Factors of production location are a condition of any process, in our case the location of enterprises. Unlike principles, they express objective processes (little dependent on our will). Among the factors the following groups can be distinguished:
1. Technical and economic factors (related to scientific and technological progress (STP) and the scientific revolution, new technologies, in particular, gas sales were determined by the possibility of laying a gas pipeline, but technical progress made it possible to expand markets for natural gas through the export of liquefied gas (Near East-Japan, Algeria-France).
The technical and economic factors of enterprise location are determined by scientific and technological progress and rational forms of production organization. In close connection with scientific and technological progress is the social organization of production, which appears in such forms as concentration, specialization, cooperation and combination. The concentration of production affects the location of enterprises, which is carried out, first of all, so that large enterprises have the accompanying infrastructure. Along with the consolidation of the size of enterprises, the circle of suppliers of the means of production necessary for them and consumers of the products they produce is expanding.
For large enterprises, the choice of locations, measures to create infrastructure, etc. becomes much more complicated. The importance of the transport factor increases when justifying the location of an enterprise.
- 2. Raw material factors, which can be expressed through such indicators as material intensity (provision of materials), fuel intensity, metal intensity, energy intensity, water intensity.
- 3. Natural factors. Related, among other things, to the discovery of new deposits. (Diamonds - example: Arkhangelsk region, Lipetsk region. Jewelry purple diamonds. Development of this deposit can change the diamond market).
Natural factors include environmental factors - ecology increasingly influences the location of production: (KMA, Chernobyl).
- 5. Social factors of placement. They are determined by the living conditions in a given territory (examples: not so long ago in Russia, some territories were declared a free economic zone, but social factors were not up to par. For example, the infrastructure of Ingushetia).
- 6. Political factors (Offshore in Ingushetia-Chechnya).
- 7. Military-strategic factors - deployment that strengthens the border.
Placement factors are more stable than principles, although they change. They can also be studied in the spectra of inertia, when the Russian economy has enormous inertia and can only be restructured after decades.
We can note the factors of activation and restrictions on the location of enterprises. Factors act in a complex manner (for example, natural, environmental factors and those related to the location of the population and labor resources).
It is also important to take into account that in economic theory there are not many theories of enterprise location that can be used in practice, and even fewer that have been applied in practice.
Below is a classification of industrial sectors of the economy, taking into account the factors of enterprise location.
The first group of this classification includes industries located in areas of high concentration of labor resources. These include instrument making, the electrical industry, a number of light industries (textiles, knitwear, clothing), pharmaceuticals, and the production of plastic products.
The second group includes those that economically gravitate towards markets for their products. These are the food industry (partially), the production of bricks, reinforced concrete products and others.
The third group includes industries located primarily near sources of raw materials: mining industry; industries processing large-tonnage raw materials (ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, pulp and paper industry); food, as related to the processing of poorly transportable raw materials (sugar, canning), cotton ginning.
The fourth group includes industries that gravitate towards areas of cheap electrical energy: the production of aluminum, ferroalloys, non-ferrous metals and others.
The fifth group includes industries that gravitate towards fuel sources: thermal power plants, chemical industries and others.
The sixth group includes industries that, by their nature, do not have a clearly defined orientation: a number of mechanical engineering industries and others.
The sectoral structure of Russian industry is characterized by the following features: firstly, the predominance of industries for the extraction and processing of fuel and raw materials; secondly, the low share of industries focused on the direct needs of the population; thirdly, the high share of military-industrial complex sectors.
Russia's place in the international division of labor is determined by the fuel and energy complex, metallurgy, and the military-industrial complex.
Industrial location is a spatial form of production development. Industrial development factors are a set of conditions and factors that determine the specific location of any production. These factors include:
- 1) natural conditions and resources play a decisive role in the location of the mining and fuel industries;
- 2) socio-economic factors determine the geography of population distribution and territorial concentration;
- 3) technical and economic factors determine the costs of production and sales of raw materials, materials and finished products. These include: material intensity, water intensity, energy intensity, labor intensity, knowledge intensity, capital intensity, capital intensity, transport, profitability;
- 4) organizational and economic factors determine the specifics of production, cooperation and combination of production;
- 5) economic and geographical location;
- 6) features of socio-historical development.
Currently, the ranking of the main factors of production has the following form: fuel and energy factor, fuel and raw material factor, attraction to labor resources, orientation towards areas of consumption of finished products, the possibility of developing cooperation, attraction to scientific centers.
A characteristic feature of the modern structure of the Russian national economy is the presence of not only sectoral, but also inter-industry complexes. The process of strengthening production ties and integrating different stages of production is increasingly underway. Intersectoral production (complexes) arise and develop both within a single sector of the national economy and between sectors that have close technological connections.
Such inter-industry complexes have emerged as fuel and energy, metallurgical, mechanical engineering, chemical and forestry, construction, agro-industrial, and transport. The agro-industrial and construction complexes, which include different sectors of the national economy, have a more complex structure.
In the conditions of formation and development of market relations, infrastructure is becoming increasingly important. Infrastructure is a set of material resources that provides production and social needs. Depending on the functions performed, production and social infrastructure are distinguished.
The production infrastructure continues the production process in the sphere of circulation and creates new value.
It includes transport, communications, warehouse and packaging facilities, logistics, engineering structures, heating mains, water supply, communications and networks, gas and oil pipelines, irrigation systems, etc.
Social infrastructure includes passenger transport, a communication system for serving the population, and public utilities in urban and rural settlements.
Infrastructure plays a huge role not only in the efficient support of the production process, but also in the development of the social and living sphere of the population, as well as in the development of the complexity of the national economy and in the development of new territories.
The formation of a market economy in the Russian Federation is accompanied by the development of market infrastructure. Commodity, stock, and currency exchanges are created and developed; The number of commercial banks in various regions of Russia is increasing.
The differentiation of the structure of the national economic complex of the Russian Federation is characterized by the division of large industries into simple industries and sub-sectors. The differentiation is especially pronounced in industry, where there are 11 consolidated industries, 150 simple industries and over 300 sub-sectors.
The territorial structure is understood as the division of the national economic system into territorial units - zones, districts of different levels, industrial centers, nodes. It changes much more slowly than the sectoral structure, since its main elements are more closely tied to a specific territory. The territorial structure serves as the basis for the territorial organization of the economy. The development of new territories with unique natural resources changes the structure of individual regions and contributes to the formation of new territorial complexes. The establishment of a market economy in Russia requires solving the most important problem - improving its sectoral structure, which is characterized by a high share of the fuel and raw materials industries with a relatively low share of the high-tech, knowledge-intensive industry sector, which clearly does not correspond to the structure of the economy of the highly developed countries of the world.
Production location factors
Under production location factors we understand the conditions that make it possible to establish the optimal location for the location of one or another type of social production (industry, agriculture, transport or an individual enterprise).
There are three groups of factors influencing the territorial location of social production: a) natural factors; b) demographic factors; c) economic factors.
To the group natural factors production location include: raw materials, agroclimatic, land (soil), plant, geomorphological, hydrological, environmental and others. The raw material factor of production location, depending on the characteristics of the resources used, is divided into private factors (water, ore, fuel).
The water factor is extremely important for the location of water-intensive industries and agriculture. Water-intensive industries - textile, pulp and paper, hydrolysis, oil refining, aluminum, copper industry, production of synthetic fibers, thermal power engineering) - always gravitate towards large sources of fresh water (rivers, lakes, reservoirs). Moreover, some branches of the chemical industry use water not only for auxiliary purposes, but also as a raw material. The development of crop and livestock farming, especially in the arid southern regions of Russia, is unthinkable without watering and irrigating fields, orchards, vegetable gardens, hayfields and pastures.
The ore factor, that is, the presence of ferrous, non-ferrous, rare and precious metal ores, as well as ores of chemical raw materials and building materials, completely influences the location of mining industries (mining and mining chemical industries, non-metallic raw materials and building materials industries).
The fuel factor, that is, the availability of fuel (primarily oil, gas and coal) resources, has a decisive influence on the location of the relevant branches of the fuel industry.
The agroclimatic factor dominates in the placement of numerous sectors and sub-sectors of agricultural production, and the land factor dominates mainly in the placement of crop production sectors.
The plant factor plays a significant role in the territorial location of forest industry enterprises. The location of various branches of livestock farming depends on the plant factor (that is, on the presence of natural forage lands of various types - reindeer, steppe and semi-desert pastures, floodplain meadows and hayfields).
The geomorphological factor is especially important for branches of the construction complex, since any type of construction (industrial and transport construction, urban planning) is preceded by a detailed study of the features of the relief and relief-forming rocks.
The hydrological factor is also taken into account during construction, but this factor acquires the greatest importance when calculating the water content of rivers to select the optimal location for the construction of hydroelectric power stations and the creation of their cascades.
The environmental factor is associated with a comprehensive assessment of the changes that may occur in the natural environment after the commissioning of an industrial, transport or agro-industrial facility. Currently, in our country, before the construction of various production and non-production infrastructure facilities, an environmental assessment is mandatory.
To the group demographic factors production location include: the total number of permanent population and its average annual growth, the number of labor resources and the degree of provision with labor resources, the gender and age structure of labor resources, the availability of qualified personnel, settlement systems, population density.
Naturally, when designing and constructing large economic facilities, it is necessary to take into account the demographic situation in the region. To do this, it is important to know the total number of permanent population and annual quantitative growth, the number and reproduction of labor resources, and the degree of provision of the region with labor resources. A combined analysis of labor and resource factors makes it possible to determine whether the region in which the construction of large economic facilities is planned belongs to the labor-deficient, labor-sufficient or labor-surplus categories. In this regard, measures are taken or not taken to expand social infrastructure (construction of public utilities, healthcare, education, culture and services).
The availability of qualified personnel is a factor in the location of production, which is becoming increasingly important with the development of the scientific and technological revolution. Science-intensive and high-tech industries are strictly “tied” to large centers of technical culture and places where skilled labor is concentrated.
Knowledge of the gender and age composition of the labor force makes it possible to establish the region’s current and potential supply of male and female labor force by age group, which is important for the balanced development of heavy and light industries.
We will show the importance of the factors of the gender structure of the population, the settlement system and population density using the example of the central non-chernozem provinces of European Russia. In the XIX - early XX centuries. Rural settlement and high rural population density dominated here, and the gender structure was dominated by the female population. All these factors together determined the development of flax farming in them - a labor-intensive branch of agriculture with a significant participation of manual (mostly female) labor. The development of the textile industry in these provinces is also largely due to the high proportion of females (the latter circumstance is reminiscent of the words from a popular Soviet song that Ivanovo is a city of brides).
The qualitative improvement of the region's demographic indicators is closely related to the development of social infrastructure.
To the group economic factors The location of production includes: transport-geographical, energy, cost, consumer, level of development of scientific and technological progress (STP), level of development of production and social infrastructure.
The transport-geographical factor determines the degree of transport accessibility and security of the territory (density of land and waterways, transport and throughput capacity, degree of congestion, cost of freight and passenger transportation, etc.). This factor is taken into account when placing all sectors of the country’s economic complex.
The transport and geographical factor can radically influence the location of production. We have already given an example of the location of large metallurgical plants in Cherepovets due to the beneficial TGP. In Soviet times, the transport and geographical factor determined the construction of Atommash and Energomash, large power engineering enterprises in Volgodonsk (Rostov region).
Let us give another example of the direct impact of the transport-geographical factor - thanks to the development of oil pipeline transport, large oil refineries arose in areas where their own oil is not produced at all: along the lines of main oil pipelines (in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Omsk, Ryazan, Yaroslavl) and their endings (in Angarsk, Kirishi, Tuapse).
The role of the energy factor, associated with the orientation of social production towards sources of electricity, decreased somewhat during the period of accelerated development of scientific and technical progress. The main reason is the creation of high-voltage power lines and powerful energy systems that make it possible to transfer significant amounts of electricity over vast distances (from places of production to places of consumption). However, NTP has not completely eliminated the dependence on locating energy-intensive industries close to large energy facilities, since when transmitting electricity over long distances, a considerable part of it is irretrievably lost for technical reasons.
Energy-intensive industries - ferroalloy, aluminum, magnesium and nickel production - are sources of mass and cheap electricity (in these industries, from 12 to 40 thousand kWh of electricity are consumed to produce 1 ton of products). For example, aluminum production in Krasnoyarsk and Volgograd is based on cheap electricity from the Krasnoyarsk and Volzhskaya hydroelectric power stations. The production of ferroalloys in Chelyabinsk is based on electricity transmitted from the powerful Yuzhno-Uralskaya GRES, in Novokuznetsk - on electricity from the Yuzhno-Kuzbasskaya GRES, and in Serov - from the Serovskaya GRES. Nickel production in polar Norilsk is based on electricity supplied from the Ust-Khantayskaya hydroelectric power station and thermal power plant running on natural gas from the Messoyakha deposit.
The cost factor involves calculating the volume of capital investments required for the construction of a particular economic facility.
The consumer factor is associated with the orientation of production towards consumers of finished products. In particular, dairy industry enterprises are confined to large cities and suburban areas with a high consumer market capacity. In addition, dairy products are not stored for a long time, so it is not advisable to transport them over long distances. Such branches of the food industry as bakery, pasta, and confectionery also gravitate toward places where finished products are consumed.
Cost and consumer factors together determined the location of multi-industry (oil refining, chemical and petrochemical) production in Omsk. The preference for the cost factor was associated with the low cost of pumping oil from the Middle Ob region via an oil pipeline, and the consumer factor was associated with the existence of a large consumer market in the unofficial “capital” of Western Siberia.
The level of development of scientific and technological progress as a factor in the location of production is currently becoming increasingly important. Scientific and technological progress allows you to save financial and material resources in the manufacture of products, introduce modern technologies into production, release and repurpose the workforce, ease working conditions, and comprehensively process raw materials. Therefore, the higher the level of scientific and technical progress, the better the technical equipment of production with the latest equipment and the higher labor productivity.
The level of development of production and social infrastructure is a basic economic factor that determines unequal starting opportunities when locating social production. The higher this level, the less capital investment will be needed when locating production, and vice versa. In the old industrial regions of European Russia, the level of development of industrial and social infrastructure is significantly higher than in the areas of new development in the north and east of the country.
When placing production, a complex of factors is always taken into account, but when determining the leading value of one or more factors.
The concept of “production location factor”
The placement of production facilities throughout the country (the territorial structure of the economy) is not a chaotic process, but a phenomenon that is subject to economic laws. The main law of economics is increasing efficiency by reducing production costs. Cost reduction is achieved through a successful combination of a number of circumstances.
The specifics of the enterprise play an important role. The degree of influence of one or another factor depends on this. The most important circumstances influencing the location of enterprises are natural and labor resources, communication routes, natural and historical conditions. Let's look at this in more detail.
Types of production location factors and their role in the economy
Natural resource (raw material) factor determined by the availability and quality of raw materials, the conditions of their occurrence and extraction. It is critical for mining companies. It plays an important role in material-intensive industries. In addition, the finished products of other enterprises serve as raw materials for a number of enterprises. For example, for metal-intensive (heavy) mechanical engineering, the raw materials are the products of metallurgical enterprises; for the food industry, the raw material base is agriculture.
A special role among natural resources belongs to energy resources (energy factor). Without an energy source, not a single sphere of human activity can function.
Water resources are very important for the population of any country. Initially, all settlements were located near a source of drinking water. Water is actively used in a number of production processes (metallurgy, electric power, pulp and paper production). Currently, the resource base of the European part of Russia is significantly depleted. Therefore, there is a reorientation of extractive industries towards the natural resources of Siberia and the Far East.
Labor resources determine not only the availability of production (production is impossible without labor), but also influence the quality of products. The higher the qualifications of the workers, the lower the cost and the higher the quality of the labor product. In places where the population is concentrated, it is advisable to locate enterprises with labor-intensive processes (precision engineering, electronics).
Ethnic characteristics of the population determine the geography of crafts (production of artistic lace, scarves, painting of porcelain or wood - Gzhel, Orenburg, Khokhloma). The customs and traditions of the population, its religious characteristics can also influence the structure of the economy.
Note 1
In areas where Islam spreads, pig farming and pork processing are not cultivated in agriculture.
An important factor is the presence and consumer proximity . The consumer factor determines the specialization of agriculture, food and light industry, and mechanical engineering.
Transport-geographical factor lies in the availability of convenient communication routes and the degree of development of the transport network. It contributes to providing the enterprise with raw materials, exporting finished products, and forming integrative ties between enterprises and regions. Access to international transport communications contributes to the activation of the economic and political life of the regions. It was not for nothing that Peter I fought for Russia’s access to the Baltic Sea. In port cities, enterprises have more favorable conditions for loading and unloading raw materials and products than enterprises located in the “outback” of the country.
Scientific factor plays an important role in the development of modern high-tech production - rocket and aircraft manufacturing, electronics, modern nanotechnology. Therefore, such enterprises are located near large scientific centers.
Environmental safety factor started to be taken into account relatively recently. Modern production (especially chemical industry enterprises) can produce large amounts of waste. After mining and forestry developments, dumps or abandoned lands remain. We need a clear program for protecting the environment from waste emissions (waste disposal, construction of treatment facilities) and land reclamation. In addition, a number of industries should not be located near populated areas (nuclear power plants, enterprises for processing nuclear raw materials and nuclear waste, chemically hazardous industries).
Geographical factor takes into account the peculiarities of the geological structure of the territory and its climatic features. Some enterprises cannot be built in seismically active zones. In the permafrost zone, the construction and location of enterprises must take into account the characteristics of the terrain and physical and geographical processes. The conditions of the Far North have an impact on people (the workforce). These include temperature conditions and daylight hours. The geographical factor is of particular importance for agriculture. It determines the sectoral specialization and productivity of agricultural enterprises. Agriculture, like no other industry, depends on the agroclimatic conditions of the area.
Political-geographical situation also plays an important role in the location of production. Friendly ties with neighboring countries favor the location and development of economic facilities and integrative processes. Political and military conflicts have a detrimental effect on the country’s economy and lead the territories into decay.
Basic questions. How is the world economy located? What factors determine the location of production in different areas?
The world economy, based on the totality of interrelated geographical and economic signs and phenomena, can be divided into large geographical regions (North America, Europe, Africa, etc.). In the distribution of the world economy, ten main economic regions are distinguished (Fig. 14.1. Spatial structure of the world economy). Five regions form groups of countries with a high share of gross world product (North America, Western Europe, Newly Industrialized Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States, Gulf States). The individual regions are individual countries: China, India, Japan, Brazil and Mexico.
The leading position in the modern world economy is occupied by North America and Western Europe, whose share in GDP is approximately equal (21-22%). In third place at the end of the twentieth century. China emerged, surpassing Japan in terms of GDP growth. The newly industrialized countries of Asia, the CIS countries, India, Brazil, Mexico and the oil-producing countries of the Persian Gulf are highlighted. In the second half of the twentieth century, the role of the countries of the new Asia-Pacific region in the world economy increases.
Factors of production location. The main factors of production location (natural and social) are understood as natural, economic and social conditions under which optimal opportunities for organizing production are created. Natural factors– dependence of industrial location from natural conditions and resources. Their presence, or lack or absence, determines the costs of production and the amount of income of enterprises. Economic-geographical location(EGP) – the position of a given territory relative to communication routes, sales markets, sources of raw materials, etc. According to the degree of influence of factors on the development of the economy, they distinguish material-intensive,energy-intensive, labor-intensive and consumer-oriented industries.
Provision of the territory with various species natural resources (raw material)– minerals, forests, water, etc., as well as proximity or distance from these resources. Possibilities and conveniences for supplying and exporting raw materials finished products (consumer), as well as the cost of their transportation (transport). Transport costs for raw materials and finished products can be very high.
The availability of fuel is of great importance for organizing the economy. (fuel factor) and electricity ( energetic). Some industries require large amounts of electricity, coal, and gas. These are energy-intensive industries (production of aluminum and other non-ferrous metals).
Availability of demand and sales markets. This also applies to low-transportable products.
Availability cheap labor (labor), highly qualified and educated personnel. The presence of cheap labor in developing countries forces labor-intensive production to be moved from the territory of developed countries, where there is a shortage of labor, to developing ones.
Environmental factor limits the creation of production if it can cause significant harm to the environment. Certain types of production require expensive treatment facilities.
Territorial concentration of production, the presence (concentration) of economic facilities and population in certain centers, regions, and nodes. Taking this factor into account allows you to establish connections with other enterprises and save on transportation costs.
The role of each factor is assessed through product prices. To establish production costs and expected profits, the cost of raw materials, their transportation, workers' compensation, construction work, and construction of treatment facilities are analyzed.
1. What features are observed in the modern location of the world economy? Which industries gravitate towards sources of raw materials? 2. Which industries are classified as energy-intensive? 3*. What is the role of the environmental factor in the location of industrial and agricultural enterprises?
Factors and features of the location of the chemical industry
The location of production facilities and enterprises in the chemical industry is influenced by many factors determined by the specifics of production processes. Chemical industry enterprises are classified as raw material-, water- and energy-intensive industries. In terms of water intensity, the chemical industry is ahead of all industries except the electric power industry. Moreover, a significant part of the water is used in the technological process, which leads to chemical pollution. The share of the chemical industry in total energy consumption is more than 1/10.
The influence of certain factors on the location of enterprises is very different for different branches of the chemical industry. Thus, enterprises for the production of potash fertilizers and soda, as a rule, are located near sources of raw materials; the production of chemical fibers is located in areas where cheap electricity is produced; enterprises of the sulfuric acid and superphosphate industries are located mainly in areas where finished products are consumed, etc.
The specificity of organic synthesis emphasizes the feasibility of placing all its stages - from the extraction of hydrocarbon raw materials to the production of finished products on the same territory. And only the final stages of organic synthesis gravitate towards the consumer - mechanical engineering centers (the production of plastics, synthetic rubber, rubber) and the main centers of the textile industry (the production of chemical fibers).
Thus, the features of the location of the chemical industry are determined by a combination of various factors. For example, for mining chemistry, the determining factor is natural resource; for basic and organic synthesis chemistry, it is consumer, water and energy.
So, the following placement factors can be identified:
Water factor: chemical production requires a lot of raw materials (especially organic synthesis chemistry), and their placement is greatly influenced by the raw material factor. Organic synthesis chemistry also uses a lot of water and the water factor is very important for it.
The raw material factor is decisive for an enterprise producing potash fertilizers, soda, etc.
The environmental factor has also become of great importance, since the industry has a strong impact on the environment. The chemical industry, along with metallurgy, thermal energy and pulp and paper production, is included in the group of large-scale emissions of harmful substances that have the greatest impact on the state of the atmosphere, water resources, polluting soils and groundwater. Particularly dangerous are relatively small in volume, but highly toxic waste from the microbiological industry, the production of pesticides, etc. Emissions, primarily from the chemical industry, pollute many areas of the country. Thus, in the cities of Samara, Novokuibyshevsk, Tolyatti, Chapaevsk (Volga region), the atmosphere is oversaturated with particularly toxic substances: benzopyrene, hydrogen fluoride, dioxin, ethylene benzene. A number of particularly hazardous chemical production facilities are located in the city of Dzerzhinsk (Volgo-Vyatka region), the atmosphere and territory of which contains cyanides, dioxins, and tetraethyl lead in high concentrations. In the r. Oka, after discharges from Dzerzhinsk factories, the content of methanol, cyanide, and formaldehyde increases sharply. The condition of the river is worsening. Chapaevka, the water of which, after the discharge of wastewater from the Chapaevsky Chemical Fertilizer Plant, becomes practically unusable due to the high level of pollution with pesticides. The largest plant "Apatit" (Northern region) causes great damage to the natural environment of the Kola Peninsula.
In order to improve the state of the environment in the technological processes of the industry, it is necessary to use: oxidation and reduction using oxygen and nitrogen, electrochemical methods, membrane technology for separating gas and liquid mixtures, biotechnology, as well as methods of radiation, ultraviolet, electric pulse and plasma intensification of chemical reactions.
The nature of the location of the chemical industry
The main bases of the chemical industry in Russia: Central (around Moscow), where all types of chemistry are developed and mainly imported raw materials are used; Ural region, where basic chemistry is especially developed and its own raw materials are used; Volga and Western (around St. Petersburg), where the chemistry of organic synthesis predominates, as well as the North Caucasus, West Siberian and East Siberian economic regions.
Table 1
Characteristic features of the chemical industry in economic regions of Russia
| Economic region | Characteristics |
| Central | Polymer chemistry (production of plastics and products made from them, synthetic rubber and rubber products, chemical fiber). Production: dyes and varnishes, nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers, sulfuric acid |
| Ural | Production: nitrogen, phosphate, potassium fertilizers, soda, sulfur, sulfuric acid. Polymer chemistry (production of synthetic alcohol, synthetic rubber, plastics from oil and associated gases) |
| Northwestern | Production: phosphate fertilizers, sulfuric acid. Polymer chemistry (production of synthetic resins, plastics, chemical fibers) |
| Povolzhsky | Petrochemical production (orgsynthesis); production of polymer products (synthetic rubber, chemical fibers) |
| North Caucasian | Production of nitrogen fertilizers, organic synthesis, production of synthetic resins and plastics |
| West Siberian and East Siberian | Chemistry of organic synthesis, nitrogen industry using coke oven gas, tire production. Polymer chemistry (production of plastics, chemical fiber, synthetic rubber) |
There are 4 large regions of the chemical industry:
1) Foreign Europe (Germany is in the lead);
2) North America (USA);
3) East and Southeast Asia (Japan, China, Newly Industrialized Countries);
4) CIS (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus).
The following countries are leaders in the production of certain types of chemical products:
A) in the production of sulfuric acid - USA, Russia, China;
B) in the production of mineral fertilizers - USA, China, Russia;
B) in the production of plastics - USA, Japan, Germany;
D) in the production of chemical fibers - USA, Japan, Taiwan;
D) in the production of synthetic rubber - USA, Japan, France.
There are 4 main regions in the global chemical industry: the USA, foreign Europe, the CIS and Japan.
In each of them, the mining and chemical industry, the production of mineral fertilizers, basic chemical products, but especially the industry of organic synthesis and polymer materials have developed.
In developing countries, until recently, this sector of the economy was represented mainly by the extraction of raw materials.
But after the energy crisis, the chemical industry began to develop faster in countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, especially in countries rich in oil and gas resources.
Large petrochemical centers are located in the countries of the Persian Gulf, North America, Mexico, and Venezuela.
The current situation is that the production of organic synthesis products and polymer materials is concentrated in developing countries, while the production of complex, high-tech products is concentrated in the USA, Western Europe and Japan.
The complexity of chemical production increases as the degree of processing and processing of starting materials increases. The newest knowledge-intensive industries also place high demands on the qualifications of the workforce.
In the chemical industry of the world in the era of scientific and technological revolution, very significant transformations are taking place in the equipment and technology used, which contributes to shifts in its sectoral and territorial structure. Features of the development and location of the chemical industry in the world make it possible to identify several large regions where enterprises in this industry are concentrated.
The leading region is Western Europe, producing 32% of the global chemical industry's output (by value). And the per capita production of this industry is higher here than in the United States (the largest producer of chemical products). The leaders in the production of chemical products in Western Europe are Germany (more than 1/4 of production), France, Great Britain, and Italy. Four of the world's five largest chemical multinationals are European. In a number of countries in this region, which occupy a particularly advantageous economic and geographical position (the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy), a powerful petrochemical industry has emerged, significantly exceeding their own needs. Large countries (Germany, Great Britain, France) have a developed diversified chemical industry, but the most typical thing for them is specialization in the production of fine organic synthesis products (in particular chemical and pharmaceutical).
The Western European region as a whole is characterized by a large share in the production of high-tech, expensive products (synthetic dyes, varnishes, medicines, special chemicals) and high exportability of production. Thus, the Netherlands and Belgium export more than 70% of their products, Germany, Sweden, Norway - more than 50%. In general, the region exports over 40% of chemical products (including more than 80% from trade within the EU).
The second large region with a developed chemical industry is North America (about 30% of world production, with 26% coming from the USA). The countries of the region have their own large raw material resources for the chemical industry. Production and trade increased under NAFTA. The USA and Canada stand out against the world background as the largest producers and exporters of mineral fertilizers, explosives, pharmaceuticals, synthetic and polymeric materials, etc.
A new region with a developed chemical industry has emerged - Asian. Moreover, this region accounts for 40% of global chemical consumption. Asia's share in the world in chemical production is slightly lower - less than 30%. However, in the production of some chemical goods, Asia is already ahead of other regions of the world (for example, in the production of mineral fertilizers, chemical fibers). Japan, China and the countries of “new industrialization” especially stand out.
Possessing very limited resources, Japan has a well-developed chemical industry (it ranks 2nd-3rd in the world in the production of many types of chemical products, and even surpasses Germany in the production of polymers, etc.). The country is reducing the production of cheap chemicals, but high-tech industries continue to develop (production of new polymers, including polymers with memory, so-called “smart polymers” that restore color and shape; biotechnological production, pharmaceuticals, etc.).
In recent years, China's chemical industry has been developing rapidly, where the production of basic chemical products still predominates. But it should be noted that this country is already among the top ten world leaders in the production of plastics, chemical fibers and synthetic rubber.
The “new industrial countries” of Asia (having an advantageous transport and geographical location) are also turning into the largest producers of chemical products, specializing in the production of synthetic products and intermediates. And in the countries of South-West Asia (Persian Gulf region) plants were built for the production of nitrogen fertilizers and semi-finished products for organic synthesis.!)
We must not forget about another region with a developed chemical industry. At the end of the 80s, the former USSR occupied 2-4th place in the world in the production of chemical products (in value terms) and, according to some estimates, produced 12-15% of the products of the world chemical industry (1997 - only production stood out especially and export of ammonia, explosives, mineral fertilizers, etc. Moreover, exports were carried out not only to the socialist countries of Eastern Europe (within the framework of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance), but also to developed Western countries (including the USA).
The chemical industry of developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America has been growing at an accelerated pace in recent decades, but primarily in countries with their own large oil and gas resources. Thus, in the Persian Gulf countries, Indonesia, Venezuela and other countries, a large number of enterprises have been built to produce nitrogen fertilizers and petrochemical semi-finished products that produce products for export. A gigantic complex of petrochemical enterprises in the Persian Gulf region (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Kuwait) is now the main competitor of Western European countries and Japan.
However, in general, developing countries still have an insufficient level of development of the chemical industry, especially fine chemicals, and are forced to import medicines, pesticides for agriculture, mineral fertilizers, etc.1)
As a result, there is a tendency for the group of developing countries to continue to lag behind economically developed countries in the production of chemical products. But due to the development of the chemical industry of oil-exporting countries and “newly industrialized countries”, in the future there is an increase in the role of the chemical industry of developing countries in the world economy. However, this will occur with a simultaneous increase in the specialization of economically highly developed countries in the development of the latest knowledge-intensive sub-sectors of chemical production.)
Conditions, factors for the development and location of chemical industries
The modern location of the chemical industry has been formed under the influence of economic, geographical and technical factors. The geography of raw material resources and their capacity, and the conditions of occurrence significantly influence the location of chemical enterprises in the mining and chemical industry. The constant growth in demand for resources such as oil and gas, which have become the main driver in the field of organic synthesis, as well as the petrochemical industry, further significantly increases the influence of the raw material resource factor in the location of production. True, an extensive network of pipelines brings production closer to areas of consumption.
The justification for the location of specific chemical production facilities is associated with taking into account factors arising from the structure of costs for consumption and production of chemical products. This is first of all:
— Raw material factor (share of raw materials and materials in 1 ton of finished product);
— Energy factor (fuel consumption in conventional tons per ton of finished product);
— Water factor (amount of water consumption and amount of wastewater requiring treatment);
— Labor factor (selection of industries with a high ratio of living labor costs to a unit of finished product);
— Consumer factor (presence of a consumer for finished products).
The Ukrainian chemical industry uses water more than other industries. Thus, to produce 1 ton of chemical fibers, it will require 25 times more water than to smelt 1 ton of pig iron, and ten times more than to smelt 1 ton of copper, zinc or lead. In total, water consumption rates in the Ukrainian chemical industry range from 50 m3 in the production of soda and chlorine to 6000 m3 in the production of synthetic fibers. The above-mentioned factor of water intensity becomes a strong reason for limiting the possibilities of choice when locating various enterprises of the chemical industry. In turn, many types of raw materials are found in low-water Ukrainian regions. In many sectors of the Ukrainian chemical industry there is a very high demand for energy and fuel. So, for example, for the production of synthetic rubber based on acetylene, 15 thousand kWh is required, in turn, for the production of phosphorus - up to 20 thousand kWh per 1 ton of finished products. During the manufacture and production of many types of synthetic products, thermal energy, such as steam, is also absorbed. Therefore, very often chemical production companies are focused exclusively on the fuel and energy factor.
The consumer factor mainly applies to the basic chemical industries - the production of both mineral fertilizers (except potash) and sulfuric acid. In the organic synthesis chemistry industries, the consumer is very important only in cases where this is facilitated by the location of the final product enterprises. In these cases, the choice of labor is also very important. The location of the chemical industry in Ukraine is also influenced by technological factors. If chemical production is not influenced by intra-industry combinations and, in turn, represents technologically independent and specialized enterprises, it does not concentrate on a specific territory. One of these is the production of mineral fertilizers, varnishes, paints, and plastic processing. And if, on the contrary, combination is a necessary condition for the functioning of enterprises, their placement takes the form of interconnected production complexes. A very important factor influencing the location of chemical production is the formation of various liquid, gaseous and solid wastes. Especially a lot of waste is recorded in mining chemistry. The significance of each factor follows from the cost structure of production in the chemical and petrochemical industries. Scientific and technological progress, in turn, has a decisive influence on the main factors of industrial chemistry, which determine the choice of location for chemical production. The importance of energy and raw materials factors also changes significantly. Their marginal influence gradually decreases. Production automation and waste-free technologies are being introduced.
The efficiency of locating individual enterprises in the chemical industry directly depends on the forms of organization of production: specialization, cooperation and combination, concentration of enterprises. The concentration of production is especially effective, due to the significant capital intensity of production, the great need of the national economy for chemical products, and the high pace of scientific and technological progress. Production should be concentrated both by increasing enterprises and by increasing the capacity of existing units and technological lines, which will increase plant concentration. The concentration of production has its own rational limits, violation of which leads to a decrease in its efficiency.
An increase in production volumes causes an increase in transportation costs for the delivery of raw materials, fuel and water, increases the radius of transportation of finished products, increases construction time, and increases the risk of emergency situations. Thus, increasing the capacity of ethylene production units from 50 to 300 thousand tons per year reduces production costs by half. And the annual increase in the capacity of units for the production of ethylene from 300 to 500 thousand tons is only 7%. The optimal production size depends on many factors, for example, the development of transport (especially pipelines), the provision of raw materials, the availability of labor resources, the reliability of technological equipment, etc.
Specialization of production in the Ukrainian chemical industry should be carried out simultaneously with cooperation, which creates favorable conditions for the organization of continuous technological processes, as well as the creation of specialized equipment, new forms of labor organization, the introduction of comprehensive mechanization and automation of production, significantly increasing the level of use of equipment and production capacity; simplifies the production structure of Ukrainian chemical enterprises; improves logistics and sales; actively contributes to the growth of labor productivity. The level of specialization in the main sub-sectors of the Ukrainian chemical industry varies. For many chemical enterprises, core products are not the main product, which is explained by the high efficiency of combination, which is due to the presence of a large number of processes based on the consistent and complex processing of these mineral and organic raw materials, a significant scale of production of intermediate products, which are characterized by low transportability, high consumption of fuel resources - energy complex, the presence of powerful service and auxiliary workshops. Combining production is combined with its concentration and reduces the use of oil and gas in the petrochemical industry by 25-31%, and in the industrial production of chemical fibers - reducing the cost of 1 ton of fiber by 4%. And also the combination of chemical industry enterprises on the basis of integrated development of deposits or integrated use of raw materials and waste disposal makes it possible to successfully solve environmental problems.
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Chemical industry: composition, factors of enterprise location, main areas and centers. Problems and prospects for development. Chemical industry and environmental problems.
The development of all sectors of the economy largely depends on the development of chemistry; chemistry provides industry and construction with new effective materials, supplies agriculture with mineral fertilizers and plant protection products, and contributes to its intensification.
The chemical industry has a complex industrial composition. It includes mining chemistry (extraction of raw materials - apatites, phosphorites, sulfur, rock salts, etc.), basic chemistry (production of salts, acids, alkalis, mineral fertilizers), chemistry of organic synthesis (production of polymers) and processing of polymers materials (production of tires, plastic products, etc.)
Chemical production requires a lot of raw materials (especially organic synthesis chemistry), and their placement is strongly influenced by the raw material factor. The chemistry of organic synthesis also uses a lot of water and the water factor is very important for it.
The consumer factor influences the placement of basic chemicals, the products of which are either dangerous during transportation (acids, alkalis) or are consumed in specific areas (fertilizers). The same factor is important for industries that produce products, the transportation of which is more expensive than the transportation of raw materials for its manufacture (tires, plastic products).
Chemistry uses waste from many industries, so an important factor in its placement is the combination of production, especially with metallurgy. The possibilities for combining and using various raw materials are so great that they make it possible to build chemical industry enterprises almost everywhere. But this is impractical due to the high energy and water intensity of its production.
The environmental factor has also become of great importance, since the industry has a strong impact on the environment.
The main bases of the chemical industry: Central (around Moscow), where all types of chemistry are developed and mainly imported raw materials are used; Ural region, where basic chemistry is especially developed and its own raw materials are used; Volga and Western (around St. Petersburg), where the chemistry of organic synthesis predominates.
The main problems facing the industry are the development of production of the latest types of fine chemical products, the microbiological industry, and the creation of small-scale production facilities that do not have a particular impact on the environment.
The factors for the location of machine-building enterprises are scientifically substantiated. When choosing locations, you need to take into account various factors and conditions. The availability of flat areas (preferably not suitable for agriculture) for the location of the enterprise itself and the construction of access roads to it is taken into account.
Raw materials, consumer and labor factors play a major role in placement.
In particular, the raw material factor is one of the main ones, since the production of all types of mechanical engineering is closely related to the use of metal (production of freight cars and tanks, diesel locomotives, tractors, heavy engineering products). And also in this case, transport costs for transporting metal, machinery and equipment are significantly reduced, and conditions arise for establishing connections between mechanical engineering and ferrous metallurgy. Machine-building plants are freed from some operations that are more characteristic of metallurgy, and metallurgical plants get the opportunity to use waste from mechanical engineering and specialize in accordance with its needs.
The consumer factor has a significant impact on the location of enterprises producing heavy and large-sized machines, since their products are difficult to transport.
This is the production of agricultural machinery, equipment for the light, chemical, food industries, as well as the metallurgical complex, gas, coal and oil industries. Sea and river shipbuilding is focused exclusively on the consumer, and is located in sea and river ports.
Most branches of mechanical engineering are characterized by high labor intensity and a high level of qualification of workers and engineers. Therefore, it is more convenient to locate factories in areas equipped with specialists in this field and a high concentration of population. As well as placement in machine-building plants near or directly in the centers where research and development bases are concentrated. That is, the territory must be knowledge-intensive for faster and more modern sales of goods. This is how the areas of precision science-intensive engineering are located, in particular machine tool and instrument making, electronic and electrical sub-sectors. Orientation towards scientific potential is the leading factor in the location of machine-building enterprises.
| Federal districts** | Mechanical Engineering Specialization |
| Central | Transport engineering (aerospace, automotive, railway) Production of equipment for the light, chemical and petrochemical industries. Machine tool industry. Agricultural engineering. Precision and complex mechanical engineering. Electronics |
| Privolzhsky | Transport engineering (aerospace industry, automotive industry, river shipbuilding). Production of equipment for the oil and gas, oil refining industries, organic synthesis chemistry, pulp and paper industries. Agricultural engineering |
| Ural | Transport engineering (aerospace, automotive, railway). Equipment for the metallurgical industry, mining equipment, equipment for the oil production, oil refining and petrochemical industries. Power engineering. Machine tool industry |
| Northwestern | Transport engineering (marine shipbuilding, ship repair). Power engineering. Production of equipment for the timber industry |
| Southern | Transport engineering (marine shipbuilding, ship repair). Production of equipment for the food industry. Agricultural engineering |
| Siberian | Transport engineering (aerospace industry, railway engineering). Production of mining equipment |
| Far Eastern | Transport engineering (marine shipbuilding, ship repair, aviation industry) |
The influence of these factors is extremely important to consider as a whole, because some branches of mechanical engineering simultaneously focus on raw materials and on the consumer and labor resources. This approach to product sales is the most optimal. This is due to the fact that the production of machines requires not only the availability of metal, but also highly qualified workers and the presence of a solvent consumer.
The developed transport system of the region is a way of specialization and interaction of machine-building enterprises.
Chemistry of organic synthesis
Chemical industry of Russia
The chemical industry plays a vital role in the country’s economy, as it produces fundamentally new construction materials for other sectors of the economy, and also contributes to the creation of waste-free production technologies.
This industry includes:
Mining and chemical industry
Basic chemistry (production of acids, salts, alkalis, mineral fertilizers)
Production of polymer metals (synthetic layers, plastics, chemical fibers, rubber) and their processing into finished products.
The chemical industry also includes the industry of chemical reagents and highly pure substances, varnishes and paints - household chemicals; The petrochemical, microbiology, pharmaceutical, perfume and cosmetic industries act as a separate industry.
Feature The industry is characterized by a wide variety of raw materials used, equipment and technologies used.
Raw material base This industry is served by all types of combustible minerals (gas, oil, oil shale); mineral raw materials (salts, apatites, phosphates, sulfur); waste from the production of ferrous and non-ferrous metals and the chemical industry itself.
Placement factors Industry production is determined by the specifics of the production process. Chemical enterprises industries refer to raw materials and water-intensive industries. For example: the production of potassium salts is located near sources of raw materials; production of sulfuric acid and superphosphates - in areas of cheap electricity.
Basic Chemistry
Includes the production of acids, alkalis and mineral fertilizers
1.sulfuric acid production(the most important chemical product that is used in the production of mineral fertilizers, textiles, food and oil refining). It is located in areas of consumption since it is not easily transportable.
This production can be combined with metallurgical production and its waste. For example: Chelyabinsk - zinc, Volkhov aluminum plant, Krasnouralsk, Nizhny Tagil.
Recently, the raw material base has expanded and the production of sulfur and sulfuric acid has been combined with gas and an oil refinery. The largest enterprises in this industry: Volgo-Vyatsky district - Derzhinsk; Ural region - Perm, Bereznyaki.
2.soda industry: The starting material is salt. Soda is used both in the chemical and other fields (glass, pulp and paper, textile industries).
The natural soda deposit is located in the Altai Territory (Mikhailovskoye), Perm Territory (Bashkiria, Bereznyaki, Sterlitamak). Centers of the soda industry: Usolye-Sibirskoye, Cheboksary, Volgograd.
3.production of mineral fertilizers(phosphate, potassium, nitrogen). 3 million tons/year.
— phosphate fertilizers (simple and double superphosphate). The raw materials are phosphorites and apatites. Most phosphate fertilizer production facilities operate on apatites of the Kola Peninsula, and enterprises using phosphorites are located in mining areas. Centers: Moscow region - Voskresensk, North-West region - Kingisepp, St. Petersburg, Volga region - Balakovo.
— the production of potash fertilizers is located near potassium salts, it is located in the Urals, on the basis of potassium salts of the Neftekamsk deposit (Solikamsk, Bereznyaki).
— production of nitrogen fertilizers is located near gas fields or combined with full-cycle coke chemistry and ferrous metallurgy enterprises. New pipelines are located along gas pipelines. Centers: Derzhinsk (near Nizhny Novgorod), Bereznyaki, Novomoskovsk (Tula region), Kemerovo, Tolyatti, Nevinnomyssk (Stavropol region).
— complex fertilizers (complex and mixed). Centers: Cherepovets, Novomoskovsk, Krasnodar, Nevinnomyssk
Chemistry of organic synthesis
Includes:
1.based on organic synthesis(production of alcohols, solvents, organic acids)
2.production of organic synthesis products(plastics, resins, synthetic rubber, chemical fibers)
3.processing of polymer materials(plastic products. Plastic production). Centers: Volga region (Kazan, Volgograd)
Ural (Nizhny Tagil, Ufa, Solvat, Ekaterinburg)
Western Siberia (Tyumen, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk)
Central district (Moscow, Vladimir, Orekhovo-Zuevo)
S-Zapadny district (St. Petersburg.)
4.artificial and synthetic fibers(Tver, Ryazan, Balakovo, Barnaul, Kursk, Engels, Krasnoyarsk, etc.)
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The development and location of the chemical complex is determined by the influence of a number of factors
Raw material factor has a huge impact on the location of all sectors of the chemical complex, and is decisive for the mining and chemical industry and the production of potash fertilizers. In the cost of finished products, the share of raw materials for individual production ranges from 40 to 90%, which is due either to high consumption rates or to their value.
Energy factor is especially important for the polymer materials industry and certain branches of basic chemistry. The chemical complex consumes about 1/5 of the energy resources used in industry. The production of synthetic rubber, phosphorus by electric sublimation and nitrogen fertilizers by water electrolysis is characterized by increased electrical capacity, and the soda industry is characterized by significant fuel consumption.
Water factor plays a special role when locating enterprises of the chemical complex, since water is used both for auxiliary purposes and as a raw material. Water consumption in the chemical industry varies from 50 m3 in the production of chlorine to 6000 m3 in the production of chemical fibers.
Consumer factor taken into account when locating, first of all, branches of basic chemistry - the production of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers, sulfuric acid, as well as highly specialized enterprises producing varnishes, paints, and pharmaceutical products.
Labor factor influences the location of labor-intensive industries of the chemical complex, which include the production of chemical fibers and plastics.
Environmental factor until recently, was not sufficiently taken into account when locating enterprises of the chemical complex. However, this particular industry is one of the main environmental polluters among industrial sectors (almost 30% of the volume of polluted industrial wastewater). Therefore, the main and determining factor for the further development and placement of the industry is the transformation of traditional technologies into low-waste and resource-saving ones, the creation of closed technological cycles with full use of raw materials and not generating waste beyond their scope.
Infrastructure factor, which involves the preparation and arrangement of the territory for industrial development, is especially important when locating industrial enterprises, mainly in areas of new development.
Composition of the chemical complex
As part of the chemical complex, one can distinguish the mining and chemical industry associated with the extraction of primary chemical raw materials, basic chemistry, which ensures the production of mineral fertilizers, sulfuric acid and soda, and the polymer materials industry (including organic synthesis).
The mining and chemical industry ranks third in terms of production volume and includes the extraction of apatites, phosphorites, potassium and table salt, native sulfur, boron, chalk, etc. The reserves of chemical raw materials in Russia, which are raw materials for the production of mineral fertilizers, are significant - in terms of potash resources salts and phosphate raw materials (apatites and phosphorites), the country ranks first in the world. The main reserves of chemical raw materials are concentrated in the European part of the country. No large and profitable deposits have yet been identified in the Eastern zone.
The structure of phosphate raw material reserves is dominated by apatite ores, where the Khibiny group in the Murmansk region plays the main role. Almost 90% of the country's proven reserves of potassium salts are concentrated in the Verkhnekamskoye deposit in the Perm Territory, where the entire extraction of this raw material is carried out in Russia. Table salts are represented in the Volga region, the Urals, Western and Eastern Siberia, the Far East, deposits of sulfur and sulfur pyrites are in the Urals.
Fertilizer production
Basic chemistry occupies a leading place in the chemical complex in terms of production volume. Its main industry is the mineral fertilizer industry, which includes the production nitrogen, phosphate and potassium fertilizers. In the structure of production of mineral fertilizers, approximately the same share (more than 2/5) is accounted for by potassium and nitrogen fertilizers, and 1/6 by phosphate fertilizers. In the cost of production of mineral fertilizers, the costs of feedstock, natural gas, electricity and transport account for approximately 70-80%.
The territorial organization of mineral fertilizer production has not undergone any changes over the past decade. As before, more than 95% of the production of mineral fertilizers is concentrated in the Western zone of the country, where the importance of the Urals has increased even more (2/5 of all-Russian production) against the backdrop of a reduction in the role of the Center, the North-West, the Volga region, and the Volga-Vyatka region.
Modern nitrogen industry is based on the synthesis and subsequent processing of ammonia, the cost of which accounts for almost 50% of the costs of natural gas (as raw materials and fuel). At the same time, the determining factor in location is either the presence of gas resources in the area (Nevinnomyssk in the North Caucasus), or consumers of finished products - agriculture - and enterprises are located along the routes of main gas pipelines (Novomoskovsk in Central, Novgorod in North-West, Dzerzhinsk in Volgo-Vyatka areas). When using coke oven gas, which is formed during the coking of coal, as a raw material, enterprises for the production of nitrogen fertilizers are built either in coal basins (Kemerovo, Angarsk) or near full-cycle metallurgical plants (Magnitogorsk, Nizhny Tagil, Lipetsk, Cherepovets).
Potash fertilizers Produced at mining and chemical industry enterprises, they combine the extraction and enrichment of potash ores. On the basis of the Verkhnekamsk deposit, potash fertilizers are produced at two large enterprises in Solikamsk and Berezniki in the Perm region.
Production phosphate fertilizers based on the acid processing of phosphate raw materials (phosphorites and apatites) and is carried out at 19 enterprises located in almost all European regions of the country, including the Urals. The determining factor in location is the presence of a consumer, so enterprises are built mainly in agricultural areas: Kingisepp (North-West), Voskresensk, Novomoskovsk (Center), Uvarovo (Central Black Earth Region), Balakovo (Volga Region), Krasnouralsk (Ural).
The sulfuric acid industry produces products that are widely used, especially in the production of phosphate fertilizers. Sulfuric acid production is concentrated in the European part of the country; the main regions remain the European North, the Urals and the Center, which provide almost 2/3 of the all-Russian output; slightly less - 1/5 - is provided by the Volga region and the North-West.
A distinctive feature of the soda industry is its attraction to raw materials - deposits of table salt. The production of caustic and soda ash is material-intensive (up to 5 m3 of salt brine is consumed to produce 1 ton of finished product), auxiliary materials are widely used here (about 1.5 tons of limestone per 1 ton of finished product) and fuel and energy resources. The leading areas of concentration of the soda industry are the Volga region, the Urals, Eastern Siberia and the Volga-Vyatka region, which account for over 9/10 of the all-Russian production of caustic and soda ash.
The polymer materials industry ranks second in the chemical complex in terms of production volume and includes organic synthesis (production of hydrocarbon raw materials based on oil, gas and coke chemistry), polymer chemistry developing on its basis (production of synthetic rubber, synthetic resins and plastics, chemical fibers ), as well as processing of polymer products (production of rubber products, tires, plastic products).
The development and deployment of organic synthesis is due to a significant and widespread raw material base, which removes territorial restrictions for the industry. Initially, organic synthesis relied on raw materials of wood and agricultural origin, coal, and was introduced in Kuzbass, the Moscow region, the Urals, as well as in European regions that consumed finished products. Now the determining factor is the availability of oil and gas raw materials.
Among the branches of polymer chemistry, the largest in scale is the industry of synthetic resins and plastics, which suffered less than others during the period of market transformations of the economy; its production volume decreased by 1/5. The availability of hydrocarbon petrochemical raw materials determines the location of the industry and production approaches petrochemical plants located in oil production areas or along oil and gas pipeline routes.
The expected shifts in the location of the industry in the Eastern zone did not occur. Over the past 15 years, the share of eastern regions in the all-Russian production of synthetic resins and plastics has decreased from 31 to 26% and the role of the Volga region (Novokuibyshevsk, Volgograd, Volzhsky, Kazan) and the Urals (Ufa, Salavat, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Tagil) has increased, which in 2007 provided the production of more than 2/5 of the industry's finished products. The situation remains stable in the largest consumption area - Central, where large enterprises operate in Moscow, Ryazan, Yaroslavl.
Chemical fiber industry and threads ranks second in terms of the volume of polymer chemistry products produced and includes the production of artificial (from cellulose) and synthetic fibers (from petroleum products).
The industry of chemical fibers and threads is characterized by high consumption rates of raw materials, water, fuel and energy and is focused on the textile industry regions - Central (Tver, Shuya, Klin, Serpukhov), Volga region (Balakovo, Saratov, Engels). In the east, large enterprises operate in Krasnoyarsk, Barnaul, Kemerovo.
The synthetic rubber industry occupies a special place, since the world's first enterprises based on food raw materials were built in the early 1930s of the twentieth century. in Central Russia. The transition to hydrocarbon raw materials led to the construction of new plants in the Volga region, the Urals, and Western Siberia.
In addition to high material intensity, the industry is characterized by significant electrical intensity (almost 3 thousand kW/h per 1 ton of synthetic rubber) and is characterized by a certain territorial dispersion.
Almost 2/3 of synthetic rubber production occurs in the European part, where the Volga region (Kazan, Tolyatti, Nizhnekamsk) remains the leading region. Production volumes are significant in the Central (Moscow, Yaroslavl), Central Black Earth (Voronezh) and Ural (Ufa, Sterlitamak, Perm) regions. In the east, Omsk (Western Siberia) and Krasnoyarsk (Eastern Siberia) remain major producers of synthetic rubber.
