What are the uses of paraxylene?

Paraxylene is used as the basic raw material for the manufacturing process of other types of industrial chemicals and polymers. Chemicals like purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and dimethyl-terephthalate (DMT) use paraxylene as their raw material. These chemicals are used for the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) solid-state resins, polyester fibers, and PET film. These chemicals are used for manufacturing a commonly used synthetic fiber called polyester which has a wide number of applications.

PET is a strong, lightweight and shatter-resistant material hence it is used to manufacture plastic containers for water and other liquid beverages. The strong carbon dioxide barrier properties help to keep the frizz of carbonated drinks intact, hence it is also used for storing carbonated beverages. Due to a large number of properties of PET, it is also used for making films of magnetic tapes, photographic film, electrical insulation, packaging materials, etc.

Paraxylene has a huge application in the gasoline pool for octane value enhancement. Hence the global market of paraxylene is highly affected by high-octane gasoline consumption.