petrochemical

noun pet·ro·chem·i·cal \ ˌpe-trō-ˈke-mi-kəl \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Definition of petrochemical

: a chemical isolated or derived from petroleum or natural gas

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petrochemistry

play \ˌpe-trō-ˈke-mə-strē\ noun

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Recent Examples of petrochemical from the Web

Ethane is used in plastics production and as a petrochemical feedstock.

— rye druzin, Houston Chronicle, "$550 million Texas natural gas project gets tax abatements from Nueces County," 13 July 2018
Vietnamese tailors mixed with Indian petrochemical engineers.

— The Economist, "Demography is not destinyBuilding a multiracial coalition is more difficult than it seems," 12 July 2018
His mother was once the mayor of Milan, his father the scion of a petrochemical conglomerate based in Sardinia.

— steff yotka, Vogue, "Redemption Takes on Rock 'n' Roll at Its Parisian Couture Show," 9 July 2018
Both companies produce industrial and agricultural chemicals, and have significant petrochemical interests.

— stella yifan xie and trefor moss, WSJ, "China’s Chemical Giants to Share a Chairman, Signaling a Merger," 2 July 2018
Catalonia especially benefitted, attracting international tourists and migrants from elsewhere in Spain looking for work in the machinery, textiles, automotive or petrochemical industries.

— elaine heinzman, Smithsonian, "How Soup Nourishes Barcelona’s Tradition of Welcoming Immigrants," 30 June 2018
Saudi Arabia is already a leading refiner of crude and has long made basic petrochemicals.

— The Economist, "Breaking the curseWhy Gulf economies struggle to wean themselves off oil," 21 June 2018
Birmingham left home at 14, ultimately attending the University of Southern California and working as a petrochemical engineer.

— lynn elber, The Christian Science Monitor, "TV series 'Yellowstone' showcases Native American actors," 20 June 2018
Boltex Manufacturing of Houston, which makes parts for the auto and petrochemical industries, wants permission to keep importing specialized steel from Italy.

— david j. lynch, chicagotribune.com, "Flood of U.S. companies seek relief on tariffs," 20 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'petrochemical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.