About This Course

The petrochemical industry produces chemicals using oil and natural gas as major raw materials and it occupies an important position in Canada's manufacturing and consuming sectors. Oil and natural gas are composed primarily of hydrocarbons. Most petrochemicals contain hydrogen or carbon or both. Petrochemicals can be converted into thousands of industrial and consumer products, including plastics, paints, rubber, fertilizers, detergents, oil field chemicals, dyes, textiles, solvents, etc.

Most petrochemical plants are located near oil-producing and oil-refining centers or near natural-gas sources and transmission pipelines. Canada's petrochemical plants are concentrated in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, but plants are also present in most other provinces.

This course will present an analysis of the three main centers of petrochemical production in Canada and will put in context the role played by production centers in the rest of the provinces. The course will also provide an understanding of the Canadian petrochemical industry within the North American region and will explain the changing role of the North American industry within the context of the global petrochemical industry.