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The
chemical industry is a keystone of the U.S. economy, converting
raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, minerals) into
more than 70,000 different products. Few goods are manufactured
without some input from the chemical industry. Chemicals are used
to make a wide variety of consumer goods, as well as thousands of
products that are
essential inputs to agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and
service industries. Major industrial customers include rubber and
plastic products, textiles, apparel, petroleum refining, pulp and
paper, and primary metals. [ACC
2002]
Chemicals is nearly a $1.67 trillion global enterprise, and the
U.S. chemical industry is the world's largest producer. [ACC
2001] There are over 9,500 chemical firms with more than 13,000
facilities operating in the United States. The industry records
large trade surpluses and employs almost 900,000 people in the United
States alone. The chemical industry is also the second largest consumer
of energy in manufacturing and spends over $3 billion annually on
pollution abatement. [ACC
2002, CMA 1998] The broad North American Industry Classification
(NAICS) for the industry is NAICS 325 and encompasses many 6-
and 7-digit NAICS categories.
Chemical shipments are nearly $440 billion annually.
Chemicals is the second largest industrial user
of energy.
Texas, New Jersey, Louisiana, North Carolina,
and Illinois are the nation's top chemical producers.
Distillation, catalytic, and electrochemical
reactors are the workhorses of the industry.
4.9% of chemical facilities conduct energy management
activities.
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