Petrochemist

Earnings (Yearly Median): $87,180 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023)

Employment and Outlook: 6% (Faster than average)

O*NET-SOC Code: 19-2031.00

Related Career Cluster(s): Manufacturing; Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources; Education & Training

Scope of Work

Petrochemists are concerned with the production of bulk petrochemicals and their intermediaries. Petrochemicals are defined by their derivation from hydrocarbon sources, namely crude oil, natural gas, or liquefied petroleum. Some petrochemicals, such as ammonia, are inorganic, meaning they are not carbon-based, but they are still derived from the processing of hydrocarbons. Petrochemists work primarily in the oil and gas industry, particularly in connection with refineries and stand-alone petrochemical plants such as ethylene crackers or in academia.

Petrochemists seek to optimize the production of the most desirable petrochemicals and research new petrochemical applications. Because petrochemicals are the basic feedstock for polymers—that is, plastics and synthetic fibers—and for most specialty chemicals, their production is of great commercial importance. Petrochemists work closely with chemical engineers to design processes that maximize the output of desired petrochemicals. In academia and industry, petrochemists look for innovative ways to create petrochemicals and find new applications.

Education and Coursework

Work as a petrochemist requires at least a bachelor of science degree. In high school, students interested in a career in petrochemistry should take many science classes at the highest levels offered. Students should also take laboratory classes. Solid skills in mathematics, computer science, English, and communications should be acquired. Mineralogy and geology classes, if offered at the high school level, are good opportunities to learn more about the most common basis of petrochemicals—oil and gas.

Undergraduate students should pursue a bachelor of science degree in chemistry while gaining a broad general education in the sciences. In chemistry, students should take core analytical, organic, inorganic, physical, and materials chemistry classes. A course in polymer chemistry, such as one focusing on the organic chemistry of polymers, should be taken. Because petrochemists in the industry often work in teams with other scientists, students should take physics, geology, and biology courses. A practical understanding of mathematics and computer science should be acquired, too. Some engineering knowledge helps one understand the work of chemical and petroleum engineers. The same is true for materials science, biochemistry, and synthetic chemistry. Taking general education classes in economics is good preparation for a job in the industry.

Career Enhancement and Training

Typically, petrochemists do not require a special license to perform their work. Many petrochemists join the American Chemical Association or become members of the American Petroleum Institute. Conferences and seminars organized by professional associations and many other academic or industry-sponsored conferences provide ideal platforms for petrochemists to network and keep abreast of employment and professional development opportunities.

After graduating from school, petrochemists traditionally must choose whether to work for the petrochemical industry or stay in academia. Some also become government employees, typically in research positions.

Petrochemists’ careers focus on developing profitable petrochemical applications and process solutions and performing laboratory work to create economic value. Here, work experience and performance is the key to professional success. According to the ACS, median salaries for those with a BS degree double, with fifteen to nineteen years of work experience in the petrochemical industry. However, this trend will depend on the petrochemical industry's overall economic shape and the individual's professional success.

In government positions, the ACS found petrochemists, like other chemists, tended to see their median salary double after about ten to fourteen years of experience. The leveling of salaries could set in after twenty-five years of experience.

Academia emphasizes the publication of original research work. Here, the traditional career ladder should lead to tenure and full professorship. Academic salaries, which are lower than those for industry and government positions, double fifteen to nineteen years after one obtains an undergraduate degree.

Daily Tasks and Technology

Most petrochemists spend considerable time in laboratories, where they typically work with teams of scientists. The type of laboratory work depends on the employment sector. In the petrochemical industry, the emphasis is on analyzing currently produced petrochemicals and designing experiments leading to improved yield, better quality, and more economical production. Petrochemists also perform laboratory experiments to test new applications and their economic viability. In government agencies, laboratory work can focus on determining the environmental safety of petrochemicals and examining the possible health and environmental hazards. In academia, laboratory work emphasizes original research, a widening knowledge of petrochemical characteristics, and the discovery of new compounds and applications, initially regardless of economic considerations.

Industry petrochemists may visit petrochemical production sites (such as aromatics extraction plants at a refinery), observe processes there, and take samples back to their laboratory. Increasingly, they rely on computer modeling to optimize or innovate petrochemical production. They may also be required to present their findings at managerial meetings of their company. Faculty petrochemists interact with their undergraduate and graduate students in academia by teaching and performing experiments. Academic petrochemists spend some time pursuing government grants to support their research teams.

Petrochemists employ the full range of contemporary laboratory and computer equipment in the sciences. Centrifuges, pumps, lasers, spectrometers, and titration and distillation equipment are particularly important. Standard chemical tools such as Erlenmeyer flasks and test tubes are used with highly sophisticated scientific computer software.

Earnings and Employment Outlook

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects employment for chemists, including petrochemists, to grow by 6 percent from 2022 to 2032, as fast as average across occupations. The BLS also reported that in 2022, chemists working in the petroleum and coal products manufacturing industries earned an annual mean wage of $81,810, while chemists working in oil and gas extraction earned as much as twenty thousand more each year.

Related Occupations

• Chemical Engineers: Chemical engineers design production processes for chemicals, including petrochemicals. They are highly valued because chemistry is a process industry, and intelligent engineering solutions can make a substantial economic difference.

• Petroleum Engineers:Petroleum engineers develop engineering solutions to extract oil and natural gas from new or mature deposits. They are among the most highly paid science professionals.

• Petroleum Geologists: Petroleum geologists utilize their knowledge of geology to aid in the exploration of new deposits of oil and natural gas.

• Materials Scientists: Materials scientists analyze the structure and properties of existing materials to develop new or improved products, often combining materials to form new compounds. In materials science, researchers use chemistry and applied physics to contribute to developing nanotechnology.

Future Applications

There has been a strong tendency to increase the value generated from processing hydrocarbons such as oil and gas, which has led to a marked interest in advances in petrochemistry. Nanoscience and nanotechnology have developed rapidly in the field of petrochemistry, looking for new applications following the production of classic bulk petrochemicals. Nanoscience and nanotechnology provide a rich field for further research and development in both the academic and the industrial sectors.

The petrochemical industry is shifting to a more global base than ever before. Petrochemists should consider non-US-based appointments in the industry. Additionally, the domestic shift in the United States toward academic employment depends on federal funding of research; if this funding should decrease, universities could not sustain their chemistry faculty levels.

Many forecasters calculate there will be a balance between domestic industry cutbacks and the need to research new petrochemical applications. Most have no doubt that the coming decades will see great innovations in petrochemistry. This would continue the development of significant new applications, a trend similar to that in the field of polycarbonates.

Bibliography

“19-2031.00 – Chemists.” O*NET OnLine. National Center for O*NET Development, 9 Aug. 2024, www.onetonline.org/link/summary/19-2031.00. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.

“Chemists and Materials Scientists.” Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor, 17 Apr. 2024, www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/chemists-and-materials-scientists.htm. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.

“Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 19-2031 Chemists.” Occupational Employment Statistics. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, 3 Apr. 2024, www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes192031.htm. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.