Lives with chemicals

The chemicals has brought many of the big scientific advances that, from finals of the 19th century, have allowed the progress of our society. Decisive findings to combat the illness, like the antibiotics or the anaesthesia and also, daily objects that do us the easiest life, like the DVD or the saccharine. The chemical industry also forms part of the answer to the big challenges of the future.

Live in a world with chemicals, and any daily act, although unobserved pass, puts us in contact with her. It takes part in routine gestures like giving a shower: the pipe that drives the water, the bath, the containers, the cosmetic products or the toothbrush, all are done with diverse plastics, a derivative material of the oil through chemical processes.

The list of applications is interminable. In a so sensitive matter like the hygiene vial, the helmet of the motociclistas, the airbag of the vehicle, the belt of hygiene or the liquid of brakes are resulted of industrial developments of the chemicals. “The chemicals of Repsol is present in the confort, in the transport, in the containers and packagings, in the construction…”, explains Jesús Guinea, executive director of Chemicals of Repsol. “The prime matter that produce transforms in thousands of products that do that our lives are more confortables and safe”.

Between the most surprising innovations is the manufacture of materials with ‘memory', like the foam viscoelástica obtained from the poliuretano, pertinent of the refinado of the oil. With the foam of poliuretano manufacture mattresses that change his properties according to the temperature and adapt the body dissipating the pressesure, what improves our rest. Another intelligent ‘material' finds in the clothes elaborated with synthetic fibres of poliuretano microporoso, that repels the liquids and does not crease .

“Repsol also is present in the containers and packagings that employ for the conservation and transport of foods. For example, the polietileno of high density uses in the manufacture of bottles of milk ‘tricapa' for the aseptic packaging, lengthening the date of caducity of the bottle until five months”, continues Jesús Guinea. In Europe, more than 50% of the commodities have packagings of plastic that, in addition to preserving the content, are much lighter that other materials, what favours besides a more efficient transport.

“Also in our homes, there is abundant material that comes from of the chemicals” like the pipes of plastic employed for the drinkable water and the gas, manufactured with polietileno of high density and that guarantee the estanqueidad of the network. “The saving of power of the pipe of plastic for water regarding the elaborated with traditional materials is of 32%. And in the pipes for gas, reaches 70%”.

“The plastics contribute of positive way to improve the environingingment”, continues Guinea. A house of 200 square metres with isolation of poliuretano in walls and ceiling, consumes 800 litres less than fuel to the year and reduces the energetic bill 40%. Something particularly notable in the coldest countries of the world developed, where almost the fourth part of the consumption of power allocates to systems of heating.

The chemicals also is behind a lot of elements that make possible the development of the renewable energies. The photovoltaic cells of the solar panels employ derivative chemists, like the crystalline silicon. And the big sails of the ‘mills of wind' that generate the wind power are manufactured with polyester reinforced with fibre of glass, more resistant and light that other materials like the ironinging.