1991

20021950s 1992 20051956 1996 2006 2007 2008 20091958

1960 1980 2010s19701960s 1980 -1988 201219721964 1983 20141973-19741965 1985 20161976 19761968 19851969 19891979-1980

1960s 1980 201119711963 1980s 201319731965 1983 201519751967 1985 201619761969 1988 1989/1990

1977 1970s/1980s

50 YEARS

2000s

Second Gulf War

Global plastics production reaches 200 million tonnes annually (14)

Launch of the European Emissions Trading System (ETS) for trading greenhouse gas emissions allowances

50 years after the departure of the first container ship “Ideal X”, capacity of modern vessels passes the 9,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) mark (15)

REACH, the European legislation on Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals, comes into force

Economic recession triggered by a global financial crisis in September 2008 hits the chemical industry hard as end markets such as construction, automotive and electronics experience steep demand declines

The Treaty of Lisbon on the functioning of the European Union takes effect 1 December

Doubling of refining capacities in India, China and Australia

1997-2004 2003 European plastics industry initiates the “Zero Plastics to Landfill by 2020” project

2005 Launch of the Responsible Care Global Charter at the first UN International Conference on Chemical Management, extending Responsible Care to Sustainable Development

2006

Drastic increase in crude oil prices

2008 Mercedes Benz presents an armoured version of its E class equipped with aramid fibre (Kevlar) armour (16)

2009

China becomes the world’s second-largest petrochemicals producer

2009

2002 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

14 15 16

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PRIOR TO 1960 1990s 2000s1960s 1980s 2010s1970s

1913 1991 1997-2004Ea r l y 1950s 1992 20031956 1993 20051957 2006 2008 2009 2009

1950 1990-1991

20021950s 1992 20051956 1996 2006 2007 2008 20091958

1960 1980 2010s19701960s 1980 -1988 201219721964 1983 20141973-19741965 1985 20161976 19761968 19851969 19891979-1980

1960s 1980 201119711963 1980s 201319731965 1983 201519751967 1985 201619761969 1988 1989/1990

1977 1970s/1980s

50 YEARS

2010s

International Year of Chemistry (IYC). EPCA becomes a global partner of UNESCO and a partner of European SchoolNet (EUN). This is the kick-off of EPCA’s involvement in education activities promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as well as gender and diversity inclusion

Global plastics production reaches 300 million tonnes annually

In modern cars, petrochemical-based plastics comprise 15-20 percent of the total weight and replace about 300 kg of traditional materials, thus improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions

European plastics industry debates Marine Litter Solutions, starts “Zero Plastics to the Oceans” initiative

The EPCA 50th Anniversary Annual Meeting themed “50 Years of Global Chemical Industry Evolution: What’s Next?” debates the future of the industry. Youth education and talent and diversity inclusion for safeguarding a bright future are part of the discussions (17)

Successful shale fracking makes the USA independent of hydrocarbon imports and turns the USA into the hydrocarbon “swing producer” instead

2010s Massive petrochemical investments are announced in the United States as a result of the shale gas boom

2012Reliance Industries opens the world’s largest refinery complex to date in Jamnagar, India, with a production capacity of 1,240,000 barrels per day

2014The ultra-lightweight, photovoltaic-energy-powered airplane Solar Impulse 2 completed the first round-the-world flight without using a single drop of fuel (17)

2016

2011 2013 2015 2016 2016/LOOK ING AHEAD

17

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EPCA is the quality network in Europe for the global chemical business

community consisting of chemical producers, their suppliers, customers and service providers. It operates for and through more than 700 member companies from 53 different countries that represent an aggregate turnover of over €4.4 trillion and employing over 5.6 million people. EPCA serves as the platform to meet, exchange information and transfer learning, as well as a think tank for its members and its stakeholders. EPCA – The European Petrochemical Association A.I.S.B.L./I.V.Z.W.Avenue de Tervueren 270 Tervurenlaan / 1150 Brussels / BelgiumT + 32 2 741 86 60 / F + 32 2 741 86 80www.epca.eu

Belgian Crossroads Bank for Enterprises n˚ 0408.299.922© EPCA, 2016

All photos © EPCA except those specified here:

BASF: Timeline, BP: Cover, Fotolia: Timeline, Hapag-Lloyd: Cover, Hewlett-Packard: Timeline, Mercedes Benz: Timeline, NASA: Timeline, Sevenseasvessels.com: Timeline, Shutterstock: Cover, Solar Impulse: Cover, Timeline, Solvay: Cover, Wacker: Timeline