Hydrocarbon Processing - September 2022 - 53

History of the HPI
these chemists, HDPE and PP have produced
new products used extensively in
many different applications, raising the
standard of living for people around the
globe. Since being discovered in the 1950s,
both PP and HDPE have witnessed their
market value surge over the past 70 yr,
eclipsing $100 B and $70 B, respectively.
Commercialization of polycarbonate
and emulsion technology. Although
first discovered in the late 1890s,
polycarbonate did not find commercial
use until the late 1950s. The polymer was
first created by German chemist Alfred
Einhorn while working at the University
of Munich in 1898. Dr. Einhorn is best
known for synthesizing the local anesthetic
procaine, which became known
as Novocain, a numbing agent primarily
used in dental procedures-prior to his
discovery, cocaine was a commonly used
local anesthetic which had undesirable
side effects, including toxicity and addiction.78,79
According
to literature, Dr. Einhorn
was attempting to synthesize cyclic
carbonates and produced polycarbonate
by reacting hydroquinone with phosgene.78
However,
no commercial use was
found for this material.
Approximately 30 yr later, Wallace
Carothers and his research team at DuPont
created polycarbonates while working
on the development of polyesters and
nylon. An account of these discoveries-
polyesters and nylon 66-are detailed in
the 1930s segment. However, Carothers'
team did not find a commercial use for
the produced polycarbonates.
In 1953, a commercial use for polycarbonates
was discovered almost simultaneously
in two different parts of the
world-this year also marked the first
iteration of the Petrochemicals Process
Handbook (published in the November
issue of Petroleum Refiner, the forerunner
to Hydrocarbon Processing), which
detailed emerging petrochemical processes.
While researching polycarbonates
at Bayer's (the company's Material Science
division became Covestro in 2015)
research and development laboratories
in Uerdingen, Germany, Dr. Herman
Schnell created the first linear polycarbonate.80
Approximately
1 wk later, Dr.
Daniel Fox also discovered the same
compound while conducting research on
new wire-insulating material at General
Electric (GE) in Schenectady, New York
FIG. 4. The RW-300 computer system, foreground, was used to enhance operations at Texaco's
Port Arthur refinery's 1,600-bpd polymerization plant. In the background, Texaco engineers and
TRW personnel check control charts. Photo courtesy of Business Week.
Hydrocarbon Processing's Centennial Anniversary | SEPTEMBER 2022 53
(U.S.).81
Both Schnell's and Fox's polymer
were chemically the same but differed
structurally-i.e., Schnell's polymer was
a linear polycarbonate and Fox's polymer
was a branched material.78,81
Both Bayer and GE filed for U.S. patents
in 1955, leading to legal challenges
on the rightful owner of the technology.
Bayer was awarded the patent; however,
the two companies agreed that the patent
holder would grant a license for an appropriate
royalty. This agreement allowed
both companies to develop and market
their own polycarbonate technology.82
Bayer began marketing their product in
1958 under the trade name Makrolon.
GE began commercial production in
1960 and marketed their product under
the name Lexan-the GE Plastics division
was created in 1973, later being
acquired by the Saudi Arabian chemical
company Saudi Basic Industries Corp.
(SABIC) in 2007; SABIC divested the
subsidiary (known as the Polymershapes
business) in 2016.83
Over the next nearly 70 yr, polycarbonate
has evolved and is used in a multitude
of products for everyday life. The
tough plastic is used in many applications
that require transparency and high impact
resistance. These include in the production
of windows, protective eye wear,
electronic components (e.g., electrical
and telecommunications hardware), construction
materials, materials within the
automotive and aviation industries, and
other niche market applications.81
The
late
1940s/early 1950s
also
witnessed the advancement of acrylic
emulsion technology. The technology

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