THE NEW ALCHEMY

can you help me rule one fun [Music] we live in the age of oil [Music] oil powers our lives drives our machines moves our goods brings us light and warmth oil is the heartbeat of our world but oil is also reshaping our lives through a new industry an industry which reshaped soil itself [Music] crude oil formed from marine life deposited on the beds of ancient seas millions of years ago contains the elements carbon and hydrogen by manipulating by subjecting them to extremes of temperature and pressure we create new substances feedstocks for the mass manufacture of a vast variety of products which improve our living standards and enhance the quality of life giant furnaces compressors reactors and fractionating columns crack and reform the oils molecules turning them into new liquids gases Tadas granules day and night deep within each plant they monitor adjust control [Applause] [Music] they read the walls as we read a book or a musician reads a score they are the new alchemists the modern sorceress for this is an Aladdin's cave and these it's treasures ethanol acrylonitrile acetone methanol cumene isopropanol styrene polyvinyl chloride polystyrene polyethylene polypropylene and many more [Music] bridgid x polyethylene granules fed under pressure are transformed into a familiar plastic film [Music] the same granules can be extruded as a viscous translucent fluid butadiene an accrual of nitrile processed when poured into an extruder emerged as a synthetic rubber [Music] and sell in many different forms the precious elixirs leave for other places where other how come it will transform them into the stuff from which our lives are made our homes our clothes our cars our dreams [Music] in factories throughout the world our dreams are becoming realities by the magic of chemistry threads is finest silk once reserved for the rich alone are now available to us all novels core tell apparently acronym Dacron all on Perl on and many others man-made fibres can be knitted or woven as easily as silk cotton or wool they've reduced the need for vast areas of land the world over for rearing sheep and grilling cotton but petrochemicals are not mere substitutes they're often far superior to traditional materials many are completely new highly desirable in their own right [Music] more subtle colors have been brought into our lives by petrochemical based dyes giving fabric designers greater freedom to create for a myriad different styles and tastes [Music] fabrics and carpets are more durable and easier to clean than ever before and so our wallpapers and floor coverings [Music] today almost all the clothes we wear contain petrochemical fibers natural fibers alone could not possibly meet our needs even the most everyday things need no longer be drab and uninteresting just because they're reasonably priced [Music] where women pioneered men follow the man in the street is far better dressed than his father or grandfather not only necessities but luxuries too furs for everyone and frills as well elegance is now within the reach of all [Music] to own a car was also once a luxury for the few now they're part of most people's lives production in their millions has only been made possible by petrochemicals quick-drying hard-wearing vinyl acrylic paints by now roofs and treatment polypropylene fans and components butyl rubber ARMA see seats polyurethane copies poly acrylonitrile fascia phenol formaldehyde butadiene polymers for Tots more do more alive such man-made materials meet demands of quality and quantity that natural rubber could never set [Music] [Applause] Plastics molded and blue extruded and pressed unending possibilities of shape and color lighter brighter products for industry and the ha [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] remember chipped enamel bowls cracked earthenware jugs rusty wire strainers heavy metal trays and iron pans [Music] remember leaking drain pipes ill-fitting joints I am guttering shabby and in need of paint those days are gone forever [Music] the art of perfumer is as old as ancient China blends of Attar of roses musk patchouli civet spices a chemical spirit ether alcohol gives modern perfumes the assurance of lasting fragrance [Music] it's cosmetics to depend on petrochemicals for texture and plasticity plastics have revolutionized modern design non-playing Records owe their existence to polyvinylchloride television and radio cassette players and cassettes all opening the door to a richer world of music and entertainment [Music] [Applause] [Music] our children are born into a bright new life new materials give new substance to age-old fantasies [Music] [Applause] new style games for grownups to sports equipment and the clothes to go with it a strong light keeping warmth in and weather out [Music] some sports could never have been invented without petrochemical others have been brought within the reach of a far wider public [Music] our modern world depends on communications polyvinylchloride insulates the wires that weave a wind bringing people and nations together polyethylene protects deep-sea cables from the relentless attack of the edge [Music] new packaging materials have revolutionized food retailing traditional packaging required vast areas of forest to provide paper and cardboard an extravagant use of Natural Resources today our food is better protected and preserved and we enjoy a wider choice and a fuller fresher and more there it died to grow more and better food our chemists have given us pesticides and fungicides they have created fertilizers to enrich our soil [Music] protection for crops and protection for the air we breathe society must strike a balance between its material demands and its desire for a better environment the petrochemical industry has always taken a lead in protecting our environment it is a young industry which prides itself on its social conscience [Music] in the neighborhood of every factory air samples are regularly collected for detailed analysis microphones continually monitor noise intensity which is recorded and checked three miles out to sea from a coastal Factory scientists maintain constant checks on the water samples are taken from close to the seabed further samples are taken near the surface the effect on marine life are studied [Music] petrochemicals in modern myths have transformed our lives we enjoy a standard of health never dreamed of by our aunts most of our preventive and curative powers have petrochemical ingredients antibiotic capsules and serums contain petrol chemical solvents in surgery petrochemicals are indispensable [Music] the majority of our equipment is made of rigid or flexible plastics so amost of the replacement parts fitted into patients bodies an elderly man gets new mobility with a plastic kneecap [Applause] the petrochemical revolution in Europe is only 25 years old the age of this young mother as her baby boy grows up what will the next 25 years bring in further improvements to his surroundings and his physical well-being we'll eat go to the moon run a three-minute mile what will his home be like what will he wear eat and drink and drive about it in 25 years time what new wonders will the alchemists of the petrochemical industry create to enrich life in the 21st century [Music] [Applause] [Music]