Research for industry

Abstract

Petrochemical production accounts for a 6% of global energy consumption. Although this seems like a small percentage, in absolute numbers it is close to 30 EJ, i.e. 3 9 10 J. Consequently, industrial application of petrochemical research has a meaningful impact on the global economy and on the environment. Although the justification for petrochemical research in both industry and academia is clear, one may rightfully ask: why do we need yet another journal? The answer lies in the name: Applied Petrochemical Research. There are journals dealing with the many disciplines that support petrochemical research, such as catalysis, conversion chemistry, chemical engineering and material science. There are also journals dealing with the products from petrochemical research, such as polymers, lubricants and pharmaceuticals. However, applied petrochemical research requires integration across disciplines and products, even though studies may focus on only specific aspects. Applied studies do not have the same resolution of detail as discipline specific studies, but the relevance of applied studies is immediately apparent to practitioners that want to translate the research into actual processes and products. By its nature, Applied Petrochemical Research is home to multiand inter-disciplinary research dealing with petrochemicals, as well as single discipline studies that are of a more applied nature.