Oil

Although crude oil can seldom be used directly, it can be refined in many different ways, making it an extremely versatile, hard-to-replace energy, at least for now, in a number of applications.

Commercial products made by our refineries and petrochemical plants include automotive fuels, lubricants, fuel oil, solvents, waxes, paraffin and asphalt, as well as polymers, plastics and molecules for use in pharmaceuticals, personal care products and cosmetics.

We are a world leader in refining and petrochemicals, which are usually tightly integrated because of their natural synergies.

Continually adjusting our refining base

The four major steps in refining - distillation of the crude oil, chemical conversion to change the size and/or structure of molecules, treatment and blending - involve increasingly complex processes meant to enhance technical performance while reducing environmental footprint.

Upstream end, today's crude supply requires increasingly elaborate refining. Downstream, demand is concentrated on light products and is migrating to new markets, most predominantly in Asia. Midstream between the two is refining, the linchpin of the oil industry. We are Western Europe's leading refiner, with 25 refineries worldwide, and continually adjust our refining base to adapt it to the properties of present and future oil, to changes in the marketplace, and to evolving business and consumer expectations.

An integrated global petrochemicals business

Part of our Chemicals business, Total Petrochemicals is active across the petrochemical chain. Its plants break oil and gas down into simple molecules and then reassemble them into various products, especially polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene, which are the building blocks for plastics.

Integration with related industries is a decisive factor in the petrochemicals field. And refining tops the list, because naphtha, an oil derivative, is still the feedstock for most of today's processes. Integration with gas production is also important, because its byproduct ethane provides an alternative that is expected to grow in popularity.

Building on these natural synergies with our other businesses, we continue to upgrade our plants and leverage our world-class hubs to solidify our positions in both mature markets and Asia's fast-growing ones. At the same time, we are securing the future of an industry that will be more carbon efficient and less fossil-resource dependent, by developing next-generation plastics.

Petrochemicals, from oil to polymers